About Eleanor Hayes

Writer & literary editor

Years reading for and judging writing competitions · essays, short fiction and craft writing · a particular love of literary parody

I'm Eleanor Hayes, the writer and editor behind this site. I've spent much of my working life close to writing competitions — reading for them, judging them, and occasionally entering them — and I started these pages to share what that taught me, plainly and without snobbery.

How I came to this

I trained as an editor and never quite left the world of manuscripts. Reading thousands of contest entries over the years gave me an unusual education: you learn very fast what makes a page sing and what makes it sink. I have a soft spot for parody in particular, because a good Bad Hemingway entry teaches more about prose than many a serious workshop.

What I do here

This is an independent resource, not a school or a service. My aim with every page is to be the clear, friendly guide I wish I'd had as a young writer: how the awards actually work, what judges reward, and how to sharpen your own craft — from studying a master's style to writing a tighter short story.

What I believe about writing

• Read closely. You cannot write well in a voice you haven't truly heard.
• Cut bravely. Most pages improve when a tenth of the words leave.
• Finish things. A finished, flawed piece teaches more than a perfect unfinished one.

If you have a correction or a question, I'm always glad to hear from fellow writers and readers — the conversation is half the point.