Dubai: A great story isn't necessarily about spelling and grammar, but about having an "imaginative spark", according to the organisers of a children's creative writing competition.
"It's about having an imaginative spark in the opening couple of lines, that makes you think yes, I want to read on this child has got something good to say here," Yvette Judge told Gulf News.
Judge works with Joan Scott-Minter who together organise the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature Students' Writing Competition, held at the festival every year.
"Sometimes it's not even about plot, but they need to complete it [the story] with a beginning, middle and an end. Good writers have a different way of looking at things. They'll pick out the slightly less obvious things and describe them in more creative language and images in comparison. It has to be logical and plausible and it's got to have liveliness about it," Scott-Minter said.
Categories
This year's competition theme is "The Mystery" and winners in the four categories (ages 11 and under, 12-14, 15-18 and 18 and above) will have their stories published in a book by Jerboa Books.
The language and vocabulary is taken into account for each age category.
"Whatever age they are, if there's that spark that runs through their story, it doesn't matter if they're eight or 18," Judge said.
The first two years of the competition saw thousands of entries being submitted. So why are the children so enthusiastic about creative writing? "Because it's something the children do outside of school, they are genuinely interested in the competition and having their work published," she said.
The organisers have a team of readers to help them read each story carefully, taking time to complete each story that fits the entry requirements. Judge and Scott-Minter stress that every entry is treated with respect and are given the due attention they deserve.
Initial readers select the best entries and a total of 40-50 are then given to the judges for final judging.
"It's a magical thing to have their work published," Scott-Minter said of the children's stories, "kids want to be recognised as talented".
Word count
Maximum word count for children aged 11 and under is 500; ages 12-14 is 1,000 words while maximum world could for ages 15 to 18 and 18 and above studying in full time undergraduate programmes is 1,500 words.
Participants should submit their stories either in English or Arabic before November 12.
This year, all entries need to be electronic as paper entries proved cumbersome in previous years.
"A lot of children actually start writing without knowing where the story will be going, but actually a lot of writers do that. You can tell the entries where the children have gone back and tried to make it better, so I think it's like any skill, the more you practice, the better it will be," Scott-Minter said.
The two organisers stressed that entries vastly over the word count will not be considered in the final judging process, although some leeway is given. Stories should also be finished (with a beginning, middle and end) rather than simply stopping because the word count has been reached.
Winners will also receive a prize from competition sponsors Montegrappa.
The festival will be held from March 8 to 12, 2011 under the patronage of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture).
Details: Summary of information on event
- What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature Students' Writing Competition
- Deadline: November 12, 2010
- Information: www.emirateslitfest.com/writingcompetition
Do you think children get enough freedom to be creative? How can parents help children realise their true potential?
