As the new Pulp Idol writing competition begins in the latest issue of SFX, we take time to consider last year's winner: reader Colin Harvey.

After seeing his story, The Stinker, in print, and enjoying a slap-up meal in London with SFX and Gollancz, he has gone on to great things, including penning a Doctor Who story for Big Finish.

"A lovely chap called Joe Lidster at Big Finish saw The Stinker and got my details via SFX," Colin explains. "He was impressed enough to commission me to write a Doctor Who short story for a forthcoming anthology entitled 'Short Trips: Snapshots'. I'm a huge Doctor Who fan so this is a real thrill for me."

It seems Pulp Idol really helped motivate him, and he's keen to pass on some of that enthusiasm to people checking out this year's compo. "The experience was a terrific one, but also slightly scary: anyone entering it should realise that they're putting their head above the parapet, and that if they get published invariably some people will like the story, and some people won't!"

Looking at the runners-up last year, Colin thinks they were fantastically diverse in terms of theme and writing style, and expresses admiration about how good they were.

"Personally, I'm hugely proud of my short story," he continues. "2000 words is a real test of your ability to create convincing characters and move a story along quickly. If you win or you're a runner-up you're going to get read by a lot of people out there which is actually the best bit of the prize."

Although not an official part of his winnings, Colin also got to meet people from SFX and Gollancz: "The Gollancz people were terrific at giving me insights into the industry: for instance, that very few authors manage to survive exclusively on writing for a living, and that many augment their income with other jobs. I was also advised to write what I want, rather than trying to see what's going on in the market, which is what I've done with The Evolutionaries, my novel."

A novel, eh? Is that a different challenge altogether? "I guess the difference is obvious and it's to do with scale: just keeping tabs on all the various elements in a novel is a tremendous task and every bit as gruelling as I imagined it would be. But I'm also enjoying it hugely."

If you're thinking of entering this year, Colin has this advice for you: "There are obvious things, such as getting the spelling, grammar and punctuation correct, which I know drives the Gollancz people understandably mad. My advice is to keep it small, and to not try to squeeze too much plot in. Also, remember that you're writing prose, and that there are things you can do with prose that you can't do in television or film. I think things like exposition - in other words how you convey character or plot - work very differently in a short story, compared with those other dramatic media. Also remember the guidelines: you're writing for a mainstream news-stand audience, not for your mates!"

We asked him for his hopes about what we might see entered in the competition in 2007: "Last year, I thought it was interesting that there wasn't much of what you'd call 'hard SF', of the kind you used to get in those pulp magazines from the '50s and '60s, so I'd love to see someone attempt that. And I have a penchant for gothic horror, so that'd be great to see."

Find out more about the SF, fantasy and horror writing competition we're running on the site here, or in issue 154 of SFX. You can join other hopefuls on our forum (link here) to discuss the ups and downs of entering.