Epistolary Short Story Competition - Winner

Haydn Cavanagh

Winner
Title
Dadsdeadtemporary – WhatsAppGroup
Competition
Epistolary Short Story Competition

Biography

Haydn lives in Yorkshire and is a compulsive writer; he loves making stuff up and creating something from nothing. His preferred genre is situational comedy, where he likes to experiment with characters and dialogue. Haydn is delighted with this prize, particularly as last week he received his first rejection for his first novel.

Dadsdeadtemporary – WhatsAppGroup By Haydn Cavanagh

Judges Comments

There couldn't be a more contemporary format for an epistolary story to take than a WhatsApp group chat. Haydn Cavanagh deploys it to humorous effect in his contemporary virtual comedy of errors, Dadsdeadtemporary – WhatsApp Group, the winner in WM's competition for epistolary short stories.

Packed with emojis, common text message typos and misspellings, Dad'sdeadtemporary takes a blackly comic approach to the planning of a family funeral that quickly descends into farce. It's neatly, deftly done, playing on the trope of adult children dealing with a less tech-savvy parent, as well as the snowballing revelations of family secrets being uncovered. The epistolary format of the group chat means that both information and funny moments come thick and fast, all building up to create a situation leading to the final reveal.

Although it is farce written with a very light touch, from the title onwards it involves black humour. As with a lot of comedy, it may not be to everyone's taste. But it is witty, contemporary, original, and surefooted, taking a well-worn comedy staple – the revelation of unwelcome family secrets – and giving it a fresh, contemporary frame, updating it with 2021 tech to great comic effect.

 

Shortlisted
Runner-up in the Epistolary Short Story Competition was Dominic Bell, Hull. Also shortlisted were: Liz Andersen, Little Clacton, Essex; Terry Baldock, Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire; Jess Amy Dixon, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire; Richard Fox, Winnersh, Berkshire;  Mercedes Moraza, Gravesend, Kent; Jo Perring, Bovey Tracey, Devon; Diane M Smith, Ewhurst, Surrey; Robert Stratton, Washingborough, Lincolnshire; Jacqueline Sutherland, Guildford, Surrey; Julie Williams, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.