Literary Excellence

On Friday morning, June 6th, I had the privilege of meeting with Martha Scott. Not only does Martha edit university students' science research essays, she also edits for the Lakefield Literary Festival. 

 

This year there was a record amount of submissions. Lakefield College School had 50 courageous students submit a piece of writing. Sarah Shi earned runner-up in the Junior Fiction category. Samantha Mauro earned runner-up in the Senior Non-Fiction category, and I feel very honoured as I earned 1st place in the Senior Non-Fiction category. I have always had a passion for writing. It is a way to be creative, explore your voice and express yourself. My piece, entitled Home Within The Sky will be published in July. With publishing, comes editing. Martha explained that many authors struggle with someone editing a piece that they have likely worked countless hours on. Personally, I loved having someone edit my work. Martha sat with me to teach me about each correction. I was beyond impressed with the knowledge she had on each tiny writing rule in the English language. I am definitely inspired. 

 

It was an honour to meet with Martha Scott, discuss my manuscript and review the edits she made to my work, which received the runner up title in the contest. After a warm discussion reflecting on our childhood memories and shared interest in literature, I signed the permission form for my work to be reproduced. Martha informed me that my non-fiction essay, entitled A Community Solute: Embracing an Unconventional Childhood, will be published in "The Peterborough Examiner" in July, and will appear on the festival website. Before leaving, I received a copy of the novel Red Jacket by Pamela Mordecai, who is a featured author of this year’s festival. It was my first time entering a literary contest and I was proud to place in the challenge. 

 

It was a pleasure to be able to examine my work with an experienced individual in the writing field. Martha took the time to communicate with me through email and set up a time and place for us to meet. I truly appreciated her helpful advice and kind words of encouragement for my writing career. Overall, it was a great experience to participate in the Lakefield Literary Festival Young Writers Contest. Thanks to the help of Ms. Scott, I look forward to entering similar events in my future. 

 

While I was on the way to meet with Martha, I was overcome with a very happy feeling that someone actually liked my writing and the message I conveyed. Our meeting was short, but that time will be a time in my life I will never forget. Martha is a very thoughtful woman and we had an amazing conversation about the story that I wrote. That session with Martha made me so happy and appreciated.