{"id":22986,"date":"2022-08-15T12:36:09","date_gmt":"2022-08-15T11:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/?p=22986"},"modified":"2022-08-17T12:28:23","modified_gmt":"2022-08-17T11:28:23","slug":"one-year-on-tong-qiu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/one-year-on-tong-qiu\/","title":{"rendered":"Winning The Short Story Writing Competition: One Year On With Tong Qiu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Intro<\/h3>\n
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The search is still open for the best original short story written by a previously unpublished writer. Whether you have completed a writing course with us or not, this is your opportunity to devise a piece of short fiction that will be read by an expert panel of judges, and considered for the \u00a31,500 first prize. With one month to go until our Short Story Competition 2022<\/a> closes, we spoke to last years winner, Tong Qiu, author of Love Bug<\/em><\/a>, on her life, legacy and whats next!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tENTER THE SHORT STORY WRITING COMPETITION \t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
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Love Bug is a fabulously written story and a worthy winner of our inaugural short story competition, how does it feel a whole year on?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you! I still feel really chuffed about it! It encouraged me to submit works to other competitions too. I\u2019ve not won anything else yet but, for someone who always found it rather painfully vulnerable to share my work, the encouragement to put it out there at all was definitely welcome.<\/p>\n

We spoke to you not long after winning the prize last year, and you revealed that lockdown gave you the time and space to get your story finished. How has your writing life been post-pandemic?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

To be honest, writing has taken a bit of a back seat since lockdown was lifted. As much as I enjoy it, I, like a lot of others, had sorely missed spending time with friends and being able to travel so I\u2019ve spent as much time as possible doing that. I am hoping to build up a habit of writing more regularly again soon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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You also mentioned that Love Bug might have been an idea for a novel \u2013 have you started any longer form projects in the last year or so?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There might be a clue in my last answer to this one! No I haven\u2019t, if anything I\u2019ve gone the other way and written more flash fiction and poems. When I don\u2019t have a lot of time to write, I find that pressure is often the biggest barrier to getting any writing done at all. If I felt like I had to develop a novel, I would just think \u201cI can\u2019t do that in 30 minutes so I won\u2019t bother trying\u201d whereas I\u2019m much more inclined to start a piece of flash fiction or poem.<\/p>\n

Could you offer any words of advice for writers aiming to submit to this year\u2019s competition?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just go for it. If you\u2019re doubting whether your work is good enough to stand a chance, or cringing at the thought of a panel reading it, shake it off and submit it anyway. I was scared of people reading my story, judging me through it, and I certainly didn\u2019t think I would win. But it was so rewarding - not so much the winning in itself, but the proof that people actually enjoyed and were moved by something I wrote. That\u2019s really all I want as a writer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tREAD LOVE BUG\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
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Have you read any great short stories lately?<\/b><\/p>\n

I recently read a collection by May-Lan Tan called Things to Make and Break,<\/em> which contained some really breathtaking stories. She has a real knack for painting characters. For example, in the first story in the collection the narrator\u2019s boyfriend is described as \u201cNot a practising Catholic, just chronic. Sleeps fetal\u2026 When he laughs his happiness builds just like a normal person\u2019s, but at the top his eyes go blank, as if there\u2019s nothing there.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

What\u2019s up next for you in the world of writing?<\/b><\/p>\n

Make more time for it! When I entered the competition last year, I was part of a writing group which would meet every couple of weeks to workshop. I haven\u2019t had that for most of the past year and definitely miss the motivation, inspiration and (let\u2019s be honest!) a bit of pressure to produce something that comes from being part of such a group. I\u2019d like to try to fit it in again into post pandemic life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tENTER THE SHORT STORY WRITING COMPETITION \t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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\n\t\t\"writing\n\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

About Tong Qiu<\/h3>\n
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About Tong Qiu<\/strong><\/p>\n

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As a maths student turned software engineer, I\u2019m not the most likely writer. But I\u2019ve always held a childlike wonder for the power of storytelling, and love having creative outlets to balance out an analytical day job. Besides writing, I enjoy good food and wine, and talking to my cat.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The search is still open for the best original short story written by a previously unpublished writer. Whether you have…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":23000,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[137,129,120,118],"tags":[353,483,2068,2069,715,2034],"yoast_head":"\nOur Writing Winner One Year On | City Academy News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Short Story Competition 2022 is almost closed! 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