Writing workshop
Friends Writing Comp Winners...
Judging the Friends Writing Comp was REALLY tough – there were HUNDREDS of amazing entries, so thanks for your patience. It took a while to get through them all! So many of you wrote fantastic poems and stories it was hard to choose just a few! I looked for great writing style, clever, original ideas, feeling and impact. If you’re not a winner, check out the highly-commended list and see if you get a mention there. As ever, you’re all winners to me!
Poetry winners….
I chose four equal winners in this section. Each poem is stunning in its own way… well done to Lily Lovegrove-Saville, age 14; Katie Kennific, age 13, Ontario, Canada; Mairead Wall, age 12, Dublin; and Hayley Jones, age 12, Australia. Read on….
BEST FRIEND
My best friend would always be there for me,
My best friend would laugh with me until we cried,
My best friend would write a song all about me,
My best friend would dance with me under the stars,
My best friend would bake cookies on my birthday,
My best friend would know when to talk and when to listen,
My best friend would share the last piece of chocolate with me,
My best friend would give me a daisy chain to wear on my wrist,
My best friend would roll down a grassy hill laughing all the way,
She would scream with me on the highest roller coaster,
And have a secret language that only I understood,
She would be a shoulder to cry on in the toughest of times,
And call me up just to say there’s a rainbow outside,
She would believe in my wishes and encourage me to dream,
And talk with me until midnight when I couldn’t sleep,
She’d tell me “Happy Thursday” when I was feeling blue,
She’d cry, laugh, smile, joke, giggle, believe and share,
My best friend would so great –
If only she were real.
By Lily Lovegrove–Saville, age 14
__________
SHE’S LEAVING
And she’s leaving
The van is packed
The car is ready
And she’s leaving
The bikes have been ridden
Every sight been said goodbye to
Every street
Every flower
Every blade of grass
And we’ve stalled
Lord knows we’ve stalled
And spent hours making escape plans
And laughing
And crying
And saying goodbye
The last hugs have been given
Every memory remembered fondly
Sad, happy, silly
And she’s leaving
The car door is opening
And I’m holding tight
Not letting go
And the door is closing
Our faces damp
Cooled by the lake breeze
The door shuts
And it’s not over
Please Lord it’s not over
And the future
Hangs in the distance
Quickly coming closer
As the car drives away.
Katie Kennific, Age 13, Ontario, Canada
___________
FRIENDSHIP
Friendship tastes like
sweet pink candy floss
Savoured ‘till theres nothing left
Friendship smells like
freshly bloomed flowers
In early springtime.
Friendship feels like
cool ice cream
slipping down your throat
on a hot summer’s day.
Friendship sounds like
Children’s laughter
on an Autumn day.
Friendship simply looks like
You and me.
By Mairead Wall, age 12, Dublin
____________
BEAUTIFUL
She’s the new girl
My friends say she’s ugly because she wears glasses
Why can’t they see her amazing eyes?
My friends say she’s a teacher’s pet
Because she does what she’s told
My friends say she has a weird accent
Why can’t they hear her beautiful singing voice?
She sits by herself, alone and unhappy
People talk about her behind her back but I don’t see why
She hasn’t done anything wrong
People say she’s an alien, because she has red hair
I think it’s beautiful, long and curly.
People say she’s a geek because of her glasses
I wear them too, why isn’t it a problem on me?
They pick on her because they’re jealous
They want to sing like her
They want to have her long, curly hair.
She’s beautiful and she’s my new friend
By Hayley Jones, age 12, Australia
____________
POETRY RUNNERS_UP
The standard of poetry entries was so high, I had to choose lots of runners up, too…. Well done to Beth Kidd, age 11; Lauren Gray; Tierney Richards, age 13, W. Yorks; Katherine Nelson, USA; Gaby Walters, age 11, Warks; Daisy Cross, Cirencester; Rachel Clifton, London; and Pheobe Wood, age 12, Essex. Well done!!!!
NO WAY
Tomorrow I might be all alone
No one to ring me on the phone
No one to say a big hello
Or comfort me when I’m feeling low
So I’ll make the most of you while you’re here
Cause wherever you are, I’ll be near
Wherever you are, I’ll be there too
Cause there’s no way I’m leaving you
Do you think about me?
I think about you
And your other friends probably do
So when you’re feeling kind of rotten
Cause you think your friends may have forgotten
Just remind yourself that that’s not true
Cause there’s no way we’re leaving you
And when your friends have time to spare
They’ll think of ways to show they care
Whatever it is, big or small
It’ll keep your friendship on the ball
So now that I have time to spare
I’ve thought of a way to show I care
So that when you’re feeling kind of rotten
You’ll know that you’ve not been forgotten
You’ll know that that just isn’t true
Cause there’s no way we’re leaving you!
