Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Powers & Irish Times Short Story Comp

  • 31-03-2012 12:05pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 628 ✭✭✭hcass


    Have you seen this comp? Prize is €10,000 - wowzers!

    Anyway, I will be entering and was feeling pretty good until I read last year's entry. No, not because it was far superior to anything I could put together but for it's overuse of the word "Powers" in the story. She mentions the whiskey on six different occasions by name. It made me think this is just an advertisement piece for Powers rather than a short story. In the rules it says you just have to write a story based on the theme "Celebrating What truly Matters" It doesn't say you have to mention Powers product at all.

    Here is a link to the winning story http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2011/0709/1224300138410.html

    And here is a link to This years comp http://comms.irishtimes.com/powers-irish-whiskey/signup/.ashx

    What do you make of it - I wish they'd just be honest and say "You have to mention Powers." Now I am not sure if I should rewrite my piece and put Powers into it, but I would feel like such a sell out. And what if yo udon't need Powers in it to win?

    What do yis think?

    Mod Edit: added link to stories
    http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/powers-short-story-competition/


«13456715

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 763 ✭✭✭alfa beta


    I read last years winner...

    I think it might have been liver failure that did for the oul fella!


  • Registered Users Posts: 628 ✭✭✭hcass


    alfa beta wrote: »
    I read last years winner...

    I think it might have been liver failure that did for the oul fella!


    :D I cringed while reading it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,462 ✭✭✭✭WoollyRedHat


    400-450 is ridicolously short, even for a short story and the theme sucks. Disappointed.


  • Registered Users Posts: 274 ✭✭PurpleBee


    might submit a story about postman paddy and his black and white dogs


  • Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 12,909 Mod ✭✭✭✭iguana


    hcass wrote: »

    From that link; "Powers has always been woven into the heart of true Irish community. With a bottle pride of place in every Irish home, Powers has traditionally been the accompanying toast to mark all of life's occasions - from the seemingly small to the highly significant."

    Is this supposed to be a short story too? I have never once in my life been in a 'true Irish' house where a bottle of any type of whiskey had pride of place.

    I think the answer to your question is obvious OP. They want you to write a little advert for their whiskey. If your characters are 'celebrating what truly matters' without a lovely glass of Powers whiskey, you won't win.

    Eta: Last year's story is so bad. How did the old fella hand his son €500 in the 1980s?


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 1,252 ✭✭✭echo beach


    hcass wrote: »

    What do you make of it - I wish they'd just be honest and say "You have to mention Powers." Now I am not sure if I should rewrite my piece and put Powers into it, but I would feel like such a sell out. And what if yo udon't need Powers in it to win?

    What do yis think?

    It was one of the conditions last year to mention Powers at least once. They also accepted postal entries and multiple entries which aren't allowed this year, and you now have to give your age and gender to enter. Apart from having to confirm that you are over 18, which I can understand when a drinks company is involved, I don't see what your age has to do with it. They should be judging on merit.


  • Registered Users Posts: 628 ✭✭✭hcass


    echo beach wrote: »
    It was one of the conditions last year to mention Powers at least once. They also accepted postal entries and multiple entries which aren't allowed this year, and you now have to give your age and gender to enter. Apart from having to confirm that you are over 18, which I can understand when a drinks company is involved, I don't see what your age has to do with it. They should be judging on merit.

    Thanks for that echo beach - I was also annoyed about the age and sex thing. Are they going to pick a male winner this year cos a woman won last year?

    So I don't have to mention Powers this year, thank God for that cos I felt embarrassed writing it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,775 ✭✭✭EileenG


    I met the winner from last year. She did a workshop in Malahide Library, and while she seemed to be a very nice woman, she appears to have done nothing except win this competition. She was advising people to do a degree in creative writing, for god's sake, because "it demonstrates to a publisher that you will be professional in your edits."

    She had people doing free writing with prompts. I did a couple of them, but when we got to the one about the Easter bunny and the Tooth fairy, I lost patiences and did my own story. So there was Easter bunny, Easter bunny, Easter bunny, man in bed with two naked women....


  • Registered Users Posts: 628 ✭✭✭hcass


    EileenG wrote: »
    I met the winner from last year. She did a workshop in Malahide Library, and while she seemed to be a very nice woman, she appears to have done nothing except win this competition. She was advising people to do a degree in creative writing, for god's sake, because "it demonstrates to a publisher that you will be professional in your edits."

    What's wrong with a degree in Creative Writing -I'm doing one and I love it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,775 ✭✭✭EileenG


    hcass wrote: »
    What's wrong with a degree in Creative Writing -I'm doing one and I love it.

