First Impressions for Short Story Competition
by Hugh Wilson
As a reader, what is the first thing you look at in a short story? The title. Does it appeal to you? Does it arouse your curiosity enough to want to read the opening lines? If the title doesn’t grab you, you’ll look for something more interesting.
Short story contest judges are readers, too. The title is the first indication of your skill and creativity so choose one that will attract the judges – one that will make them want to read it again. The title is important in a short story competition. Here are some pointers:
• Make it Short and Fitting
Make it easy to remember, not more than four or five words. It should give the reader a clue about the tone and mood. For instance, it’s obvious that Dial M for Murder is going to be something creepy involving murder and a telephone, and Lady Chatterley’s Lover revolves around another man.
• Not too revealing
But a short story title shouldn’t give away too much, especially the ending. For example, Crime Doesn’t Pay tells the reader that the bad guy gets his comeuppance in the end, so why bother to read the story?
• Re-cycle existing phrases
Well known literary works can provide memorable titles. Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, and Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises stem from the Bible.
British author H.E. Bates’, The Darling Buds of May, (a line from a Shakespeare sonnet), evokes inviting images of life in the countryside.
Another method is to twist well-known phrases or sayings such as Live and Let Die, and You Only Live Twice.
• Just names
Some short story titles use names of people or places, so let’s make up a couple. Deborah’s Secret would surely make you rub your hands in anticipation, while Florida Frolics might suggest a lighthearted tale of fun and games on vacation in the Everglades.
• Let the Short Story Name Itself
A short story can name itself by extracting dialogue, a memorable line, or a couple of words that capture the mood. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins are such titles.
• Research Your Title for Short Story Competition
There is no copyright on titles, but it’s worth a quick search to make sure yours is not identical to a well-known story or one that has recently won a short story contest. If it is, change it slightly.
These are just a few ideas to get your mind thinking of different ways to dream up a short story title.
Study the titles that have won recent contests and, of course, read the stories to see what made them stand out from the rest. You might be the next short story contest winner.
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More great writing tips and short story contest rules at http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com. Ends October 20, 2011. Hurry! First place wins a $$$ price (or) FREE writing course.
Showing posts with label Story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Story. Show all posts
Friday, October 7, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
HOW TO PAINT A STORY
STORY PAINTING by guest blogger Sandra Tooley
Painting a story is a lot like painting a picture. My sister is an artist. When she paints a picture of Santa Claus, you can almost smell the smoke coming from his pipe. I happened to be there when she was painting flowerpots for a Christmas bizarre. As I watched, I realized her process wasn’t much different from the one I use to write a book. You can use the same process to write a story.
Step One: Sketching the Story
First, the basics. She painted the terra cotta pot with an undercoat of white. She sketched a scene of a brick house, Christmas tree, a clothesline with Santa’s long underwear hanging from it, a birdhouse, shrubbery, and a deer.
When I start writing, I sketch my basic plot. I usually know the beginning, the end, and several action points I’ll include. Then I let the characters write the story going from Point A to B and C. It’s only a sketch so I write whatever comes to mind without agonizing over whether a scene is working.
Step Two: Add Details to the Story
When Sis completes her sketch, she erases and makes changes, such as adding ornaments to the tree, another plant, and the face of an elf in the window.
When I finish my initial draft, I read through to see what details are added, discover what doesn’t move the story along and what can be deleted. Sometimes I eliminate unnecessary characters or even whole chapters that aren’t essential to the plot.
Step Three: Add Color to Your Story
When Sis is ready to paint, she adds color to her characters and scenery.
When I write, I don’t take time to research. Instead, I type two question marks ?? where I need information. Then I print out all the pages with ?? on them and start picking expert’s brains: my brother, the lawyer; my friend, the nurse; my friend’s husband, the cop. I use a Forensics for Dummies book and of course, the Internet.
Step Four: Add More Story Color
My sister constantly does touches up on her art. She has a way with shading colors that makes everything look real. Santa’s long johns actually look worn, the trees and plants seem to grow in front of your eyes, and the snow looks real enough to cause a shiver.
