An entire Tale in 100 words. Exactly 100. Funny… Sad… Thought provoking… Lyrical…
2024 International Competition winner announced The well attended 2024 J.M. Wilson Literary Dinner took place at the King’s Arms in Berwick upon Tweed on October 2nd. In a departure from previous years the Tale of Toby Toothpick was performed by one of our actors instead of being read as a round by the diners. One of the project’s activities is editing down the sometimes lengthy Tales, so it was no surprise – some would say a relief – to enjoy a slightly shortened version. A new play was performed ‘Passages from the Life of Simon Gourlay’ based on the Persecuted Elector. Tale 1173 in the Project catalogue it was originally the first item in issue 10 of the Tales on 10th January 1835. The story dramatises the trials of Gourlay, the elector who has the casting vote in an election held in the days when the electorate was extremely limited, and votes were bought. The story is very comedic in the newly dramatised form, excellently brought to life by the Borders Pub Theatre Group and greatly appreciated by the audience. The magnificent surroundings lent themselves, with clever use of the minstrels gallery worked into the play. After the beans & bacon inspired meal, the 100Word Tale competition was summarised, with several examples being presented, chosen for their entertainment value. The featured entries were all read by Kevin Archer, last year’s second placed entrant, and a professional voice artist. All the audio entries including the live recordings of the ones read, are on the audio entries page if you click this link. We enjoyed entries from around the world, this year welcoming Chile and India into our global reach and a special mention for the entry from Shanghai from 13 year old Katy Han added to Britain, Canada, USA, Middle East, South Africa and Australia. Once again the subjects cover a full range of genres and periods, past, present and future, with entries up by 35% but most encouragingly, the quality of the submissions has once again risen, with the judges having a difficult time making choices. We even have 3 late entries starting next year’s list. Especial mention was made of the number of entrants who had travelled to the dinner, the winner having made a journey from Suffolk to attend. Although there is only one winner, the shortlist contained some excellent Tales, for instance, the judges described this one as “a charming tale of innocence, with a nice twist at the end” from the other side of the globe. Doug Jacquier lives in South Australia. His entry is catalogued as 2483. A Bracing Tale. Walking Wendy, the vicar’s daughter, home from the village dance, I made my first fumbling teenage attempts at what I thought taking her virginity would involve. Near her front gate, she stopped and gave me my first kiss, until she said, like a bad ventriloquist, ‘Ar aces are uck ether.’ She meant ‘our braces are stuck together.’ She ran off laughing and I began to imagine how quickly her tale would spread around the school. But it seemed she didn’t tell anyone, and next week, she waited for me outside the hall and I noticed she’d taken off her braces. The winner of the 2024 competition was then announced as Stuart Ritching, with 2425 Gypsy Boots Old Joe’s finest boots were purchased by a London merchant but later stolen by an escaping highwayman. They were exchanged for passage to France where the ship’s captain gifted them to his aristocratic cousin returning to Paris. When he was guillotined and his body stripped the boots ended up with a smuggler who eventually returned to England. Leaving a tavern a thief robbed the smuggler taking his loot to the nearest cobbler. His business failing, Old Joe spent his last shilling to recover his old boots. As he removed one worn heel out popped the biggest diamond he’d ever seen. The Judge’s comments stated “the twisting thread of the story, with unlikely coincidences leading to an amazing, but happy ending has all the ring of a Wilson circumlocutory story that would fit straight in to Tales of the Borders“The overall judges comments for this year: The overall standard of entries is even higher than last year. We are continually amazed by how large a story can fit within the 100 word limit. The originals, with their linear stories, serve to demonstrate the degree to which authors and audience have advanced in both language and imagination. J.M.Wilson would be having a ball if he were writing today. As a comic example, we recommend another entry by our winner, Stuart Ritching, 2403 – Billy the Fish. We applaud all the entrants, and look forward to 2025 with great anticipation. If you would like to be informed when the next competition opens, please sign up here.