    Nothing wrong with it. But I've never heard of anyone getting a contract on the basis of a degree in it. You need the book, not a degree.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 628 ✭✭✭hcass


    EileenG wrote: »
    Nothing wrong with it. But I've never heard of anyone getting a contract on the basis of a degree in it. You need the book, not a degree.

    Oh totally agree. A degree is grand and fun to do but won't get you any closer to a book deal.

    Took you up wrong there sorry.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,775 ✭✭✭EileenG


    hcass wrote: »
    Oh totally agree. A degree is grand and fun to do but won't get you any closer to a book deal.

    Took you up wrong there sorry.

    Yeah, she was telling all those adults with job and families to go back and do a degree, when what they wanted was up-to-date info about how to approach agents or what publishers were accepting submissions.


  • Registered Users Posts: 763 ✭✭✭alfa beta


    hey hcass - what does the degree involve (in practical terms)?

    I did a BA (and then a Masters) in English Lit millions of years ago in UCC and I remember being quite disappointed at the outset that there was no creative element whatsoever - it was all analysis, lit theory and other stuff like linguistics etc - which was all very well - but a bit of creative self-expression would have been nice.

    So I'm glad to see you can now enroll in such a course. Where are you doing it? Can you do it part-time? Is there a mature-student option?

    Sorry about all the q's - but after years of doing commercial copywriting (quite successfully - thankfully) I'm now wondering if I have the 'whatever-it-takes' to undertake a big fictional project - I'm not in any mad rush to do so and a well-designed course may be of help.

    I know this has nothing to do with Powers and all that - but hey - just wondering like!


  • Registered Users Posts: 763 ✭✭✭alfa beta


    EileenG wrote: »
    Easter bunny, Easter bunny, Easter bunny, man in bed with two naked women....

    By the way Eileen, that's one hell of a plot - you wouldn't mind now if I like stole it....!


  • Registered Users Posts: 628 ✭✭✭hcass


    alfa beta wrote: »
    hey hcass - what does the degree involve (in practical terms)?

    I did a BA (and then a Masters) in English Lit millions of years ago in UCC and I remember being quite disappointed at the outset that there was no creative element whatsoever - it was all analysis, lit theory and other stuff like linguistics etc - which was all very well - but a bit of creative self-expression would have been nice.

    So I'm glad to see you can now enroll in such a course. Where are you doing it? Can you do it part-time? Is there a mature-student option?

    Sorry about all the q's - but after years of doing commercial copywriting (quite successfully - thankfully) I'm now wondering if I have the 'whatever-it-takes' to undertake a big fictional project - I'm not in any mad rush to do so and a well-designed course may be of help.

    I know this has nothing to do with Powers and all that - but hey - just wondering like!
    There is no Creative Writing Degree course in Ireland - I'm doing mine in England. But there is a few masters courses in Creative Writing, Trinity do one and so do UCD and maybe a DIT. I am not sure.

    If you want info on my course over here I can give it to you, let me know.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 491 ✭✭doomed


    Very disappointing.

    All they have done is change the usual 10 words slogan concept for one with 450 words.


  • Registered Users Posts: 763 ✭✭✭alfa beta


    hcass wrote: »
    If you want info on my course over here I can give it to you, let me know.

    Wouldn't suit me now if its in the UK - maybe I should've looked further afield when i was 18!!

    Might be worth posting a link to your college/course here anyway (if that sort of thing is allowed) for others to check out.


  • Registered Users Posts: 628 ✭✭✭hcass


    alfa beta wrote: »
    Wouldn't suit me now if its in the UK - maybe I should've looked further afield when i was 18!!

    Might be worth posting a link to your college/course here anyway (if that sort of thing is allowed) for others to check out.


    http://www.ucas.ac.uk/students/coursesearch/2012searcheu/ Well here is a link for UCAS - if you put in Creative Writing it will give you a list of all the BA courses in the UK. There are tons of them.

    Would you not try the Creative Writing Masters in Trinity or UCD seen as you already have a degree?


  • Registered Users Posts: 763 ✭✭✭alfa beta


    hcass wrote: »

    Perhaps... then again maybe I should just put pen to paper and stop looking for excuses!

    hey - maybe I'll enter the 'Powers' thing after all!

    btw are you going to give it a go? tell you what - I'll give it a shot if you do - but here's the deal, neither of us mention 'powers' and both of us post our entries here on boards....whaddya think?


