Unsolved
Creative Writing Competition
11-18 Years
Unsolved - every sentence counts!
Enthral imaginations with creative writing as young writers create their own mini saga!
'Unsolved' invites your students to write a mini saga (a story told in just 100 words) inspired by the crime & mystery genre.
Will they fight for justice? Take on the role of detective in an enthralling whodunit? Or embark on an adventure as a fugitive?
Create a buzz in your English lessons as your students get excited to write!
There's a fun 1-minute video to introduce your students to the activity, plus a students' info guide and worksheet, and we've even got virtual classrooms covered with options such as the Word Doc version of the entry form and the Online Writing Portal - simply login or create your free teacher account at www.youngwriters.co.uk/teacher
Rules
To make sure your entries are valid, please follow the rules listed below:
Only one entry per student, there is no limit to the number of entries per school.
Mini sagas can be on the entry form or an A4 sheet of paper or typed.
Mini sagas must be your students' own work.
Ensure that all students include their name and age on their entries.
Mini sagas must be told in no more than 100 words (the title isn't included in this).
Independent entries are welcome - please provide your home address details instead of the school's.
Where possible, the school to send / upload / email all their students' entries to us.
Story starters are optional but if used must be included in your students' word count.
If you are unsure on any rules or have any queries, please don't hesitate to Contact Us.
For Schools
1st Prize
The Young Writers' Award of Excellence and an awesome book bundle
2 x Runners-Up
A framed certificate and an awesome book bundle
School winners will be chosen from entries received in the 2020/2021 academic year.
For Students
Our 5 favourite published writers will each with £100 and a trophy!
Winners will be chosen from entries received in the Spring Term 2021.
Online
Send your entries by uploading them:
Enter through our student writing portal:
Alternatively, you can email your entries to [email protected].
By Post
Send your entries, along with your school entry form, to:
FREEPOST RSLY-AUJA-RAHY
Young Writers SS
Remus House
Peterborough
PE2 9BF
Writing Tips
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SubscribeTip #1
Take advantage of all the free online resources - ideal for both remote & classroom learning!
There’s a video that introduces the activity to your students in just a minute!
A fun activity sheet that has 4 different scenarios to help your students think about character, setting and plot.
A students’ info sheet – a handy guide to the competition suggested by our expert panel of teachers!
A PowerPoint presentation so you can run the activity in a real or virtual classroom!
All these can be downloaded here.
Tip #2
Writing a story in 100 words is a challenge, so simplify the plot to keep them on track...
A crime is committed
Clues are examined
Suspects interviewed
The culprit is revealed
Your students can focus on one area, such as writing about the crime or perhaps be a detective pondering a tricky clue and working it out so the culprit is revealed in the last sentence. They could focus on the culprit, perhaps an internal monologue of their thoughts, or their explanation for their crime.
Tip #3
Create an anti-hero!
It’s a great plot twist to throw in an anti-hero and cause a moral dilemma. The anti-hero solves a problem but not by conventional or moral means.
Tip #4
Plot twist... make a location the character!
Ideas
- A prison
- A smugglers’ den
- A police station
- Somewhere familiar
Your students can write about the location rather than an actual crime/mystery or person. It’s a fun way to explore another writing viewpoint.
Tip #5
Remind your students what active and passive voice are:
In a sentence written in the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. In a sentence written in the passive voice, the subject receives the action.
Active Voice Example: Jack posted the blackmail letter.
Passive Voice Example: The blackmail letter was posted by Jack.
The passive voice tends to use more words and in a mini saga, where every word counts, this isn't ideal! The active voice tends to be more direct, and the passive voice can be more mysterious so the reader has to work harder.
Which will your students choose to write in?
Get In Touch
Post
FREEPOST RSLY-AUJA-RAHY
Young Writers SS
Remus House
Peterborough
PE2 9BF
Email
[email protected]
Tel
(01733) 890066