Summary:
Short story competitions can be very tough and intimidating. Sometimes it seems as if they cannot be won. However, by making sure that the title makes the judges curious, the first sentence draws them in, the story progresses at a good pace, and the end is good and believable, then winning the competition should be a piece of cake.

Details or Sample:
How to Compel the Judges to Pick Yours

Short story competitions are tough. Sometimes it seems as though they cannot be won. Let’s face it. You write a great story, proofread it to death, get it proofread by others, but yet someone else always has a better one and wins the contest. With practice and a little guidance, you can ensure that your story is solid enough to be in the running with the best of the best.

The absolute most important thing to remember is to have a title that sells the story. Having a bland or ordinary title is suicide! Think about it. How many books do you overlook in the bookstore because they do not “sound” like they would be good? I’m almost certain that many short stories do not even get read because the title does not sound exciting. The title of a story is like the hook of a song. It’s the part that is remembered because it is catchy and sticks out. Make it memorable! Arouse the judge’s curiosity, and make him or her read your story.

Secondly, you will want to have a compelling first sentence. Just like the title, draw the judges in at the beginning of your story. Jump into the action. After all, this is a short story and you do not have time for a lot of detailed plot development.

Additionally, it is very important that your story progresses at a normal, believable pace. Although it is a short story, you cannot draw out the story much, and it is fiction, the reader must believe that whatever you are saying could actually happen. For example, a woman cannot have a baby in the first paragraph, and then two sentences later the baby is grown up and the owner of a multi-million dollar franchise. It’s just not very convincing. Tell a story that people can believe. It’s ok if the story must progress quickly; however, make sure you have talent in this area.

Finally, have a good, believable ending. People get tired of the typical “…and they all lived happily ever after” endings. Moreover, the ending needs to be believable. It would not realistic to have the baby that was born in the first paragraph grow up with a sibling, dog, in a house with a white picket fence, graduate from Harvard Law, and then one day in the park gets an anonymous tip and starts working for the CIA. It just does not work that way. Take your time—but not too much—and develop your story. Make the characters believable and relatable. Have the story move at a decent pace. At the end of the story, ensure that the reader felt every emotion that you intended them too. Make them say, “Wow…that was a GREAT story!” If you do all of these things, then consider your story already in the top percentile of submissions.

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Written by: Jessica Brown
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