Wanna Know A Secret?

You could win the next WAWA competition.

It's on the theme of 'secrets.'

Secrets mean many things to many people but one thing is certain, they are bloody hard to keep and always have intriguing consequences.

Benjamin Franklin summed it up best when he said, ‘Three people may keep a secret, but only if two of them are dead.” 

Put another way,  ‘A secret remains a secret until you make someone promise never to reveal it.’ 

Even Buddha got in on the act on secrets, saying, “Three things cannot long stay hidden: the sun, the moon and secrets.”

Depending on their nature, secrets can be helpful or destructive. Either way, people love secrets in story-telling. They love them because they love the pleasure of uncovering them. Or of knowing them when some characters in a book don’t and then wondering how those some characters will react when they find out as the story unfolds.

In terms of writing style, secrets in literature, whether a hidden past, a love affair, or a long-buried family issue, are powerful narrative tools, creating intrigue, driving plot, and enhancing character development. Weaving them into the fabric of characters grants insights into their identities and motivations, their fears, their loves, their hopes, adding layers of complexity. The anticipation of a secret's revelation, the consequences of its discovery, and the ways characters react to it all help strengthen story plots. 

As for rising suspense, that comes from characters being caught out with their secrets (or not) and what the consequences of that may be. 

So, with secrets as the theme of our new WAWA competition, we invite you to enter. 

Stories should be no more than 500 words and the word ‘secrets’ (or 'secret') cannot be used in your story title or in the story itself.

Winners in each category will receive 500 euro in cash, or 1,000 euro off any of our writing retreats in 2025 or 2026. 

Deadline for submissions: Tuesday, September 30, 2025.  

We encourage you to read carefully the rules of the competition as we have noticed from past competitions that some writers enter their stories in the wrong category.

We look forward to receiving your stories. 

And don't forget to read about our upcoming writing retreat next month in what is probably the most beautiful part of Ireland, Donegal, on the Wild Altantic Way. Here, hands-on workshops will be hosted by authors from two different countries on both flash fiction and creative nonfiction, including memoirs. All coupled with cultural tours, food tastings and exclusive live music and dance performances.

We will publish the winning and finalist stories from the previous competition on the theme of 'endings' in the weeks to come, so to see these and other updates, make sure you become a Friend of the retreat (it's free).

ENTER NEW WAWA COMPETITION ON THE THEME OF 'SECRETS'