Case Study: National Writing Success with Fight Or Flight Winner, Edie!

By Young Writers Admin | Case Studies, Teachers

In her own words: A chat with a competition winner!

When we launched our Fight or Flight 100-word story competition, we were blown away by the response - over 16,000 entries from talented young writers across the country. One of the standout stories was "Fate’s Chaos", a bold and thought-provoking piece that earned its place as one of our five winners. We caught up with the writer behind the story, Edie, to hear what inspired her, how it felt to win, and what this experience has meant for her journey as a young author.

Can you tell us a little about the story? What inspired you to write it? 

My winning story is called "Fate’s Chaos", and I wrote it for the Young Writers Fight or Flight 100-word competition. My story is about the omnipresent figure, Fate, who finally decides to engage within mortal affairs, because they are displeased about the state of the world. Fate is furious because they believe that humans have begun to destroy the work of higher beings, and through this destruction disregarding the sacred life that has been breathed into the earth for them. I was inspired to write the story because of the recent news headlines.

How did you feel when you found out your story was chosen as one of 5 winners out of 16,000 entrants?

I felt so lucky! It was such an achievement for me, it was incredible. As I was reading the letter confirming I had been selected as one of the 5 winners, I saw the competition had 16,000 entrants, which made me feel so honoured and excited that the judges had loved my work so much, it was really special. The comments given by Mark Grist were so supportive and meant such a lot, too. Thank you, Young Writers!

How has being published impacted your confidence or how you see yourself as a writer?

Being published really helped my confidence as a writer, as it's made me begin to believe that I can really pursue my dream of becoming an author in the future. It is so important that younger people are given the opportunity to be published, as it gives them a voice to express themselves, in the most powerful format of words.

Did being published encourage you to write more?

I love to write, and find myself somehow squeezing in time to write every day! After "Fate’s Chaos" was revealed as one of the top five, I have definitely been inspired to start a new sci-fi thriller, hopefully to become a novel!

What was the reaction from your family, friends, or teachers when they found out?

My family, friends and teachers were all so lovely and celebrated my story being published. They are all amazing, and inspiring characters, too!

Has this experience inspired you to pursue writing as a career or explore creative writing in the future?

Yes, definitely! When at college I’m hoping to do English Language and Literature, and to go on to university to pursue a degree in Creative Writing. I would love to become a young adult, and adult author when I am older. I write extensively at home, a lot of gothic fantasy, with bits of horror and sci-fi in there too! I hope that one day I could perhaps also adapt my books into screenplays, for film and television. 

You can view Edie's winning piece of work along with the other four winners here!