Attending The Twisted50 Awards For The First Time by Dylan Spicer

Entering the Twisted50 awards brought a series of exciting firsts. This was the first time I had submitted a piece of work to the Twisted website to receive feedback from the community. It was the first time I have had a story selected for publication in a physical book. And best of all it was the first time I attended a writing award ceremony in person.

The ceremony took place on a chilly yet clear night in the centre of London. The area around Soho was vibrant and brimming with energy, a perfect backdrop to celebrate writing and creativity. The horror short story is my favourite medium and genre in art, so to enter a venue celebrating both was so fantastic.

Winning the Best Cosmic Horror award was a complete surprise, and taught me a valuable lesson- always have something ready to say. It was so nice to receive this recognition for a story that meant a great deal to me, especially as cosmic horror is a style of writing I have loved for years. 

But the real highlight of the night was the chance to connect with the other writers at the event. On the train ride down to London, I had reread all the stories shortlisted for the awards and was once again blown away by the quality of writing. Moving from the digital space of a Kindle app to meeting the authors in person added real depth and meaning to the stories. 

One of the most memorable moments of the evening was speaking with another writer who had critiqued my story, which reinforced the value of feedback and collaboration that Twisted50 offers. While creative writing is often seen as a solitary pursuit, the awards show there is a world of authors to connect with. To share our experiences writing our stories was invaluable, and shows you are never truly alone in the writing community. 

Overall, attending the Twisted50 awards was an incredible experience. If you ever get the chance to attend in the future, I highly recommend it. The event provides not only the opportunity to celebrate your work but also a platform to kick-start your writing career. Most importantly, it offers a chance to break out of the digital realm and make the transition into a physical space with your work.  Here’s hoping for even more opportunities to connect with others in the future.