Entering Short Story Writing Competitions
Hints, Tips & a Checklist on How to Enter a Creative Writing Contest
Apr 21, 2009
A short story is rather like a short novel of anything up to 5000 words in length. With such a narrow scope, every sentence becomes crucial. However, there are other things a writer must do in order to give their entry a good chance of getting through to the next round.
Writing a Short Story to Fit the Competition
This might seem obvious, but the entry must fit the competition and its rules. If a crime story of no more than 2000 words is requested, then the writer must ensure that this is what is sent off.
Submitting to a Writing Contest
First impressions stick. Things will not bode well for the writer if their entry looks shabby. A checklist for the following will ensure the judging panel will not disregard the entry before reading it.
Guidelines When Entering a Creative Writing Competition
- Use the appropriate-sized envelope. Do not squeeze the paper into anything smaller, for the resultant creases will spoil the reading experience. Use a stiffener and a plastic wallet to keep the pages dry and flat.
- Ensure there are no grease marks, fingerprints or smudges on the paper. Reprint if necessary.
- Ensure the correct fee is enclosed, if applicable.
- Attach the pages together with a paperclip, unless the entry form expresses otherwise.
- Unless otherwise stated, use Times New Roman, point twelve on A4 paper.
- Ensure the pages do not smell of cigarette smoke.
- Avoid gimmicks. The judges will not be impressed.
- Most importantly, enclose a short covering letter along with the writer’s contact details. An SAE for return of the story may also be enclosed.
How to Improve the Writing Style
The plot might be gripping and the characters engaging, but things like typos and incorrect homonyms can really spoil the reading experience for the judges. Check the following.
- Read the story for spelling mistakes and omitted words. Over-familiarization with a story can make these mistakes invisible.
- Check for homonyms, which are undetectable on spell check. Common ones are hear/here, where/were.
- If a sentence is more than forty words long, try to slice it into two.
- Shorten any paragraphs that are more than ten lines long.
Creative Writing Tips
- Too many adjectives and adverbs can make the writing sluggish. Glean out any that are unnecessary. Overused words like “lovely” are weak. Check the thesaurus for a more apt alternative.
- Check for hackneyed phrases, like, “when the chips are down.” Replace with an original way of expression, or leave out altogether.
- When describing something, consider all the senses, the smells, tastes, feelings, sounds. The reader will become more involved with the story.
Passive and Active Writing
Passive writing has the effect of making the reader feel uninvolved with a story. It is telling the reader, not showing. Indicators are the overuse of the words “was” and “were.” Here is an example of passive writing:
He was feeling rather sad. The sun was going down and the shadows were creeping across the wall.
This weak passage can be improved by replacing “were” and “was” with active verbs and substituting overused words with a more original alternative:
He swallowed a ball in his throat. The shadows skulked across the wall as the sun dipped below the horizon.
Competitions for Short Stories
Create a pleasant reading experience for the judges by taking care over presentation and avoiding typos. Small adjustments in the writing style will pull the reader along and ensure the judges of the competition gets to the end before putting the story down.
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