Teen writer’s poignant story a winning formula
Youngest entrant feels honoured by short story award
AKāpiti College student has won first prize in an annual writing competition that pays homage to famous writer Katherine Mansfield. There were 11 finalists in the Mansfield Short Story Award, open to Year 12 and 13 students from secondary schools in the Wellington region.
Amaya Colombick, 17, who is in Year 12 at Kāpiti College, won the competition — quite an achievement, especially because she was the youngest entrant.
“I was pretty surprised and wasn’t expecting to win. I felt very honoured. I have read through the other entrants’ stories and there’s some beautiful writing.”
She won $500 for first place and hasn’t decided what to do with the money.
“It might end up going into savings, which is a bit boring.”
Her poignant story, called Ouroboros, of a charged encounter between two men at a New York party, impressed competition judge and award-winning writer Sue Orr.
“The control of the story’s pace and tension is startling, of a standard rare in short fiction written by much older writers, let alone teenaged ones,” Orr said.
Amaya said the title was the ancient symbol of a snake eating its own tail.
“It’s supposed to symbolise many different things including healing, rebirth, destruction . . . an endless cycle in a way.”
She saw the competition advertised at college and “couldn’t find a reason not to enter”.
“The bones of the story had been something I had been thinking about for a while, but I probably wouldn’t have had that kick to write it unless the competition hadn’t been there.
“I’m quite interested, when I write, about relationships between people and how complex that can be at times.”
She wrote her 1500-word story in about three or four weeks on and off, including lots of editing.
“I tend to write until I feel I’m done writing, then come back the next day and rewrite it.
“The main challenge with this story was knowing when to stop editing it because I was being pedantic changing little words and stuff.”
Amaya has had an interest in writing from an early age. “It’s always something I’ve loved doing.”
Orr said she found the shortlisted stories remarkable for the variety of subject matter explored by the writers, making it difficult to judge.
“The shortlisted stories explore the many challenges facing young people today. But there is much joy and celebration of life — and humour — to be found in these works as well.”
Speaking at the awards event held at the National Library, Orr said, “I love reading high school short stories because it affords me the privilege of being a witness to the first steps in the careers of tomorrow’s star writers of Aotearoa New Zealand.”
The short story award, organised by Katherine Mansfield House & Garden, with the cash prize made possible by a bequest from Gay Saker.
Saker was a Wellington teacher of English and reading for over 20 years and a great admirer of Katherine Mansfield’s writing.
“Gay was a big fan of Katherine Mansfield’s writing and this year is particularly significant as it marks 100 years since Mansfield’s death,” Katherine Mansfield House & Garden director Cherie Jacobson said.
“Showcasing young writers is the perfect way to honour Mansfield’s creative legacy.”