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Tips for Short story contest participants

When entering short story contests you must be aware that you will be up against all types of writers, both experienced and beginners. Some will be regular competition writers who, over time, have learnt the requirements and strategies of entering writing competitions, but don't worry because you can learn them too.

So what do you need to know? Firstly make sure you have read the competition rules properly. Keep exactly to what they are asking for. If they are asking for a story of 1,000 to 1,500 words, then don't offer them a story of 900 or 1700 words. If they are asking for a certain theme for your story, such as: A story with a nautical theme', then make sure that's what you offer them.

Allow yourself plenty of time to write your story. Don't attempt to write a story for a competition with a deadline in a few days time. You'll submit a story that's rushed and unpolished with little chance of winning. Allow yourself plenty of time to be able to write and edit your work. Polishing it up to competition standards is half the battle.

So you have an idea. Now you must think about that idea, ask yourself questions about it to make sure it can realistically be made into a short story. Is it the type of story you would like to read? Will it keep the reader interested? Will they sympathise with your main character? Will the plot keep their attention? Does it have unexpected twists to excite the reader and keep his/her attention?

How many characters are you going to have in your story? In a short story you don't want too many. In a novel you can get away with more, but in a short story you need to keep characters to a minimum, especially if the word count of the story is less than 1500 words.

Once you have written your story, put it away for a few days. Give yourself a break from it. During this time you can start on a new project. After a few days, get your story out again and read it through. This way it will be fresh and you'll be able to notice any mistakes. Begin by taking a good hard look at the first paragraph. Does it grip you as a reader? Does it make you wonder what's happening and want to read on? Your first paragraph should tell the reader something that they want to know the answer to.

Next study your plot. Is it predicable? Will your reader get tired of reading because he knows what's going to happen in the end? Make sure you have an unexpected twist to surprise the reader to make him want to carry on reading.

Study the end of your story. Have you tied up all the loose ends? Have all your characters' problems been solved? Does it have a satisfactory ending so the reader thinks it was a story worth reading?

When you have finished looking at the story line you must next check your story for grammatical, spelling and punctuation mistakes. If you present a story for a competition with poor spelling or poor punctuation or grammar, your story is not likely to be a winner. Take time over this. Spell check all your work and turn on your grammar checker in Word. Remember though that these are not infallible, so if you are unsure of correct grammar and punctuation then get some books to help you, or take a short course.

Overall you want your story to be memorable, something that will stick in the reader's mind. You need a good beginning, an unpredictable plot and a satisfactorily resolved ending. That, together with good grammar, punctuation and spelling, will put you in with a good chance of winning.

Good luck.

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