We interviewed 2016 Gold Prose award winner, Michelle Porter, on what it’s like to win the Creative Future Literary Awards.
Q1: Can you tell us a little about your experience as a writer to date?
I have been writing stories since childhood, pastiches of Beatrix Potter, parodies of sitcoms. I have written one play and have ghost written two non-fiction books. My personal writing really took off when I began blogging and received good feedback, it spurred me on to continue.
Q2: In 2016, your short story ‘A Belated Invasion’ won the gold award for fiction. Can you remember what encouraged you to enter the competition?
A friend in my writing group advised me to enter. I was reticent at first as I could never imagine winning a competition. I’m so glad I did now.
Q3: Has winning the award has an impact on your writing?
The award has given me a huge confidence boost. I feel more credible, less like an impostor. My writing feels real now, not a hobby but a serious pursuit, an art I can develop and be proud of. I have received some really positive comments on my story and have been given that extra push to complete my novel.
Q4: What would you say to someone who is considering entering the competition, but is unsure whether they have enough experience as a writer?
You have to start somewhere. Even if you don’t win, the discipline of sitting down and producing work to a deadline really helps you to focus your ideas.
Q5: What’s your one big tip for a new writer?
Get together with others writers, join a writing group or form your own. Writers tend to be a supportive bunch and getting constructive feedback is so valuable. When you write on your own you can become overly critical, we all need writerly friends to boost our confidence.
The Creative Future Literary Awards are open until 26 June 2017. Enter your writing here.