By Beth Kidd, age 11
___________
FRIENDS
My friends are cool and ever so smart.
In class we grin and smile at one another,
Help each other we were stuck,
We stick together like glue!
We may fight every now and again,
But we pick up the pieces and play again.
We may not be perfect separately,
But we complete each other.
By Lauren Gray
___________
NOW YOU’VE GONE
We shared the same talent, we both loved pink
But now you’ve gone I need to think
You said we’d be together no matter what
You told me that, but you must’ve forgot
God needed an angel so he got you
You’ll make a good one, someone brand new.
I feel your hands in mine
I hear your voice all the time
I think of the good times we had
Those are the things that make me glad,
I see your face in my dreams,
I smell the perfume that always seems,
To remind me of you, my best friend
So just like you’d say, dear friend, to me
You’ll wait for me like it used to be.
By Tierney Richards, age 13, W. Yorks
___________
FRIENDS STICK
Real friends stick with you.
Through the hard times.
Even though they have problems of their own.
You might get annoyed,
You might get in a fight,
But real friends stick with you,
And hold on tight.
By Katherine Nelson, North Carolina, USA
___________
TYPICAL BEST MATES!
My best friend and me are practically sisters!
We go to town and buy things we don’t actually need!
We live at each other’s houses
Eat junk food at sleepovers
We gossip about boys and paint
Our toenails bright pink
We fight and scream but in the end
We know that it was over nothing!
I think I would die without my best friend!By Gaby Walters, age 11, Warks.
___________
BEST FRIENDS
My best friends a guy -
I don’t care.
Watch them stare,
And walk on,
And laugh.
My best friends black -
Doesn’t matter.
Friendship won’t shatter,
Turn our backs,
And chat.
That’s what friendship’s about -
Your friend could be black,
Your friend could be white,
We’re all the same inside.
Guys still have shoulders to cry on -
The colour of your skin no concern.
What matters the most,
Is the wonderful person inside.
By Daisy Cross, Cirencester
___________
BROKEN IN TWO
Heart breaking,
Soul shaking,
Head in a whirl.
Tears dripping,
Knees quivering,
It can’t be happening.
Mouth paralyzed,
Jaw drops,
Banging at the window-
Desperate for a last glimpse.
Then the car purrs away,
Smug,
And I’m left with nothing,
Not even a goodbye.
I sit on the step,
Snotty nose, no tissue.
Crying to bits,
Weeping myself away-
Until I’m nothing.
I can’t survive without her.
Months double into years,
Years into a decade.
She still hasn’t replied to the letter
I sent her six months ago.
Has she forgotten me?
Will I ever see her again?
Uni time,
I’m off now, up and away,
From the sheltered areas of existence,
To a less guarded, relaxed space
First class time now, oh!
I must be dreaming:
Claudia’s running towards me,
We weep for joy,
Her face on my shoulder,
Salt tears wetting my parka,
If only I’d known that we’d meet again,
I wouldn’t have wasted my tears…
“After all,” says Claudi,
“We’re living for the future, aren’t we?”
By Rachel Clifton
___________
WE WILL MEET AGAIN
Go now my friend of old,
Enter the darkness in its mystery,
Go now brave,
From your pain relieved,
But know that as
You enter the end running,
You carry my heart with you,
Until your last steps,
When I can follow you no more,
And you reach the border,
Of life and death.
Mercy on us,
If there is a god,
If not,
Then may the spirits carry you safely,
To the realms of peace,
One day I will follow you,
Where light becomes shadow,
And we will be united again,
And in the fingers of frost,
We may embrace again,
As spirits,
In a spirit world,
We will meet again.
By Phoebe Wood, age 12, Essex
STORY WINNERS…
This one was even harder to judge. I picked four equal winners, each one original, stylish and beautifully written. Well done to Katie Latter, age 14, Hong Kong; Sonibel Rae, age 11; Emily Garbutt, age 10; and Lucy Rutherford, age 13, Australia. Well done all of you! Read these short extracts for a flavour of each winning story…
___________
Star in Her Eyes by Katie Latter, age 13, Hong Kong
First of all, a story of friendship that stays strong through all the hard times…
“Hazel?” my voice sounds gravely. I push open the door to find a small girl scrunched up in a ball, brown serpentine curls hide her face.
“Go away,” she whispers.
