Short story winner

By Tania Martin
A COCKATOO woman hopes her runners-up prize in the ABC short story competition will set her on the road to becoming a published author.
Marjorie Speck was one of 10 runners-up named in the short story competition but says that it was a privilege to be chosen as a finalist.
A primary school teacher by day and a struggling author by night, Ms Speck is currently working on three novels that she hopes to one day get published.
The ABC short story competition which is in its fifth year invited writers to submit unpublished stories of up to 1000 words on any subject.
Ms Speck was chosen as a finalist out of 1400 entries and was shocked to find out she made it so far in the competition.
This was her first competition and the runners-up announcement comes on the back of her having another short story published in Pendulum which is a Chisholm TAFE literary journal.
Ms Speck said coming runner-up in the competition gives her the confidence to know that she can write and give other people enjoyment and that she will one day get her first novel published.
“I’m just thrilled and I still can’t take it all in,” she said.
“It’s great and it gives me a bit more credibility with publishers if I can say that I have come runner-up in a competition like the ABC short story rather than just being another unknown author.”