Nord Anglia Young Writer of the Year (11-14 years old)

Congratulations to Jessica Lee in Year 7 for winning the Nord Anglia Young Writer of the Year Award (11-14 years old) in this year’s Global Campus Creative Writing competition! 
 

Over 1,000 entries were submitted and this is a fantastic accomplishment for Jessica. We are incredibly proud of her achievement and wanted to find out more about this talented young writer’s inspiration.

Jessica, what made you want to enter the competition?

I entered the competition this year because last time I did not advance far with my story at all. I really wanted to do better this time. 

How long have you been interested in creative writing?

I have loved creative writing for a very long time now. After reading lots of books, I eventually started to write some of my own short pieces of writing. I just really enjoy creative writing as there is no stopping my imagination and I am free to write about whatever I choose. 

Why did you choose this particular work (The Lady of Shalott by Alfred, Lord Tennyson) to base your writing on?

Well, I was doing an individual project on ekphrasis which is about writing inspired by art. I thought that then I might as well relate my story to this topic. In the end, I chose The Lady of Shallot. It was actually a bit of a risk writing my fan-fiction about this particular poem because the language was difficult to understand and since it was written from such a long time ago, I was worried that nobody would be able to relate to my writing. 

What advice would you give to other aspiring young writers?
To all of the other aspiring young writers out there, I have some advice for you. Take risks in your writing and do not be afraid to try something new. It is important to challenge yourself with different styles of writing. Even if it is completely new to you. Cross as many boundaries as you can. 

Thank you Jess, and congratulations once more!

You can read Jessica’s story here.