This is the point where I make sure my characters have a distinct voice, that I have engaged at least two senses on each page, that my setting gives the readers a sense of place, and that the crime and solution are logical.
Step Five: The Critical Eye of Story Telling
This is when Sis turns on the critical eye. She knows the sections that are complete and which ones need more work.
Writers can’t see their own mistakes as clearly as artists can so this is where I pass my manuscript off to the editor or one of my friends. They’re great at catching mistakes that I miss because I’ve been looking at the words for months on end and don’t realize my character had brown eyes in chapter two and blue eyes in chapter twenty. Once I get my friends’ feedback and my editor’s comments, it’s time to make the final changes. Voila! I’m done.
You can comment without signing in. Please do. For more great writing tips, get our newsletter at http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com.
* Sandra Tooley’s Sam Casey Series combines mystery with paranormal (think Medium with a Native American twist). Her Chase Dagger Series combines mystery with fantasy. Dagger takes on cases that are more like X-Files and his assistant is a Shape Shifter (Critics call it MacGyver meets Dark Angel). You can find Sandra’s books in print, audio, and ebook formats. Check out her website at www.sdtooley.com. Her email is sdtooley@sbcglobal.net.
Painting a story is a lot like painting a picture. My sister is an artist. When she paints a picture of Santa Claus, you can almost smell the smoke coming from his pipe. I happened to be there when she was painting flowerpots for a Christmas bizarre. As I watched, I realized her process wasn’t much different from the one I use to write a book. You can use the same process to write a story.
Step One: Sketching the Story
First, the basics. She painted the terra cotta pot with an undercoat of white. She sketched a scene of a brick house, Christmas tree, a clothesline with Santa’s long underwear hanging from it, a birdhouse, shrubbery, and a deer.
When I start writing, I sketch my basic plot. I usually know the beginning, the end, and several action points I’ll include. Then I let the characters write the story going from Point A to B and C. It’s only a sketch so I write whatever comes to mind without agonizing over whether a scene is working.
Step Two: Add Details to the Story
When Sis completes her sketch, she erases and makes changes, such as adding ornaments to the tree, another plant, and the face of an elf in the window.
When I finish my initial draft, I read through to see what details are added, discover what doesn’t move the story along and what can be deleted. Sometimes I eliminate unnecessary characters or even whole chapters that aren’t essential to the plot.
Step Three: Add Color to Your Story
When Sis is ready to paint, she adds color to her characters and scenery.
When I write, I don’t take time to research. Instead, I type two question marks ?? where I need information. Then I print out all the pages with ?? on them and start picking expert’s brains: my brother, the lawyer; my friend, the nurse; my friend’s husband, the cop. I use a Forensics for Dummies book and of course, the Internet.
Step Four: Add More Story Color
My sister constantly does touches up on her art. She has a way with shading colors that makes everything look real. Santa’s long johns actually look worn, the trees and plants seem to grow in front of your eyes, and the snow looks real enough to cause a shiver.
This is the point where I make sure my characters have a distinct voice, that I have engaged at least two senses on each page, that my setting gives the readers a sense of place, and that the crime and solution are logical.
Step Five: The Critical Eye of Story Telling
This is when Sis turns on the critical eye. She knows the sections that are complete and which ones need more work.
Writers can’t see their own mistakes as clearly as artists can so this is where I pass my manuscript off to the editor or one of my friends. They’re great at catching mistakes that I miss because I’ve been looking at the words for months on end and don’t realize my character had brown eyes in chapter two and blue eyes in chapter twenty. Once I get my friends’ feedback and my editor’s comments, it’s time to make the final changes. Voila! I’m done.
You can comment without signing in. Please do. For more great writing tips, get our newsletter at http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com.
* Sandra Tooley’s Sam Casey Series combines mystery with paranormal (think Medium with a Native American twist). Her Chase Dagger Series combines mystery with fantasy. Dagger takes on cases that are more like X-Files and his assistant is a Shape Shifter (Critics call it MacGyver meets Dark Angel). You can find Sandra’s books in print, audio, and ebook formats. Check out her website at www.sdtooley.com. Her email is sdtooley@sbcglobal.net.
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