Six Tips for Winning Story Contests

Article Written By: John Yeoman

How do you win a creative writing contest? More important, from the judge s point of view, how do you judge one? Those were the questions I put to myself when I set up the Writers Village short fiction contest in 2009. I devised a seven-point rating system, which, I suspect, is similar to that used by most reputable judges. I allocated points out of a total of 45.

Entrants who follow these rules will stand an excellent chance of winning a prize in any fiction contest.

1. Emotionally engage your reader

A maximum of ten points went to the stories which engaged me emotionally throughout. I read many entries that were impressively clever. They danced with ingenuity, wit or wordplay. But they were cerebral exercises, not stories.

2. Write with originality

I then awarded up to ten points for a story s originality. True, there are just 36 story plots or themes, according to Georges Polti (1916), but there s always room for a new twist on Cinderella, Bluebeard s cupboard or Romeo and Juliet. Point is, the twist had to be fresh.

3. Imbue your first paragraph with power

The quality of the first paragraph gained a further maximum of eight points. Did it compel me to read on? I was seriously underwhelmed by shock openings along the lines of 'I pulled the trigger. The punk fell dead . Yawn! What gained my vote instead was the intrigue or enchantment of the opening lines. My top three winning entries glittered with magic.

4. Retain a sense of form

Another eight points in total were allocated for the story s sense of form. It had to show a coherent progression and a satisfying conclusion. Many a fine story lacks 'closure , of course. It may leave the reader with untidy loose ends or an unresolved mystery. It might even appear, at first glance, to be a collection of vivid but disjointed impressions (Joyce s Ulysses comes to mind.) But the story still had to be rigorous in its construction. I had to feel: nothing could usefully have been added to it or cut. It s a 'whole'.

5. Avoid using clichés

I then allotted up to six points for the originality of the language. A story did not need to dance with spry metaphors or turn somersaults in its syntax. But clichés and other lazy expressions were a no, no.

6. Remember grammar and punctuation

A final three points were given for the professionalism of the presentation. I had no problems with the odd misspelling or typing error. But I did shudder at the systematic misuse of apostrophes!

My top three winners fell into the 35-40 points bracket. The ten runner up winners gained 30-35 points. Such was the success of the Writers' Village short fiction contest, drawing entries from all over the world, that it now runs every quarter, with total cash prizes of $485 (£300).

About the Author

John Yeoman is a PhD in Creative Writing who lectures at a UK university. He is the author of eight works of humour and has been a successful commercial writer for 40 years. go to: www.writers-village.org

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