Virden teacher has short story published
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/12/2018 (2659 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A Virden teacher is now a published author, after his entry was chosen in a short story contest this summer.
Darrell Corbel, a Grade 7 teacher at Virden Junior High had his short story published in the book called “The Way Through” this month. There were 630 applicants to the Polar Expressions Publishing contest, and 200 were chosen.
“I was excited (to have it published), it’s kind of neat,” Corbel said.
His story is a mix between supernatural and horror, and centres around a demonic entity.
He wasn’t expecting it to go anywhere, he said, but when he saw the short story contest advertised at the Brandon Public Library in the summer, he decided to take a shot.
“I just submitted it on a whim, more for the experience then anything,” he said. “Then all of a sudden a few months later, I get a letter saying it’s going to be published in December. It’s kind of cool.”
The idea came from a book he had been working on before, but got erased from his computer, he said.
“I kind of drew from that what I had done previously and came up with something and whittled it down,” he said. “I was mowing around the idea for the story in my head, and I thought, ‘I’m going to see what I can write.’”
Eventually, the 750-word piece that he wrote may be something he’ll expand on, he said. He’d like to delve more into writing.
“I’ve written poems and I’m a musician, so I’ve written songs, but I really would like to get something more concrete in terms of short stories or novels and kind of pursue that a little more,” he said.
There’s a youth category to the contest, and next year when it’s held, he plans on having his Grade 7 class submit short stories, too.
“I’ll submit it for them in the summer and see what happens next year, they could be published too,” he said. “Because there is a youth category for both poetry and short stories, why not use this in the classroom and let these guys try it out and see what happens.”
It’s a straightforward process to enter, he said.
“It doesn’t cost anything, you just type it out, you submit it, you meet the criteria, you just follow the rules then you send it in and get the ball rolling,” he said.
And, with one story already under his belt, he also may submit an entry next year with a different short story.
“This kind of gives me a bit of an incentive to maybe get more stuff published and enter the contest again,” he said. I’ll start small and see where it goes from there.”
» mverge@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @Melverge5