Thomas McPherson believes writing a great short story is like shopping for the perfect gift.
“You spend weeks thinking of good ideas but it maybe takes only an hour or so to get the job done,” he says.
It’s a theory that has served the Werribee resident well.
Last week, he was announced as the winner of the Banjo Patterson Writing Award, earning him $10,000 and a 150th anniversary Banjo Paterson commemorative coin from the Australian Mint.
Mr McPherson entered his short story, Cricket Woes, in the NSW Central West Libraries Competition, seeking feedback to improve his writing. He never imagined he’d win.
“I graduated from uni last year and wanted to be a writer, but I didn’t major in professional writing,” he said.
‘‘I thought I’d enter some writing competitions to get feedback about my work and improve my writing.
“I thought that starting with short stories would be a good way to get feedback because I wouldn’t have to spend a year on the writing process.”
Mr McPherson says he drew the inspiration for his short story from his own childhood.
“It’s about boys playing sport with men and realising it’s a man’s game,” he said.
“When I was 14, my dad asked me to fill in for his team and I really got into it.
“I played a couple of games and trained hard but got dropped for men who hadn’t been training.”
