Annual national writers competition
Come on an adventure in 2020 for the third Voices of Women annual writers competition and performances. Create, be mentored, and have your own works performed live by trained actors! All women writers in Australia are invited to submit short pieces written in the first person voice. All writing organisations and writers collectives are encouraged and welcome to take part.
Submit short pieces in the first person – narrative, monologues, soliloquy – to be performed by trained actors in rehearsed readings. Give it a go. See what you have to say in this short form. Stories can be fiction or non-fiction – comedic work is encouraged. Stories must be 1000 words maximum or 3 minutes in reading length. All writing organisations and writers’ collectives are encouraged and welcome to take part (note – this is not a children’s writing adventure, yet!)
We are looking for stories that draw on memories and dreams and life lived; stories that create characters and situations that manifest both the intangible and the hard-hitting moments in our lives as women. In between the spaces, there might be beauty, something magical, a life revealed, or a truth that must be told.
The 2020 Adventure is called CLEARWAY: create the space. It has an open theme – all topics are considered. CLEARWAY refers to – ‘no stopping’ – ‘clear the way for creativity’. Our aim is to celebrate all voices including marginalised women in this adventure. Writers are encouraged to write for the performance space and pitch their tones accordingly. Choose from three scenarios and interpret them as wildly and playfully as you like:
Voice 1: Write for a balcony or large verandah or from the middle of a large room: a voice that could be festive or declamatory, loud, brutal, unafraid or ecstatic.
Voice 2: Write for a stairway or corridor or doorway: a voice that is travelling, rhythmic, filled with the joy of expectation or doubt, of foreboding, uncertainty or light of heart.
Voice 3: Write for a small space underneath the stairs or a small circle, a private voice that is loving or lonely, secretive or afraid, whispered gently or kissed.
The pieces are selected by the editorial committee led by Lliane Clarke and are presented in public by trained actors. The writers will be paid $100 for each piece performed and three entries will be published in Verity La Creative Journal. The first performance is at Articulate Project Space in Sydney as part of International Women’s Month in March 2020. The second performance is at Lithgow Tin Sheds. Works will also be selected for presentations at Mudgee Writers and Readers Festival and West Words in Dubbo.
The Adventure is supported by Writing NSW, First Nations Australia Writers Network, Orana Arts, Inner West Council, Verity La Creative Journal, Girls on Key.
STEP 1: TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Please ensure that you read the Terms and Conditions of the competition before entering which are here.
STEP 2: PAY YOUR ENTRY FEE
The deadline is 2 February 2020. Enter your story by paying the entry fee of $15.00 and purchasing a ticket here. As a not for profit organisation we require an entry fee to help pay for administration and project costs. We want to make sure everyone is included. If, due to financial circumstances, a writer can’t afford the entry fee, please get in touch with Lliane Clarke, monologue@optusnet.com.au and we will be able to arrange support for you.
STEP 3: SUBMIT YOUR STORY
Email your story (unlimited entries allowed) as a pdf attachment double spaced, with the subject line YOUR NAME + CLEARWAY ENTRY + VOICE 1 or 2 or 3 to monologue@optusnet.com.au. Your email must be the same as the one you have used to pay your entry.
What does writing in the first person voice mean?
We are looking for short stories told in the first person voice – I, me, mine. This can be in the form of a narrative, monologue, soliloquy or speech.
Check out the stories from VOICES OF WOMEN 2019 for examples here.
Some examples of a first line from stories from previous writers are:
I’m really not good at parties.
I text happy birthday two weeks late on a whim.
I’m drinking from Beethoven’s unrequited horn.
I heard a bell ring today and its music brought tears to my eyes.
My father always told me to keep my mouth shut.
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Queensland.
About Voices of Women
Voices of Women is a flash fiction/performance project bringing together literary arts, performance art and the writing and acting community. It begins with a writing competition and develops into a public reading. It has community, openness and collaboration at its heart. Read more here.
We can’t wait to read your story!