Some fireworks for the winner
Source: http://flic.kr/p/5dfN2X
Tyra thank you for entering the competition! I will pass on your email address details to Derrolyn so that she may organise for you to collect your ebooks and the brilliant bracelet to be shipped to you.
Thank you also everyone else who entered. Perhaps next competition you’ll be one of the lucky winners.
No, really…what happens to authors/writers after they turn 25?
Do we turn into chopped liver?
Do our arms and legs fall off, our eyes and ears shrivel up and we can no longer write or be expected to entertain in a writerly sense?
No.
I’m not 25 anymore, I’m rapidly approaching the business end of the 20’s and will soon be jettisoning into the 30’s with much enthusiasm. So why then, does the writers scene seem to embrace the under 25’s with such gusto?
To be fair, I don’t know about all the competitions, all the writing groups or all the websites, but of late I’ve been bombarded with a veritable landslide of ‘young writers’ information (I still consider myself to be young! They say age is only a number) and 90% or more of them are ONLY for people under the age of 25.
So, what do us ‘old sticks’ do if there is a vast array of things available to assist young writers in getting into the scene? But the ones targeted to our age bracket seem to be stealthily hidden away? Perhaps my eye sight is failing?
Do we try to ride the coat tails of the few competitions and awards that I’ve located that allow writers up to the age of 30? (read: That’s what I’ve been doing!) OR am I just looking in the wrong places for areas to tote my writing swag?
It got me to thinking about this whole age dealy.
Why are writers under the age of 25 so special?
Should I get out my crayons? I’m joking, I don’t have any…
source: http://flic.kr/p/sDsUm
Does society as a whole feel the need to nurture the young? Give them opportunities that us older folk didn’t get as youngsters?
Does one take the stance that it is in fact ageist to put age restrictions on competitions? Or, could a member of the more worldly group consider it a slight to be bested by someone who’s barely out of their nappies (for the non-Aussie folk I am referring to diapers)? Of course I take this into a realm of stupidity with my scenarios, but the issue is still there. Why did this occur? Is it important?
I don’t really know why this distinction in ages became such a big thing, I don’t think that it’s all that important really, I think what is important is that we showcase talent, no matter the age, race, sex, colour, religion, beliefs or anything else of the person exhibiting it.
Am I alone in this thought?
My first reaction to this whole topic was to think, perhaps it’s unfair to compare the written word of an 18 year old to that of a 34 year old, given the 34 year old has 16 years more experience than the 18 year old, but really, writing is an expression of oneself and people do it in ways that are polar opposites of the spectrum. Also, add to this little thought, that perhaps the 18 year old has been solidly writing their craft since they were 12, encouraged by teachers, friends and family to write and express themselves, but the 34 year old is just coming into the realm of creative expression? Who has the advantage there? Should the 18 year old be thrust up against other experienced writers?
It’s a gnarly concept, one that I don’t think has a difinitive answer. I think no matter where you draw the line (since that seems to be the flavour of the moment to draw ‘age lines’ in the sand) there will be people who fall short or burst through the norms for those distinctions.
Blank face, lost marbles look.
Photo credit: http://flic.kr/p/6dYmZN
Am I making sense anymore?! I must have lost my marbles around here somewhere…
So, when should the age distinction come into play? Should it ever?
This topic and train of thought has made my head hurt… silly ol’ chook I am.
Tell me, what are your thoughts on this topic? Have you ever been privvy to this type of situation outside of the writing scope? Do you think we should put age limits on competitions? If so, why?
On a bit of a random thought, I decided to enter the Scissors Paper Pen Blog competition this year. They were after four young writers (read: under 30 – huzzah for a birthday late in the year!) from our local area to attend a local alternative art and underground culture festival that was planned for 14th – 24th March 2013. The You Are Here Festival is a 10 day extravaganza of art, dance, writing, poetry, drama and all sorts of other creativeness.
To enter, I had to provide a cover email (I was oh so professional! – see my letter below) and two examples of non-fiction writing. I included with it my review of The Book Thief and an article I wrote about my favourite indie author Lindsay Buroker. Apparently, they liked my application so much, that they created a new prize for me and one other lucky person.
Well, I won! Isn’t that awesome!? You can see my previous blog post with the story here.
My first foray into the world of suspense/mystery/thriller was a success. In fact, I’ve had a few people ask me if I’ll continue on with the story, instead of leaving it where it finished. The jury is still out on this one.
What did I win you ask? It’s no national writing comp, by any stretch of the imagination, but I get to co-moderate the group the competition was held in on Goodreads, I get to come up with October’s writing competition prompt or theme and I am being showcased as writer of the month in the group. All in all, a pretty nice prize.
You can see the group (The pen is mightier than the sword) here, if you’re interested. It’s a fairly active group of people from all walks of life. Not the biggest on GR, but not the smallest either. I find the mix of people to be quite good, they seem to be quite inspirational in their own ways. I’ve had more than one story idea pop into my head while bantering backwards and forwards with that group, or reading their comments.
So, onto the main reason of this blog post… Continue reading
coffee2words 