I had my first experience of Sheffield’s ‘Novel Slam’ competition in 2020, sitting behind a computer screen, large glass of line just out of camera view. It was the first time I had ever shared anything to do with my first novel, Silent Tomorrow, with anyone. I was proud to have shard, and even prouder to walk away (to the sofa in my living room, because, lockdown) with first prize.

Three years on, and I found myself again considering entering Novel Slam. I knew I couldn’t go back with my first novel, and I also knew I didn’t have a second novel written yet. Yet, in standard ‘me’ fashion, I decided that didn’t matter. I’d enter, and I’d work it out in time. With 24 hours to go, I still didn’t know what novel I was going to pitch, never mind having written the pitch itself.

Then I remembered a short story I wrote about robot nannies. When I first wrote it, it felt ‘too big’ for its word count at around 1500 words, although I submitted it to the Blank Street Writer’s Anthology (available on Amazon!) in 2020. When I submitted it for one of my MA assignments in 2023, it still felt ‘too big’ though the story was now 6000 words. What if, I thought, this is my second novel? Of course, I am a romantic, and it felt poetic to return to a story from the same year I first entered Novel Slam.

So, I wrote the pitch, I edited down the first page to a 3 minute reading. And I entered it on the day. It was such a different experience to be in a room, surrounded by other writers all sharing their novels. The breadth of ideas and the sheer quantity of creativity was brilliant. People were warm and encouraging. There was a feeling of community and support. I was grateful that I’d decided to take a punt and be part of it. And I was stunned to make it through the first round (1 minute to pitch, title, first line) and even more stunned to find myself finishing in third place after reading my 3 minute extract from the beginning of the story.

A lesson to the perfectionist in me that sometimes it’s ok to go with what I’ve got and trust it. One of the things I keep finding with my writing is that you can never pre-judge how it will be received, and you can’t find out how it will be received until you share it. Not to mention this was definitely the encouragement I needed to turn ‘This Burning House Was Never Yours’ into novel number two…

Always grateful to Beverley Ward and The Writer’s Workshop for the fantastic community they’ve created. The Sheffield writing scene is a wonderful thing to be part of.

A few pictures from the night below.