Alison Baverstock is a military wife and mum, the founder of Reading Force, and the author of 18 books.
In this blog Alison shares her thoughts on why you should enter the Reading Force ‘My Forces Life’ writing competition…
1.The chance to think about your life with the Forces
Our theme is ‘My Forces Life’ and this is an opportunity for you to really think about what makes your life different – and special. You may be a Forces child, partner or the parent of someone in the Forces. Whatever your connection, why not try writing about how it feels, or something that has happened to you through your Forces connection? The process of writing will help you think about your experience, and it will also be stored in a way that can be shared with family, friends – and then on into the future.
2.The opportunity to finish something
Setting yourself a goal and working towards it feels really good. I find when I am writing something (just as I am now) I do an initial draft, and then keep returning to tweak. I carry it around in my head while I am writing and quite often wake up with a new idea for how to begin, or even a completely new order. Finishing what I have been writing, and then pressing send, always gives me a great sense of satisfaction. I do however always have to resist the urge to send too early – allowing time for a final check is always a good idea.
3.The chance to appear in print
In addition to lots of lovely books, the winners and runners up in our competition have the chance to see their work appear in print. Seeing your work in a printed format, and with your name at the end of it, is a really significant moment for many future writers. I have never forgotten how this felt (although in my case it was the parish magazine not a book). But I showed it to everyone. And I still have it – it mattered that much.
So do have a go, and we wish you lots of luck. We also can’t wait to see what you send in!
By Alison Baverstock
