ELLE writing competition
Need some inspo for your story? We quizzed authors about how to get started.
So you think you’ve got what it takes to write for ELLE magazine? Then start typing. In 2017, there’s never been a better time for the next generation of women to make their voices heard.
We’re on the lookout for fiction’s next superstar. Here at ELLE, we think emerging talent deserves all the support it can get, and we have a real soft spot for a great storyteller. So, we want you to show us your best work of fiction. If your dream involves being the next Jane Harper, Liane Moriarty or Zoë Foster Blake (who just happens to be one of our judges), now is the time to get started.
We want you to write a 4,000-word short story on the topic of your choice. Where you choose to take it is up to you. Fall in love, rule the country or walk a day in Beyoncé’s shoes. The aim is to move the judges, whether they laugh, cry (or cringe). Deadline for entries is November 3, so if you’ve got a story to tell, go on and get telling it.
NEED A LITTLE GUIDANCE? WE ASKED SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE FICTION WRITERS TO IMPART THEIR WISDOM TO INSPIRE YOU TO PUT PEN TO PAPER (OR RATHER, FINGERS TO KEYBOARD).
“WHAT MAKES A GOOD STORY? A knot – or several knots – of tension. If there’s no tension, there’s no story.” – JENNIFER DOWN, AUTHOR OF OUR MAGIC HOUR AND PULSE POINTS
“READERS RELATE TO CHARACTERS WHO COME FROM SOME PLACE GENUINE and emotionally honest. The protagonist’s heart needs to be made from pieces of your heart, rearranged and augmented.” – E LOCKHART, AUTHOR OF YA FAVOURITES WE WERE LIARS AND GENUINE FRAUD
“READ EVERYTHING. The best way to learn about how to write fiction is to read fiction. Read closely and actively. Why do you like it? What has the author done? How can you learn from it?” – ANNA SPARGO-RYAN, AUTHOR OF THE PAPER HOUSE AND THE GULF
“AUTOPSY REPORTS, RE-RUNS OF THE HILLS, STRANGERS’ HOME VIDEOS... inspiration tends to come from weird places. I often latch onto unexpected details in news stories or non-fiction books – one of my short stories, Fireflowers, came from reading about an unnamed girl’s skirt catching on fire in a true-crime biography. The image stuck with me and turned into something bigger.” – LAURA ELIZABETH WOOLLETT, AUTHOR OF THE WOOD OF SUICIDES AND THE LOVE OF A BAD MAN
“LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS and get the words onto the page. They can be changed later.” – SOFIE LAGUNA, AUTHOR OF THE EYE OF THE SHEEP
AND FINALLY... “Turn off the inner critic, ignore the naysayers, and do it. New writers can be deterred by a rejection or by feedback, and they stop. Don’t! You need to be able to withstand the occasional rejection and be open to feedback, continue to work on your craft, write and rewrite, then rewrite again.” – ANNA GEORGE, AUTHOR OF THE LONE CHILD AND WHAT CAME BEFORE
The winning fiction will be published in the January issue of ELLE and the author awarded a $5,000 prize. Two runners-up will receive a prize pack of recent releases from Hachette Australia worth $200.