A WRITING competition launched last week is already attracting plenty of interest from authors.

The Short Story Competition is organised by Inscribe Media Limited, of Darlington, backed by The Northern Echo, telecommunications company Orange and Darlington Arts Centre.

Aimed at writers aged 17 or over, the free competition is open to anyone in Britain and the closing date is March 31.

Since the launch, there has been a steady stream of requests for entry details from writers from across the North-East and North Yorkshire, as well as elsewhere in the UK, and the first entries have already been received.

The theme for the national competition is communication and the maximum length of stories is 3,000 words. First prize is £300.

Full details of rules and conditions are available on The Northern Echo website at www.theshortstory.co.uk or by sending a stamped addressed envelope to John Dean, care of The Northern Echo Newsdesk, PO Box 14, Darlington, County Durham DL1 1NF.

Leaflets will also be available at selected arts venues across the region.

Regular updates will be published in The Northern Echo and on its website.

Competition organiser John Dean said: "We knew there were plenty of talented writers seeking outlets for their work, and the response to the competition in just a few days has been excellent."

www.theshortstory.co.uk

For useful tips on writing:

www.orangelabyrinth.co.uk