Jody Chadderton is a member of O’s Own Writers, the Osoyoos-based writing club that is sponsoring its inaugural writing contest this holiday season. Anyone who enjoys writing or the written word is asked to enter the contest. The only limits are keeping the fiction, non-fiction or poetry under 1,200 words and writing about winter, the holiday season or a unique category called “It happened in ………, which will allow writers to use their imagination to fill in the blanks. A panel of three judges will select the two winners, who will be asked to read their winning entries early in the new year. (Keith Lacey photo)
Members of a local writing club are inviting anyone with a penchant for the written word to enter a new contest they are sponsoring.
O’s Own Writers, who belong to the Osoyoos and District Arts Council, are sponsoring a writing contest open to all area residents, said longtime club member Jody Chadderton.
“The contest is open to anybody who enjoys writing or the written word,” she said.
The only rules is that the short stories submitted must be 1,200 words or less and must be typed with at least four copies on suggested themes being “winter” or “holiday season” or “It happened in …………,” said Chadderton.
“It will be up to the writer to fill in the blanks if they choose the ‘It happened in…’ theme,” she said. “They can write fiction or non-fiction or poetry. It’s totally up to them.”
The 15 members of O’s Own Writers are hoping to attract new members through the contest, she said.
“We would like to get more members to join because we do believe there are a lot of burgeoning writers out there who might be a little to shy to join a club like ours, but we want them to know that everyone is welcome,” she said.
A panel of three judges will select two winners who will be invited to read their winning submissions before an audience on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at the Osoyoos Art Gallery. The winners will also receive $100.
If there’s good response, O’s Own Writers would like to sponsor the contest for many more years to come heading into the holiday season, said Chadderton.
“We invite everyone to sit down and write and enter our contest,” she said. “We hope we get good response and that we can make this an annual contest that people will look forward to entering.”
Members with O’s Own Writers have published two anthologies from local writers in the past several years.
The first anthology called Sharing the Well was published in 2005 and featured work from 10 local writers.
The second called Whispering Down the Well was published in 2009 and featured nine writers.
The group hopes to publish a third anthology in the near future, she said.
Chadderton said she’s looking forward to sitting down and writing her own story for the contest.
“The contest is all about having some fun and showing off your writing skills,” she said. “We hope we get good response and this is something we can do every year from now on.”
Entries for the contest can be dropped off during office hours at the Osoyoos Art Gallery or by calling Sue Whittaker at 250-495-7664.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
