Lola shows she has the write stuff

“Please keep writing as we need more horror writers like you in the world.”

When a successful Irish author tells you this this then you know you must be doing something right.

This was the closing line of a letter by renowned Irish author Dave Rudden. The recipient was nine-year-old Lola McCormack who won the prestigious RTÉ Guide/Puffin Short Story Competition last week.

Her short story was chosen by Mr Rudden as the winner in an award ceremony held in the RTÉ studios.

Lola’s mother Donna McCormack said: “I did not realise this competition was such a big deal until we got up there. There were different categories with 2,200 people entering all together. It was fantastic for Lola to win.”

The Scoil Iognáid pupil’s entry was titled ‘The Examiner’. It told the tale of a girl who shows up for a piano exam only to be confronted by a ghost.

Mr Rudden wrote the successful series of young adult books ‘Knights of the Borrowed Dark’ and praised Lola’s entry into the competition.

The author said in his letter to Lola: “This story has the feel of a classic urban legend, something that people will be creeped out about for years to come.”

Lola received a hamper of books from Puffin while she also picked up a Kindle which allows her to download e-books, newspapers and magazines.

The third class pupil is a fan of author JK Rowling and her love of writing horror stories comes from reading Harry Potter books.

According to her mother, Lola has grown up with a passion for writing.

“She has always been interested in writing. She was writing songs growing up and short stories although this was the first time that something she did was judged.”

Lola’s success in the short story competition has provided her with greater belief in her own writing ability.

“This competition has given her greater confidence to write. Now she is looking for more competitions to enter.”

There were three age groups in the competition. Lola was placed in the 7-10 year-old category which required hand drawn illustrations to accompany the short story.

“Lola loves English and writing. She also enjoys art which helped her in this competition.”

She was encouraged to enter the competition by her teacher Ms O’Donnell and the school is delighted with her success.

“The teachers and principal have made a big fuss over her. The school are now talking about organising more creative activities for the students which is only a good thing.”

Would Lola like to pursue a career as a writer?

Her mother laughs: “Hopefully. She has plenty of time to make a decision. She could get a book deal and I could end up lying on the beach.”

This may not be the last you hear of Lola McCormack.