I think back to primary school when Hazel declared that she was Posh Spice I was Baby Spice (of course). As the only 2 members of the Bay Primary School Spice Girls Fan Club, we’d sing the anthem:
“Yo I’ll tell you what I want, what I really want
So tell me what you want, what you really really want…”
Now I sit next to her, my arm around her, and we cry together, rocking back and forth on our heels. I won’t go, not now, not ever, not when my best friend needs me to pick up the pieces of her life. It’s a reversal of roles, but if she needs me I’ll be there.
Under my breath I sing softly:
“Yo I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want…”
____________
My Best Friend? by Sonibel Rae, age 11
The story of a girl with no friends… except the one she invents!
The teacher tapped her foot waiting for us to quiet down. I was already quiet. No-one ever wants to talk to me.
At last the room shut up.
“Now class, today you will be writing a description of your best friend,” she said. Everyone in the room smiled looking at each other. No-one looked at me.
“Kelly, come back to earth please,” snapped Mrs Rogers. I came back to earth – an earth where nobody wanted me.
“She doesn’t have any friends,” said someone in the back.
‘Class, quiet. Begin your writing now.”
I didn’t know what to write. Pens scribbled all around me and mine still did not touch my paper. Should I make up a best friend….?
___________
Friend or Foe? by Emily Garbutt, age 10
A touching story of prejudice, bullying… and true friendship.
I knew there was something odd about her the day I met her. She was standing at the front of the classroom, her dark head bent.
“This is Parvana. I want you all to make her feel very welcome,” Mrs. Pearce said.
We all stared. I recognised what she was wearing as Islamic dress, but I could tell not many other people did.
Mrs. Pearce sat Parvana opposite me, next to Lucy McKay – not the most helpful person to sit a new girl next to. She did not speak as she sat down.
“ Um, hi,” said Lucy, trying to be friendly. Parvana, so it seemed, ignored her.
“ Hello?” Lucy continued, waving her hand in front of Parvana’s face, “Anyone in there?” Still Parvana didn’t speak. “Do-you-speak-English?” She pronounced her words carefully, as if Parvana might be stupid…
____________
Friends Forever by Lucy Rutherford, age 13, Australia
Beautifully written – a girl growing up looks back on the sad times and the happy ones…
To me, friendship is like a road, a twisting and a turning one you can’t control. You wonder where it’s going to lead, and hope and wish that it will lead to a brighter future.
So many things have changed. The primary schools years have vanished and all that you have left is the memories, fading away so quickly you just cant get a clean grip on them…. You want to vanish away the bad ones where you have been hurt or betrayed, but you realise inside that these things can make you a better, stronger, wiser friend, so that others don’t have to go through the same…
STORY RUNNERS-UP….
There were six great runners-up in this section. Congratulations to Katie Bloor, age 13; Rona Brown, age 13, Stranraer; Claire Harper, age 12, Keith; Ellys Bagnall, age 10, Cumbria; Hannah Shaw, E.Sussex: and Claudia Williams, age 13, LIncs. Well done all of you. Check out the extracts below….
Secret Friend by Katie Bloor, age 13
An imaginary friend who’s very special…
My friends are all different. Chloe is quite girly but loves adventure; Lucy is no girly girl – she loves to get muddy, she’s a pain and sometimes you cant trust her, but she’s a friend all the same; Carrie wears thick black eyeliner, she loves ‘emo’ – she wouldn’t be alive without music.
I also have a secret friend, a friend they don’t know about. I don’t think they would understand; they would probably think I was stupid. I hate keeping secrets from them but this is a special secret that I am happy to keep to myself…
____________
Helena, by Rona Brown, age 13, Stranraer
A powerfully written story of dislocation and unhappiness….
I was never popular, never wanted to be, but I don’t remember being this UNpopular. I mean I have friends, a lot of friends, but it’s just I have more enemies. People that I’ve never met before hate me, honest. I looked myself up and down trying to see what people hated so much. I started to sing quietly to myself……. `It’s a million o’clock, too hot to sleep. A rotten taste in my mouth and my eyes are deep’.
Music, possibly the best thing ever discovered by man. Without music I’d die, easy as that…
____________
Could She Be a Friend? by Claire Harper, age 12, Keith
A girl takes a stand against bullying in this dramatic story…
“That new girl is WEIRD!” Lou says. “Stay away from her – we could loose our reputation if we hang around with that!” Her tight grip holds onto my arm. I’ve never heard Lou being that nasty before. I’ve known her my whole life, but suddenly it’s like I don’t know her at all.
“She’s not that bad! Give her a chance!” I say. “You can’t judge a book by its cover!”
“What are you on about, she’s weird! I know by the look of her!” Lou snarls. “If you want to hang around with that loser, then go ahead! I don’t need you!” She stomps off to her boyfriend.
I turn round and see Gemima still standing alone, and I start to walk towards her.
