Niamh Carey-Furness

Born and raised in London, I've been writing since I was a child. When I was 12 years old and my favourite teacher asked what I was planning to do over the summer holidays, I told her: 'Write a novel!' Although I didn't write a novel that summer, the desire to write has stayed with me. Lockdown was a naturally difficult time but my silver lining was time to devote to writing. Currently, I am finishing a MSc in Film Studies at the University of Edinburgh so I don't have as much time to write as I would wish but the desire never goes away. At university I'm the co-founder and chief editor of a student-run film magazine called The Film Dispatch so while I continue to write, my most recent work is more film criticism than creative work. My philosophy is that you create what you consume. My favourite genres are fantasy, sci-fi and dark academia so I turn to the genres for inspiration when writing creatively.

See profile
Award Category
Young Writer Award 2023
The Chaos
My Submission

Comments

Melissa Hope Tue, 27/06/2023 - 06:57

Great work! The characters are intriguing, especially the woman. I love the mystery of her searching for someone in a nightgown who was bitten, and I'm intrigued to see how her and the man's love story would play out. Good pacing.

Maya Grimley Mon, 24/07/2023 - 05:54

Your submission has an intriguing start and well-thought-out characters. From their conversations to their inner thoughts, the characters felt real, which I enjoyed. Your writing style is excellent, providing enough detail without the wording feeling too over-saturated. Good job!

Kenny MacKay Sun, 30/07/2023 - 01:22

The story has an intriguing premise. It hooks the reader with the mystery of the protagonist's mission and the dystopian world they are navigating. The characters are well-developed, especially the protagonist, whose emotions and struggles are effectively conveyed. Nice work.

Jordan Kantey Sun, 06/08/2023 - 19:53

The voice in the second POV was perhaps a little stronger and more engaging than the first, with the references to the hardship of winter as well as actions and desires having a fuller sense of throughline beyond basic needs such as hunger (wanting to leave, the narrator considering suicide). This made the second POV read more vivid and with more grit, as the absurd of the nightgown slightly eclipsed characterization perhaps in the first part.

There was great suspense in, for example, 'He heard a noise in the woods. He stood up, raising the rifle uncertainly. A shape was coming through the dusk. It was big and fast and unfamiliar. His finger had squeezed the trigger before his brain registered what was happening.'

Great leanness to the dialogue, such as the simplicity of the question 'Are you bit?'