Mom Tri's Boathouse Short Fiction Contest Result 2008


	Luxurious boutique hotel directly on Kata Beach, Phuket, Thailand

The Boathouse’s third writing contest received an exceptional international response with submissions of great style and originality. It was a challenging task for writers to include the required keywords: Boathouse, Oasis and Regatta in their stories but all managed with a surprising inventiveness. Entries varied from nail-biting suspense stories and crime fiction to fantasy fairytales, science fiction and “real-life” experiences. The contest’s judge, Simon Brown, writer of 10 books published a.o. by HarperCollins, had the difficult task of choosing the winners. First prize went to Alex Mellor of Hua Hin, Thailand for his story “Responsibilities”.

1st Place – Responsibilities by Alex Mellor, Thailand

A satisfying story about the two females in the protagonist’s life, one human and one machine. It comes with a neat twist in the tail – a hard thing to do right. If the psychology of the woman does not quite tally by the end, it’s more than made up for by a clean writing style and a well-drawn, if not sympathetic, protagonist.

2nd Place – A Matter of Face by Daniel Chen, Australia

Another twist in the tail story, although it isn’t essential to the satisfying way the author catches the few minutes it takes for the protagonist to carry out an unorthodox “hit” in an unorthodox way. The protagonist completes his task with a regretful but always resolute professionalism. Simply and satisfyingly told.

3rd Place – Dust in the Wind by Barbara Ransom, USA

A clever, witty story about two sisters trying to complete a difficult duty. The dialogue is sharp and feels right, and the writing ensures the situation, absurd as it is, never falls into parody or bathos. The interstitial material is unhelpful, and together with the title gives the game away too soon.

Honourable mention – Lek by Dr. Michael Moreton, Thailand

Makes the cut because of the way the author cleverly allows the protagonist to be self-serving and self-effacing at the same time. Slight structural and layout problems don’t spoil clever dialogue and a bittersweet ending.

Honourable mention – One Week a Year by Deirdrea Lyon, USA

A plausible protagonist the reader wants to cheer on makes up for a somewhat stereotypical antagonist. The narrative wanders a little, and sentence structure could be better, but unexpected touches and a satisfying ending save the story.

Honourable mention – Finding of Fact by Eric Rosenkranz, Singapore

The idea behind this story needs a much longer work, but the author almost pulls it off by cleverly framing the narrative within a legal decision. The dry sense of humour and the humanity of the judge writing the decision come through, and the character the story is about flitters around the story like a moth around a light.

Out of Competition entry – The Old Man on the Terrace by Steve Rosse

Details of Mom Tri’s Boathouse 4th writing competition with deadline February 2010 will be announced as soon as possible.

Simon Brown has written ten books, including two collections of short stories. His novels are published by HarperCollins and PanMacmillan in Australia, DAW in the US, and Toymania in Russia. His short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies in the US, England, Poland, Japan and Australia. He is currently living in Phuket with his wife Alison, a teacher, and their two children, Edlyn and Fynn.

Shortlisted Entries:

The Stranger by Tony Kelsey-Stead, Thailand
Serpico by James Michael Geary III, Thailand
One Left Turn by Jim Newport, Thailand
After the Tsunami by Bob Nimmo, New Zealand
Pack your Bags! by Ruth Stott, South Africa
A Different View of Phuket by Andrew Dearden, UK
Goby, Phuket Sea Gypsy by Frank Visakay, Thailand

Winning Entries

First         Eric Rosenkranz         The Gift
Second    Barbara Ransom        Unpacking
Third        Dr. Michael Moreton   The Bridge

Honourable Mentions

First          Alexander Maycock   6-2-6-4-6
Second     Barry Daniel              Letta 'Ome
Third         Frank Visakay          The Perfect Vacation

Short-listed Entries

Old England is Dying               Andy Dearden
Mama Coconut’s Island           James Geary
McHound Expounds                Alan Platt
Voices                                   Helena Jackson
Recipe for Brother Recovery     Gates of Paradox
The Waters                            Chris Earl
Silence                                  Russell Sandford
The Next Life                          Andy Dearden
Jack’s Story                           Tony Kelsey-Stead
Sunday Morning Service          Helena Jackson

THE SECOND ANNUAL MOM TRI’S BOATHOUSE SHORT FICTION CONTEST
March 2008

I know I said this last year, but it bears repeating: Judging a writing contest is a dumb thing to try to do.

Writing fiction isn’t a race. It isn’t anything like Olympic gymnastics or synchronized swimming. It isn’t even a beauty pageant (although, now that I think of it, I am available for one of those if anyone has that kind of duty going). Writing fiction is…well, it’s art, for Christ’s sake. There. I’ve said it. Art.

And now, first place in the Best Painting in the Louvre contest goes to……..

See what I mean? Idiotic, huh?

Still, the nice folks at the Boathouse asked me to pick the best of the submissions to their short fiction contest this year and that’s what I’ve tried to do. By the way, you should know that I get the entries without any names attached so this may well be the only entirely honest undertaking in Thailand. Wait. Scratch that last line. I never said that. I deny it absolutely.

Anyway, if you’re interested, here are some very brief observations as to why I ranked the winning entries the way I did. You might have ranked them differently. In fact, I’m certain you would. That’s why they call it ‘art.’

First place – THE GIFT – Eric Rosenkranz

It’s both solidly written, almost poetic in patches, and offers a remarkably touching insight into the lives of ordinary Thais living in Phuket. That’s not something that many writers have achieved, Thai or foreign, and God knows more than enough have tried.

Second place – UNPACKING – Barbara Ransom

There’s a good deal of honest to gosh, actual life in this piece, much that rings real and true, and achieving that in not much more than a thousand words is a considerable accomplishment.

Third place – THE BRIDGE – Dr. Michael Moreton

Like the two entries before it, this piece felt authentic to me, although it was perhaps just a touch less professional and accomplished in its execution and prose style than the first and second places; thus, its third place finish.

Honorable mention – 6-2-6-4-6 – Alexander Maycock

A fresh and lively narrative, well told and consistently engaging, but overall just not quite as smoothly written or as slickly presented as the first three placings.

Honorable mention – LETTA ‘OME – Barry Daniel

An absolutely wonderful job of writing dialect, which is extremely difficult, but the core narrative was too short and too thin for me to feel comfortable placing it above other entries with stronger narrative lines.

Honorable mention – THE PERFECT VACATION – Frank Visakay

Solid writing, novel plotting without turning gimmicky, but a little too like the much repeated tales of feckless Thai bar girls for me to feel good about ranking it above the first three placing with more original story lines.

So there you have it. My reasons, such as I can rationally explain them, for ranking the entries in the 2008 Boathouse Short Fiction Contest the way I did.

You think you can do better?

No problem. Next year the job’s yours.

Jake Needham