Maybe she could be a friend?
____________
The Friendship Locket by Ellys Bagnall, age 10
I gingerly open the front door.
A small, golden locket is sprawled on the doorstep. I lift it up, open it.
Inside it there’s a picture of Roz, and I suddenly notice a photograph fluttering around in the grass next to the doorstep. I pick it up. It’s the photo of me, with a message added on. From your best ever friend. Roz.
I grin, and step back inside, closing the door and pressing the cold metal of the locket against my cheek.
I____________
Old Friends, by Hannah Shaw, E. Sussex
The touching story of a friendship remembered – and renewed.
We met when I was only eight.
I think it was at school, but I can’t quite remember now. It was such a long time ago now, but I can still see her quite clearly. She was the smallest in the class. She had a mass of beautiful, long, curly hair that I was always envious of. Honey blonde, she used to call it. She had deep brown eyes like autumn leaves that had just fallen.
I remember that she loved to wear flowery frocks and cardigans. One time we embroidered a yellow dress together. I tried to give it to her but she insisted that I have it. I think I’ve still got it somewhere, probably in the attic…
___________
A Different Friendship, by Claudia Williams, age 13
An accident parts two friends forever in this emotional story…
One night in November, I let Snap out to do her business after feeding her. I don’t know how she got out of the garden, she just did. When I went to call her in, she wasn’t there. he gate had blown open and Snap had wandered out. I went into the street. I spotted her halfway up the road, sniffing at a lamp post. Typical dog. I shouted her name twice before she looked up and saw me. Wagging her tail, she trotted towards me. I smiled.
She was about to cross over when I heard a car coming. My smile faded, but it was too late. The car wheeled round into the street and screeched to a halt, the street echoing with the sound, along with a faint whimper. My heart was pounding in my ears as I called out fearfully, “Snap?”
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HIGHLY COMMENDED….
The following entrants are not winners this time, but all caught my eye for style, originality, feeling or drama! Well done.
Dominique taylor; Rubie T; Shannon Quinn; Gemma Geyer; Xiaman Wu; Hayley Anderton; Emily King; Laura Page; Irene Brockie; Emily Willsher; Becca Mason; Yasmin Hudson; Hannah Ackroyd; Ellie Lambley; Lauren Carthy; Imogen Beschi; Beatrice Atzl; Philippa Spottiswoode; Munira Al-Farsi; Laura Walsh; Maddie Henri-Joy; Julia Cox; Isobel Davies; Danielle Coluccio; Sarah McLaren; Lucy Smith; Sunita Singh-Hans; Abbie Dean; Aimee McDonald; Amy Ferguson; Vicky Wilkes; Morgan Byers; Victoria Taylor; Adele Fitzsimmons; Steph Furmiston; Humeira Akhter; Maria Mouncey-Reedy; Hannah Kirby; Clarissa Harris; Sophie Dash; Lauren Freeman; Sahjan Soomro; Emma Aldington; Izzy Taylor; Rosie Gresham; Maddz Divas; Rachel Dolan; Leah Cant Phillips; Cat Wright; Lauren McSweeny; Georgia Hearfield; Carole McKean; Kerry McFarlane; Meghanne Carroll; Kayley March; Georgia Carrington; Madeleine Lacey; Izzy Bowen; Blake Shipley; Amy Grobbelaar; Clare Starkey; Hannah Messham; Ashleigh Mitchell; Linzi McPadden; Jacqueline McAllister; Sarah Neilson; Jade McDonald; Francesca Edwards; Haleemah Hussain; Jane Hertz; Brook Stephens; Chloe Smith; Ruva; Ashlee McKeown; Mollie; Jemima Poffley; Tara Williams; Jenny Walker; Rochelle Sharpe; Rachel Van Wijk; Savannah Saad; Kirstie Tate; Charli Hawkins; Amy Follett; Mouki Kamouraoglou; Connie Fensome; Beth Rust; Natalia; Chloe Shaw; Gemma; Grace; Kirsty Reaich; Hannah Kane; Stephen; Kathryn Kelly; Aimee Carroll; Heidi; Victoria Kilpatrick; Paige Dalby; Julia Kennific; Maddy L; Rowen Lever; Talia; Charlotte Caves; Imogan; Katelyn G; Maddie Wanford; Megan Rigby; Heather Manson; Jessica Smithson; Laura; Jayne Rudd; Nadine Hay: Ella-May Thorne; Courtney Furzer; Emily Akinyemi; Benish Khushi; Hayley Anderton.
Well done all! Thanks too to all the other entrants who gave the comp their best efforts, there are too many of you to list here but I read and enjoyed every entry, I promise.
CCx
