Fruiterer wins national short story contest
Caloundra fruiterer and University of the Sunshine Coast student David Zemp has won a national writing competition with his first short story.
David, 27, will receive $1000 in prizemoney on Thursday (17 January) after his story about a Mediterranean pirate was judged the best of 300 entries from across Australia in a contest run by Maygog Publishing with support from the Co-op Bookshop Ltd.
The story, “Captive”, will feature in the Maygog Anthology of Short Stories Volume II which will be available soon at Co-op Bookshop outlets.
David initially wrote “Captive” as an assignment for his first subject in a Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing) degree at USC last year. It earned him a High Distinction.
The story is based on an historical incident in which a Greek pirate held an ambitious Roman Senator for ransom more than 2000 years ago.
There is a twist in the tale that David developed thanks to feedback and encouragement from his USC lecturers, authors Luke Keioskie and Maria Arena.
“USC has a really good course in creative writing because they teach you how to use your own ideas and how to flesh out the story,” he said. “They tell you how to make it better with constructive analysis and encouragement.”
David’s success has prompted him to change from part-time to full-time study this year and he is keen to become a writer, an historian or a teacher … or all of the above.
“Winning this competition means a lot to me,” he said. “I have been writing, on and off, since I was 15. This gives me the confidence boost I was looking for because I’ve had writer’s block for about two years.
“I was surprised to win, especially after reading some of the other stories in the anthology which were very good.”
Co-op Bookshop CEO Simon Milne will travel from Sydney to present David with his prize at the University of the Sunshine Coast at 3pm on Thursday 17 January.
People who are keen to launch a new career this year can still apply to study at USC for Semester 1, 2008.
The University has more than 100 degree programs on offer, with new programs starting in Engineering, Psychology, Occupational Therapy and Paramedic Science.
To begin studying this February, contact the University’s applications hotline on 5456 5000. The full range of degrees on offer at USC is available at www.usc.edu.au or call Student Administration on 5430 2890.
— Terry Walsh