For four weeks, the finalists in So You Think You Can Write, the Times Colonist's public writing contest, have battled by pen and keyboard. From poetry to non-fiction, they've stretched their writing abilities to meet our weekly challenges.
Today we present the results of our fourth and final writing assignment. This week, Frankie Blake, Nick Clewley, Fiona Luo and Pat Parker were given total freedom - beyond a word limit - to show the judges their potential. Any subject, any form.
And for the third week in a row, Clewley earned top marks from the judges, this time by painting a scene about a grown-up grandchild meeting her estranged grandfather for the first time. You can read it below, along with comments from our panel: Dave Obee, Janet Rogers and Matthew Hooton on page D3.
Our other finalists' submissions, along with judges' comments, are online at timescolonist.com/writing contest. Parker gave us a protagonist struggling with a moral test, after finding a wallet full of cash. Hooton said he liked the classic storytelling voice, but warned that it might kill the tension by telling rather than showing. Blake took us to a neighbourhood game of kick the can, which Rogers called, "a charming enough story." And Luo wrote a poem that described the feeling of being a puppet, moving according to the will of others. Obee said it showed that simplicity in writing can be powerful.
Check the Times Colonist on Tuesday for an official announcement of the overall contest winner. He or she will win a trip to the Galiano Literary Festival, including two nights at the Galiano Oceanfront Inn and Spa, as well as ferry fare.
We will also announce our Readers' Choice winner, who goes home with a net-book, thanks to Mother Computers.
Bolen Books also donated $25 gift certificates to the Top 25 finalists after the general call.