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,775 ✭✭✭EileenG


    Feel free. It would be interesting to see what your take on it was.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 628 ✭✭✭hcass


    alfa beta wrote: »
    Perhaps... then again maybe I should just put pen to paper and stop looking for excuses!

    hey - maybe I'll enter the 'Powers' thing after all!

    btw are you going to give it a go? tell you what - I'll give it a shot if you do - but here's the deal, neither of us mention 'powers' and both of us post our entries here on boards....whaddya think?

    Sure thing - so we're going with the theme but no mention of Powers. Do we post after the winner is announced? Or do you mean we are not going to enter the comp but have our own little one here? I do like the sound of the ten thousand euro so kinda wanna enter the comp, please excuse my mercenary self. But am I a poor little student...


  • Registered Users Posts: 763 ✭✭✭alfa beta


    ok - we'll post after the winner is announced.

    and yeah - definitely enter the comp - 10k is 10k in anyone's language.

    I might pm you with my effort in the meantime though (if I actually get around to it - forgive me if I don't.)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,555 ✭✭✭Kinski


    hcass wrote: »
    There is no Creative Writing Degree course in Ireland - I'm doing mine in England. But there is a few masters courses in Creative Writing, Trinity do one and so do UCD and maybe a DIT. I am not sure.

    The BA in English (Single Honours) in NUI Maynooth contains creative writing workshops (fiction is taught by John MacKenna, AFAIK). It includes the option of doing a creative writing project in place of a dissertation in the final year.
    alfa beta wrote: »
    Sorry about all the q's - but after years of doing commercial copywriting (quite successfully - thankfully) I'm now wondering if I have the 'whatever-it-takes' to undertake a big fictional project - I'm not in any mad rush to do so and a well-designed course may be of help.

    Just out of curiosity, how did you get into that? In college we once had a talk by the head of one of Ireland's biggest advertising agencies; he told us they were always crying out for good copywriters, but I don't think I know anyone who ever went down that route.


  • Registered Users Posts: 628 ✭✭✭hcass


    I'll PM mine to you too. :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 763 ✭✭✭alfa beta


    Kinski wrote: »
    Just out of curiosity, how did you get into that? In college we once had a talk by the head of one of Ireland's biggest advertising agencies; he told us they were always crying out for good copywriters, but I don't think I know anyone who ever went down that route.

    i actually spent years working as an account manager in various design and advertising firms and through my career gradually found myself working closer and closer with creatives when it came to coming up with ideas / concepts / headlines etc. - as well as writing more and more body copy (usually to try and meet tighter and tighter budgets - but hey don't tell the clients!!)

    Then when my wife had a baby she wanted to back to work so I took a chance on going freelance as a copywriter - thankfully I had built up a lot of contacts in the various agencies I'd worked for and got a good deal of work out of them for big clients, both here and in the UK.

    Recently I found I've been juggling work with school hours and holidays too much and have got a bit fed up of the prospect of sitting down at 11 at night to start a job...commercial timescales just don't suit childminding...so now I'm wondering if I could write to my timescales and I guess that means tackling a fictional project.

    So if anyone has any ideas for a novel plot....!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,143 ✭✭✭D-FENS


    I’ve drawn great inspiration from last year’s winner and feel very confident about this, what do you guys think?

    Paddy Power (No, not that one) thought to himself “that was a powerful night’s drinking”, as he turned on the power shower to try and clear his hangover (it was the beer and cocktails that did that, not the Powers, he thought to himself). He needed to get into work early today, an important meeting with the powers that be. As he came downstairs and opened the curtains to reveal a powerful, sunny day, he noticed his friend Rodney on the sofa, still drinking Powers and eating a batter sausage for breakfast. “Care to join me, Mr.Power?”. Paddy Power considered this for a second, then grabbed a glass and poured himself another Powers. He would ring in sick in a while. “Your powers of persuasion as remarkable, Rodney, cheers!”. Rodney grinned and replied with a shout “I have the Power!”

    10 grand here I come!


  • Registered Users Posts: 763 ✭✭✭alfa beta


    what can I say d-fens - that's a powerful piece (quite literally!)


  • Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 34,941 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    Yikes... talk about a handy ten grand. It's not even spell-checked.


  • Registered Users Posts: 355 ✭✭wavehopper1


    D-Fens - I'm near choking in the office trying to suppress my laughter. Brilliant!

    I must make one suggestion, although it's hard to improve on such perfection. Presuming that you're also drawing inspiration for the last line from that noted work of drama, He-Man...could your main character raise the bottle aloft in both hands and shout "I have the Power!"

    Literary allusion...guaranteed to delight the critics.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 4,718 ✭✭✭The Mad Hatter


    Yikes... talk about a handy ten grand. It's not even spell-checked.

    You're not reading it with a pure spirit.


Advertisement