As Halloween approaches, we’re getting spooky at Coalhouse Fort (allegedly one of the most haunted places in Essex!) with artist Laura Trevail.
Can you creep us out?
Laura is running the Coalhouse Fort Ghost Story Competition, and is looking for original short ghost stories from amateur writers of ANY age or experience – they just have to be suitable for reading aloud.
There will be two winners along the themes of: ‘family-friendly spooking around‘ and ‘scare the grown-ups‘.
Winning entries will be professionally read and recorded as part of Laura’s Coalhouse Fort commission – so they’ll haunt the fort for years to come! Winners will also receive a £25 voucher for the Engine Tea Room at Coalhouse Fort Park. Winners will be contacted and announced in November.
Your story must be:
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A fictional ghost story that you have written yourself – no adaptations, AI, or stories based on existing work/characters
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Set in, related to or about Coalhouse Fort
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Not already published anywhere else
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Suitable for both reading as text and being read aloud
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Under 30 minutes when read aloud at an accessible speed – shorter is totally fine
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Understandable by readers who may only speak English
What will it be judged on?
Entries will be judged on:
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Spookiness, creepiness, scariness – does it actually give us the creeps?
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Interestingness of the ghost(s)
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“The feels” – does your story make the reader feel something emotionally?
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Story, characters and world – can we see/hear/feel them in how you write?
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Relevance to Coalhouse Fort – is the story really properly specific to this place?
Spelling, punctuation and grammar will not be judged. We welcome dialect, accent, exploration of English as a second language, experimental writing and all individual ways of writing and speaking. This is YOUR story – write and express yourself in your own way.
What’s the deadline?
Deadline for submissions is 31st October – Halloween!
How do I send in my story?
Submit by email, post or by hand. Include with your story a short paragraph about yourself and your contact details so we can get in touch if we need to.
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Email your submission as a PDF file to: laura@lhtrevail.com, with “COALHOUSE FORT GHOST STORY COMPETITION” in the email header
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Post your submission to: Start Thurrock, Thameside Complex, Orsett Road, Grays, RM17 5DX
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Hand your story in at East Tilbury Library (printed out or hand-written)
Copyright of all submissions will remain with the writer.
For full information, you can also see Laura’s page here.
Never written a ghost story before and fancy trying it out?
Laura will be running workshops during October. Contact laura@lhtrevail.com for more information, or click here for details on other activites and ways to get involved.
Good luck – and happy spooking!
This commission is made possible through a co-commission from Start Thurrock and Essex Cultural Diversity Project supported by Arts Council England.
