Judging is now in full swing for both the Young Writer’s Competition and the Tim Winton Awards.

Elaine Forrestal at the launch of To See the World

I hope you got your entries in because having a go at these awards is a great way to hone your writing skills – and you never know, you might win a prize.

Being able to express yourself well, in writing, is a very important life-skill, but it does take practise. The saying ‘The Pen is mightier than the sword’, coined by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, could be translated for the modern world as ‘The words of passionate and committed people are more likely to bring about positive change than the suicide-vest.’ But the wisdom behind the original saying is just as true today as it was in 1839.

As an individual going about your daily life you make contact with family, friends, work and school mates – probably a maximum of twenty five people. However, we all know how a tweet can go viral and be read, and acted on, by millions of people all around the world. Closer to home, developing good writing skills will be vital for passing exams, applying for jobs, passing your driving test and a host of other things you will need to do in your life. Writing is a powerful tool and worth polishing to  a sharp point

I’ll try and remind you earlier next year. And if you did enter then well done! You are already a winner.