Did anybody else manage to do it? My certificate is on the wall above my desk. It says WINNER. I just feel exhausted, but I'm glad I did it. At first they said I was 377 words short, so I wrote 500 more. You learn a lot from it, but it's too soon for me to be sure what the lessons are. Thank you to Adrian and all the friends who helped me get over the line.
Today I posted on Facebook a picture of me holding the piece of paper which says WINNER , receiving lots of comments from kind friends and family. That's part of the process I suppose of getting your work out there.
Thank you Adrian for the two suggested books, which I will buy. What I won Barbara Thompson was a month of intensive writing and a piece of paper saying WINNER. I thought it was worth it but I can understand why it doesn't appeal to everyone. What you learn is how to quickly adjust your story as you go on. That's un;less you're an out and out planner which I'm not.
Anthony, two must buys below.
The Oakley Hall is the best book I've ever read on creative writing.
The Maren Elwood is a bit dated in places, but it will teach you all you need to know about characters.
The Art and Craft of Novel Writing – Oakley Hall
Characters Make Your Story - Maren Elwood. (Creative writing teacher).
You should be able to pick up cheap second hand copies on Amazon.
Good luck.