About

Welcome to Quarantine Writing 1605!

This is a weekly Creative Writing Competition that wants to provide an alternative form of entertainment for self-isolators. All submissions will be available to read, and the winner will have £50 sent to a charity of their choice.

Entry Criteria:

• Write on any topic of your choice
  • Continuous Writing (Max. 1,500 words)
  • Poetry (Max. 100 lines)

In 1605, during a plague-inspired quarantine, William Shakespeare is said to have drafted and written some of the finest works in the English language (King Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra). It would seem that now, under the outbreak of Covid-19, we have been thrust into similar conditions.

The aim of Quarantine Writing 1605 is to get people to try something different in isolation. Creative writing is available to anyone, and provides a source of entertainment that can be done inside. The challenge of expressing the manner in which you feel or think in new and exciting ways can be a highly satisfying process, and can take you to the limits of your capacities. I hold the belief that everyone has an interesting view of the world (irregardless of age or circumstance); it is the way in which you formulate your opinions that allows others to grasp your complexities, and make you feel less alone.

I am fully aware that people may hold the position that creative writing is ‘not their thing’. The truth of the matter is that everyone has felt this way at some point in their life. But as the old saying goes: “The one who thinks they can and the one who thinks they can’t, are both correct”.

It should be understood that Coronavirus is to be taken seriously. For months, the public (myself included) have not accounted for the magnitude of the outbreak. It is our duty as a member of the community to take precautions and the advisory steps in the following months. This includes reading/watching the News for the latest updates, and checking up on family and relatives without physical contact. Humans are social creatures, and therefore the advice to socially distance from others tends to be resisted. This is natural and the difficulty in keeping yourself entertained, whilst in isolation, will inevitably be frustrating. But it is our most vulnerable that will be affected by ill-judgement and the failure to comply with precautionary measures.

If anyone is unsure around these measures:
– https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
– https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Everyone has a story. Why not start telling it?

Contact:

email: quarantinewriting@gmail.com