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Creative writers in master v apprentice battle
A classic tale of master versus apprentice looks set to unfold next week as two writers from the University of the Sunshine Coast contest the same category of the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards.
Creative Writing student Andrea Dudley of Maroochydore and her Honours supervisor Dr Ross Watkins of Maleny have been shortlisted, along with three other writers, for the Emerging Queensland Author – Manuscript Award.
The winner of the $20,000 prize will be announced at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s Cremorne Theatre at Southbank, in Brisbane, on Tuesday night (6 September).
Ross, who is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at USC, has submitted his 40,000-word doctoral novel, The Arc, while Andrea’s work, from winter or river, is a 64,000-word novel she completed while studying full-time at USC.
The Arc is the story of a young man who has lost his fisherman father to the sea, and from winter or river is a contemporary realism novel about a lifeguard at a fictional Queensland surf beach.
Ross was Andrea’s lecturer during her undergraduate degree and became her Honours supervisor this year. Andrea also chose Ross as her mentor when she gained a prestigious Australian Society of Authors Mentorship Program mentorship in 2009.
Ross said the shortlisting had provided him with a wonderful validation of the quality of his work. However, he is not prepared to rate his chances of winning.
“You enter these competitions holding your breath,” he said. “It comes down to what the judges are looking for in the works and you never know what their criteria are.
“What really matters is what happens after the awards, as to whether the story gets picked up by a publisher and you get that first breakthrough.”
While Ross is not allowing himself to entertain what it would be like to win the award, he knows how he will feel if his protege is victorious.
“I would be terribly proud of Andrea if she wins,” he said. “It would also be an affirmation for me as her teacher, for the support I have offered her over the years and the feedback I have provided to her about her work.”
Andrea said she was delighted about being shortlisted, describing it as unexpected recognition.
“The prestige of being on the shortlist is a great reward in itself,” she said. “Once a writer’s name gets into the public arena like this, there’s a greater chance for opportunities to start opening up.
“It’s fantastic that two writers from USC have made the shortlist and an amazing boost to know my work has been judged competent enough to be in the top five of this category, along with a writer of Ross’s calibre.”
— Terry Walsh