It was an opportunity of a lifetime to win the first prize in the National Short Story Writing Competition. My
teachers have been telling me how impressive my writing was. Furthermore, I had professional help. That is,
Uncle Lim, an old gentleman living near my block, who is a published writer. He agreed to read my story
and give me some pointers on how to write like a professional. Thus, I was encouraged to enter the
competition.
Since the closing date was a good three months away, I could wait for a while. I was advised by Uncle Lim
that only amateur writers waited for inspiration; professionals wrote whether they were inspired or not. As
an amateur, I waited.
Inspiration finally came 2 weeks before the closing date. I wrote furiously and finished the essay in 2 days. I
decided to show the finished work to Uncle Lim, feeling very satisfied the essay. However, Uncle Lim did not
feel the same way, instead he said ""Rubbish!"" and threw my story into the bin. Then he proceeded to give
me a while list of suggestions to improve my idea. I sat down to write again following Uncle Lim's
instructions carefully. I finally finished the essay 1 week before the closing date, which was the following
Saturday.
On the morning that I intended to submit the story, I discovered that the entry had to be typed out in 6
copies. I rushed to my computer and frantically typed out my essay. By the time I finished printing out the
copies it was 11:00am. I had 2 hours to make the deadline! I hastened to the photocopy shop to get my
entries bound. To my horror, I discovered that the shop only opened at 12 noon. A cold feeling gripped my
heart.
By the time I had my entries bound, it was 12:05. I was extremely worried. I dashed to the Simei MRT
station, which was just around the corner. Looking at my watch, I realized that there was no way that I could
get to the Ministry of Information & Arts, at Alexandra Road - the other end of Singapore. I became
desperate and flagged a taxi.
While on the way, the taxi was caught up in several traffic jams. This sent chills up my spine. Fortunately, my
taxi driver was very experienced and got to the expressway effectively, to my relief. I arrived at the building
and zoomed out from the taxi without collecting my change. I had 2 minutes left.
I ran for the telephone and called the ministry office. A sweet female voice answered. I explained that I was
downstairs and begged her to wait just a few seconds as I was on the way. She agreed. I bolted into the lift
and arrived on the 19th floor. Panting for breath I deposited my entry on the counter. The sweet lady smiled
at me ."I hope you win." she said. I gave her a large grin and hurried away.