My first meeting. An established group of writers. The summer writing competition, June 2015. I'd received the instructions, sent to me by Mike (Chair of Northants Writers' Ink), but had no idea what sort of piece would suit. I was nervous, desperately wanting to make a good impression. I'd already written two novels but realised I had no idea how to write a short story. Determined to put up a decent show I edited down a story taken from my second novel - The Walk-In. That evening I won third prize. I was ecstatic. I also found out something important - how vital it is for a writer to have lots of feedback from many different sources. I commend these writing challenges to you. I've included comments about how I approached each one or what inspired me. I hope these stories will make you think about whether I've been successful and what you might have written in my place. Enjoy