And now for something completely different...

...today, friend and fellow author, Vasiliki Scurfield is visiting my blog and she has a challenge for you...

Writing at sunset

Well summer’s nearly at an end, holidays are wrapping up and whether we’re relaxed and suntanned or not it’s back to work and routine and, most likely in the not-so-distant-future dark days and cold weather.

Perhaps you’ve been slacking off on your writing?  Or perhaps you’ve been super good and have kept up with the daily word count throughout these summer months.  Perhaps you’ve always wanted to try your hand at writing and have never got round to it.  Whichever it is, I’ve got something to help focus you.

It’s a competition.

Yay! I hear you cry. (Well, perhaps I don’t really but I can live in hope.)

If you’ve been busy writing you may have something that is easily adapted which you can enter so why not set your writing free and see how it does?

If, on the other hand, you’ve been a little bit slack in terms of production then why not set yourself a target to enter?  That should get you back on track.

If you’ve never written?  Why not have a go anyway.  As it’s quite a short story it might be a good introduction to writing to a deadline and with a specific purpose.

Here are some things you need to know about the competition :

• The closing date is the 22^nd September.
• The theme is ‘Olive’.  This can be a name, a fruit, oil, or even an acronym.  It’s up to    you to be as imaginative as possible.
• It must have a happy ending.
• The total word count must be between 1200 and 1500 words. Short and sweet in other  words.
• The cost to enter is £3.50.

So in addition to feeling the satisfaction of finishing a good piece of writing and sending it off, what else do you get?

Well if you win the prize is £50 and £25 for each of two runners up.

Kosta's Olive Tree

The icing on the cake however, is the fact that all the proceeds got to charitable causes. The competition itself is memory of my son Kosta who lost his life trying to help free civilians from ISIS, and the charities and charitable causes I’ve chosen are ones that were close to his heart.  To keep all the proceeds going to the important causes, I’m donating the prize money myself. 

So even if you aren’t successful your entry fee will contribute towards making someone’s life better.

It’s a win-win situation.

Go on…what have you got to lose?

For full details of the conditions, how to enter and the charities and charitable organisations we’re supporting visit: Kosta's Olive Tree

And finally…if you don’t want to enter, you can always donate anyway…