Toby Norways’ 2000-word story The Second Coming, which tells the story of a south London barmaid whose hidden past is unearthed by a spiritual visitor, is one of 20 pieces shortlisted for the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award 2014.

Having already fended off competition from South Africa, Australia and the USA, Toby will find out if he has been crowned overall winner upon publication of December’s anthology.

Toby is an award-winning writer of both script and prose. His films have played in London’s West End and around the world, from Hollywood to Iraq.

He hopes his success with The Second Coming, which entailed substantially revising and modernising a story he wrote years ago, will lead to the publication of a collection of work.

“As a writing lecturer, I firmly believe in the old adage: ‘write about what you know’,” said Toby. “However, a writer must be prepared to rewrite repeatedly. They must do extensive research into the world they’re writing about.

“I’ve written a series of stories about street life in south London. I hope that success in the Aesthetica competition will help find a publisher for the collection as a whole.”

The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award provides writers and poets with the platform to showcase their work to an international audience. Previous entrants have gone on to achieve worldwide success and recognition.

Aesthetica Magazine is a leading international art and culture magazine founded in 2002, exploring contemporary art, design, photography, film, music and performance.