On
Friday 6th December 2013 at the New Zealand Society of Authors end
of year meeting the prestigious Graeme Lay Short Story Awards were presented.
Graeme
Lay…
There were 39 entries for the competition in this,
its third year. All the entrants used pseudonyms, so I had no idea who the
writers were.
It occurred to me while reading the entries just how
difficult it is to write a publishable short story. After all, setting,
characters and plot must be swiftly and credibly established, the essential
element of dramatic conflict must be introduced, and the story must move
towards a wholly plausible and satisfying resolution. The writing should also
employ the power of suggestion, encouraging the reader to ‘read between the
lines’. All this, in no more than 1,500 words. A real challenge.
An intriguing aspect of the subject matter was its
cosmopolitan nature. Many of the stories were set overseas, a reflection of New
Zealanders’ propensity for international travel and the inspiration which
exotic cultures provide.
As is always the case with literary contests, the
best stories were immediately apparent. The top eight stories virtually chose
themselves. Then the hard part began. There was very little between those eight
stories, but after several readings and re-readings, three rose to the top. And
of those three, two lingered in my consciousness. There was very little between
them, but after a long deliberation, I made a final decision.
Here are the results of the 2013 competition.
Highly
Commended
A
Handkerchief in the Rice Paddies by Meemee Phipps
A story with
an Asian setting, based on a youthful relationship which blossoms, then
suddenly dies. The theme of loss of innocence is strongly evoked.
Sieni by Kayla Mackenzie-Kopp
Set in Samoa, this is the account of a Palagi
woman’s fostering of her beautiful house girl after she is abused by a close
relative. A sad but wholly credible story.
One
Red Dog by Helen McNeil
A very subtle depiction of a marriage, a wife’s
journey to rejoin her academic husband, and male infidelity, set in an English
rural background. Very effective use of understatement.
Finders
Keepers by Judith White
A story based on a woman’s rescue of an injured man
and the relationship which ensues until he regains his memory and his family.
Wistful, melancholic and moving.
Tui
Tunes by Bernard Brown
A refreshingly comic tale with an Anglo-German theme
and a hapless narrator. The plot switches cleverly from England to Germany, to
Mt Eden, greatly entertaining the reader along the way. It’s always a treat to
come across a genuinely amusing story in such a competition.
Third
Place
The
Homecoming by Eileen Merriman
Set in New Zealand’s Far North, this story is based
on the estrangement of a son from his father. Told from the point of view of an
outsider, the son’s girlfriend, the story is full of repressed emotions which
threaten to boil over, but with admirable restraint, do not.
Second
Place
Sleeping
Over by Diana Duckworth
A female student discovers the magic of the camera
and photographic inspiration through capturing images of homeless people for a
school assignment. In the process she discovers truths about her own and her
family’s identity, as well as launching a successful career.
First
Place
You
Set Me Free by Linley Jones
A story of two siblings, their shared childhood with
a solo father and their later divergent adult lives. The evocation of a rural
Kiwi upbringing, the twin themes of family loss and the contrast between a life
on the land and one at sea are powerfully evoked. A finely executed piece of
writing and a worthy winner.
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