York Writers

Here is some advice about writing by George Orwell that is both amusing and very true:

(1) Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech that you are used to seeing in print. (2) Never use a long word where a short one will do. (3) If it is possible to cut out a word, always cut it out. (4) Never use a passive where you can use the active. (5) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. (6) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous (Orwell.
Orwell, G. (1940). Inside the whale and other essays. London: Gollancz.

Waterstones book shop in York is hosting a poetry competition aimed at all ages of new and upcoming poets.

The poetry competition is in part to mark the start of York’s Literature Festival for 2008.

Poets who enter will have their work judged by best-selling author Gervase Phinn.

Wasterstones’ senior book seller had this to say for York Press: “It’s open to everybody who wants to put pen to paper and we’re leaving the topic completely open, so it’s totally up to you to decide what you write about.

“We will accept all styles, including things like limericks and sonnets, but there will be a word limit, because although it would be great to have an epic like Paradise Lost, we might not have the time to get through them all.”

The poems entered will be split into three categories according to the age of the poet: under-11s, 11 to 16s and over-16s.

Selected staff at Waterstones will make a shortlist of chosen entries that will be sent on to Gervase Phinn for final judging.

The poetry competition closing date is 17th February, please call in at Waterstones in York for an entry form.

The York Literature Festival runs from the 1st to the 15th March 2008.

See full info here: http://www.yorkfestivals.com/metadot/index.pl?id=3693&isa=Category&op=show