5 Tips to Help You Win a Writing Contest

 

jake-ingle-w_78KOJiih4-unsplash-alt
Photo credit: jake-ingle-w_78KOJiih4-unsplash

A big welcome to Desiree Villena for this amazing guest post!


5 Tips to Help You Win a Writing Contest

For the past year, I’ve had the pleasure of judging a weekly writing contest. This involves reading dozens of short stories all written to themed prompts, culling the good from the bad, and agonizing over which of my favorites is truly the best.

Some days I’m overwhelmed with quality submissions — which is honestly the best kind of torture. I could easily see a number of our participants going on to publish their own books. But while we’re blessed to get so many amazing stories every week, I’ve also seen plenty that is, well… less than stellar.

Today, I’m going to take you behind the curtain and show the kinds of things I watch for while judging. To be sure, while there’s no “one weird trick” to guarantee you’ve penned a winning story in either my contest or any other. However, these tips will at least make your story a much more solid and compelling entry — no matter where you’re submitting.

Tip #1: Keep your copy clean

Nothing will drag me out of a story faster than dumb mistakes.

By this, I don’t mean you’re not allowed a single typo — though you should be sure to edit your story as best as you can before submitting. But when I open a story and immediately see a wall of text with no paragraph breaks, misplaced quotation marks, and half the sentences beginning with lowercase letters, I know I’m not dealing with a professional writer.

Tip #2: Punch up your dialogue

I judge short fiction, so every sentence has to count. This goes double for dialogue. There’s not much time for me to get to know a character, and the worst sin you can commit is writing conversations just to fill space.

It’s true that real people rarely talk in deeply revealing, meaningful exchanges or pithy quips that tell the reader everything about the speaker. If we’re honest, we often don’t speak in complete sentences, at least not around the people to whom we’re close. But, fair or not, characters get held to a higher standard — each line they speak should not only carry the story forward, but also provide insight into who they are.

Tip #3: Understand your form

This may seem self-evident, but if you’re submitting to a short story contest, be sure that you’ve written a short story — not the opening chapter of a novel, and not a summary of a larger work!

Different formats can be tricky to understand, especially if you’re not used to writing in them. But it’s important to wrap your head around the fact that a short story is fundamentally different from a novel: not just in pacing, but in structure, tone, and where the crux of the story lies.

Similarly, poems, flash fiction, and novellas all have their own rules. Be conscious of what you’re writing — and what you’re not writing — when you submit to a contest.

Tip #4: Know the rules

Much like writing clean copy, this is another “quality signal” that judges watch for, whether they realize it or not.

I don’t mean to say there’s no room for creativity — quite the contrary, as we’ll get to in my next tip! But there’s a difference between purposefully breaking convention for artistic reasons and just… not understanding the basic rules of storytelling and grammar.

Before you submit to a contest, make sure your story follows these basics: use strong verbs, show don’t tell, and avoid “purple prose,” among others. Not sure if your work is up to snuff? Before you submit, you could always run it by a professional editor.

Tip #5: But don’t be afraid to experiment!

The best short stories I’ve read in our contest — the stories I still think about months later — are the ones that surprise me. Whether that’s a perfectly spun second-person narrative about the fear women face when confronted by strange men, or a love story about a pill bug, I love to read something I’ve never seen before.

Taking this approach does run the risk that your experimental prose will rub people the wrong way. Still, I don’t think I’ve ever voted for a winner who played it safe. So long as you know what you’re doing, feel free to let your imagination run wild and your prose spool out in thrilling new directions.

So go ahead — take that big swing. And good luck!

 

Desiree Villena is a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace that connects self-publishing authors with the world's best editors, designers, and marketers. In her spare time, Desiree enjoys reading fiction, writing short stories, and giving (mostly) solicited advice to her fellow writers.

26 comments:

  1. Thank you so much, Desiree! So well-explained and practical.

    ~Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Debbie! Hope to see your readers around the Reedsy short story contest soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. this is the best website for you to read your favorite Novels In Tamil. hey will be very convenient for people to watch the latest Novels and they are very popular all over the world.

    Tamil Novels Free Download

    Tamil Novels PDF

    ReplyDelete
  4. To choose best law firm names check this - https://tiktoktip.com/best-law-firm-names/

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for this kind of information. It was really helpful. Also going to this with my friends.
    Also chheck mmy bllog:
    PDFMaze
    unseenkashmir

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for this kind of information
    PDFMaze. It was really helpful. Also going to this with my friends.
    Also chheck mmy bllog:

    unseenkashmir

    ReplyDelete
  7. I located one reliable example of this fact through this blog website. I am mosting likely to use such information now.
    Best Writing Software

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am really surprised by the quality of your constant posts.You really are a genius, I feel blessed to be a regular reader of such a blog Thanks so much..I’m really enjoying the design and layout of your site. It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme? Excellent work! Plz visite Mobile price in bangladesh

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is the most impressive article, thanks for sharing this information with us. Awesome work, I appreciate your work.
    new flats for sale in chennai Great story….Keep on sharing… Thanks

    ReplyDelete

  10. Thank you so much
    Try Our advanced travel search engine finds prices from all the major travel providers, and even smaller ones to find you the best price. Simply enter your destination and travel dates, and we’ll provide you with a list of prices and offers and you can choose the one you prefer.
    Best Flight Booking And Hotel Booking
    Best cheap hotels in Paris

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you so much. And check Our Small Business Loans solution to get your business approved more faster.
    Small Business Loans
    Hard Money Lenders

    ReplyDelete
  12. A collection of the best free and paid Crochet and Knitting patterns that are perfect for any level of crafter, from beginner to advanced.

    ReplyDelete
  13. From kitchens and bathrooms to bedrooms and basements, find the best Home Improvement ideas to increase the value of your home.

    ReplyDelete
  14. If you're looking for a creative outlet, try your hand at Knitting or Crocheting! These crafts are not only enjoyable, but can also be therapeutic. In this blog, we'll explore different patterns, techniques, and tips for both knitting and crocheting.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Advocate is a blog about social justice and equality. We write about the latest news, events, and topics related to social justice and equality.

    ReplyDelete
  16. If you are looking to hire a Marketing Agency to help take your business to the next level, check out this blog post to learn how to work successfully with an agency.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hey Thanks for the article.
    You can easily download Reminders of Him PDF by Colleen Hooper FREE in just one click!
    Reminders of Him PDF

    ReplyDelete
  18. I read your artical . It is very informative and outstanding.
    writingwhilethericeboils.blogspot.com/2011/10/ writing contest

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails