Year 5 student Violet Bloxsom has entered two prestigious writing competitions this year. She took out first prize in the Primary Prose category at the Mosman Youth Awards in Literature and she was nominated as a winning entry in the Whitlam Institute’s What Matters? writing competition.
Why were you inspired to enter these two writing competitions?
I entered the Mosman Youth Awards in Literature last year and came second in the primary school prose category so I was looking forward to the competition coming around again this year. You can write a story about anything you want which is great because you can let your imagination run wild. My teacher from Year 3, Mrs Birts, continues to encourage me (all the way from Perth) to share my writing and suggested I enter the What Matters? competition this year.
What were your two pieces of writing about?
My story for the Mosman Youth Awards was about a boy named Ollie who found a long-lost treasure which turned out to be cursed.
For the What Matters? competition, I adapted my speech from last year’s public speaking competition because it was on a topic I’m passionate about – kids speaking up about the things that matter to them. It doesn’t matter what the issue is, what’s important is that we use our voices to share our concerns and help come up with solutions.
What advice would you give to other students who are passionate writers?
Always have a notebook close by and write down interesting ideas when they pop into your head. I have lots of half written stories, descriptions of characters for future stories and even just lists of interesting words that I write down when I think of them.
Violet wrote a striking entry called ‘Ollie’s Ruby Tuesday’ for the Mosman Youth Awards. Below is a short excerpt from her entry.
First, insert a long hook in the nose to pull out the brains. Squelch. Next, make a cut in the left side of the body near the tummy and remove all internal organs. Ooze. Then, place the lungs, intestines, stomach and liver inside canopic jars. Plop. Now, place the heart back inside the body. Squish. Next, rinse the body with wine and spices and cover the lifeless corpse with salt. When the body starts to flop, stuff it with linen, straw and sand to give it a more human shape. When the body is dry, wrap it in linen bandages from head to toe. Be sure to wrap the fingers and toes individually. Finally, attach sacred amulets and charms and gently place the body in a sarcophagus. Welcome to Ancient Egypt, one of the greatest civilisations in the history of the world!”, announced the eccentric tour guide.
