From Virginia Woolf to Robert Burns, many iconic writers have been inspired by the British countryside over the years. Now, one company is offering budding authors the chance to win their dream escape amidst some rolling hills and luscious landscapes. All they have to do is tweet their best story pitch.
Unveiled by Holiday Cottages, the competition is offering members of the public the chance to escape to one of three quaint British hideaways, all of which are located in naturally beautiful surroundings that have inspired some of history’s greatest authors. To enter, all you have to do is tweet a summary of your story along with the hashtag #WriTweet by midnight on 25 January 2020. The best entry will be chosen by Times bestselling author Elizabeth Macneal, and the winner will be notified within 28 days of the competition closing.
The winning writer will be able to choose a complimentary cottage to house themselves in for seven nights. The choices are a cosy cottage in East Sussex, once home to the iconic modernist writer, Virginia Woolf, and author of The Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling; a getaway in Carmarthenshire, Wales, where the lakes and hills inspired Dylan Thomas; and a rustic abode in the east of Scotland, where Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Burns enjoyed spending time. The chosen accommodation will be decked out with a typewriter, a dictionary and thesaurus, a notepad and pen, some coffee and a classic novel for inspiration.
Elizabeth Macneal has even provided tips for authors working on a first chapter. "Think about your inciting incident, your mystery, your problem that needs to be solved, and when is the best time to introduce it. I like to have my characters do something straight away; any details about their personal relationships or history or appearance can be introduced more subtly. I see my first chapter as a short story without a complete resolution. I want something satisfying and complete to have happened but I also want to have left questions unanswered,” she said.
More information on the competition is available at the official Holiday Cottages website.
