Telling stories is how we make meaning. It is a kind of social glue – a way we understand and experience the perspectives of another.
For young people staring down the barrel of a world of AI (artificial intelligence), story is their first line of defence in maintaining their creative flow.
The Echo in collaboration with Creative Mullum is hosting a storywriting competition with an under-18 section with first prize of $500.
All submitted stories must include ‘The Hitchhiker’ as a story hook. The hook doesn’t have to be central, the hitchhiker could be someone the protagonist sees in the distance, or a poster on a wall, or graffiti, or a story within a story. Or it could be the driving narrative.
Writers can submit up to two stories each with the final submission date on 28 February. Winners will be announced at a Mullum Moth live story reading on 1 April (you can get a reader if you are too shy).
So why not get ready for that upcoming school year by trying a little story writing? Word length up to 1,500 words.
Submit your short stories to: www.creativemullum.org.au/short-story-comp.
Under 18 short story:
Pages of a Book – short story comp entry
Short story by Pearl Bannister. I read a book once; it was a book about a man, he was lonesome and lost. I read half the book before turning the light off at a quarter to one...
Adult short story:
The Coast Road – short story comp entry
Short story by Edie Foxglove. Lu hates parties. Well, she hated that party, anyway. She dreams of attending big-city parties, far away from these people, this town...
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
