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To celebrate the National Year of Reading, Hampshire County Council challenged residents to write a six word story. With over 1000 entries competition was tough, but here are the winning entries: ‘Valentines day. Bunch of flowers wasted' by Molly Lovell, aged 10 from Romsey. ‘Over burnt lasagne. He confessed adultery' by Beatrice Murphy, aged 20 from Winchester. Molly won the under 16's section, her story has now been published on the Hampshire County Council website and she received a parcel of books courtesy of Borders bookshop in Southampton. Molly said: "I was very excited and very proud that my entry had won. This has made me even more determined to become a fashion writer when I am older". Molly is an extremely keen reader and has already read six books for the Team Read summer challenge at her local library. Beatrice won the adult section, her story has also been published on the Council's website and she received a Borders gift card worth £50. Beatrice said: "I really didn't expect to win. When I wrote this story I was trying to think of the best six words I could at that time and came up with this entry." Beatrice is studying a creative writing course at Winchester University and her entry has now inspired her to write a script. The winners The three judges were: Emma Jopling from Borders bookshop, Professor Andrew Melrose, University of Winchester and Gareth Miller, Hampshire County Council. All three judges were very impressed with the range of creative stories produced under the confines of just six words. The winning entries were well constructed with each word chosen wisely and, like all good stories, do not end with a full stop but allow the reader to keep imagining the consequences. Creating a powerful story in the sum total of six words is a writing genre that was popularised by Ernest Hemingway who famously wrote: ‘For Sale, baby shoes. Never worn.' He went on to say it was one of the best stories he had ever written. Executive Member for Recreation and Heritage, Councillor Margaret Snaith, said: "I was thrilled that so many people decided to enter this competition, it really did capture the imagination of the public. It is with initiatives like this that Hampshire County Council hopes to engage with as many people as possible and encourage them to take part in the National Year of Reading and start enjoying the pleasures that literacy can bring." The six word story competition is one of the many events Hampshire County Council is running to celebrate The National Year of Reading. The Council is trying to encourage as many people to get involved with writing as well as reading which can all help with literacy levels for people of all ages. Don't forget to visit www.hants.gov.uk/year-of-reading to view a selection of the other entries and to find out more about the National Year of Reading and the events that will be happening throughout the year.
For more information visit Hampshire County Council
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