This issue The Quarry’s fiction section is a veritable smorgasbord of story-telling that we present to you here as a prime example of the work being achieved by Macquarie’s postgraduates. Differing from non-fiction in the necessity for character and from poetry in the extended descriptions; fiction writing is, however, no easier or harder than the other two writing format’s that feature in Issue 6.
But we are not here to discuss fiction in relation to poetry or non-fiction, but to discuss the incredible variety of submissions we received this year. From short story to novel chapter, from adult to young adult, from realism to fantasy, I think the submissions this year covered just about every possible combination in a unique and exciting way. It has been a massive pleasure for both myself and my fellow editors to work our way through the submissions. On numerous occasions I found myself deviating from my role as Editor and getting caught up in the stories unfolding before me.
I traversed the Briars on the Mornington Peninsula in Brave New World, immersed myself in the national forests of Arizona in Desert Rose, experienced a slice of 1960s China in Xenoglossia, lost myself in Ancient Greece in Golden Drachmas, and found myself transported to Buenos Aires in Winter Jam. There was no end to the weird and wonderful settings that opened up on the page; from the magic fantasy of Slipstream, to the magical realism of NiKKi, and the injections of science in Cold Current and Shattering. I felt the heartache of loss and grief in You and Me, The Tree,and Grace’s Room; delved into the intricacies of familial relationships in A Void Dance, What She Knew, and Five Loose Screws.
The sheer variety and creativity embodied in these works honestly amazed me, as I’m sure it will amaze you too. Traditionally in an editorial I would point you towards a common theme or two that linked all these works together, but any attempt to impose a true commonality on these pieces would do injustice to their diversity and the strength of the imaginations behind them.