Literary Contest: Odesa's Julia Butenko Competes for the Prize
Julia Butenko from Odesa is one of eight Ukrainian authors competing in the LITUSA contest on Instagram, vying for the chance to complete her novel online within a year. The winner will receive the opportunity to publish their work.
The organizers are sharing updates about the show on their Instagram page.
The lawyer from Odesa is working on a story about family, which serves as a significant challenge. It’s "a tale of Astrid, who escaped from herself and returned to her native Odesa," states the competition's press release.
Other contestants include writers Iryna Yashchuk, Myroslava Kuntner, Marina Mozhova, Maryana Ravlo, Anna Bondarenko, Kateryna Naumka, and Iryna Pakosh. They write across various genres, from historical novels to detective stories and non-fiction.
The authors create their texts in real-time, participating in weekly open coworking sessions that anyone can join. Each week, the participants of LITUSA report on the amount they have written.
Readers become part of the experience: they vote, comment, choose names for the main characters, and support or critique their favorite authors.
The project page highlights all creative stages: inspiration, procrastination, battling the inner critic, writer’s block, unexpected insights at two in the morning, and intriguing moments, as the organizers share about the online essence of the competition.
