Every writer who wants to grow their career must participate in writing contests. However, instead of just taking part, you need to provide a story that will win the contest. You must ensure that your story just not just get to the final round, but wins the entire contest. Here are a few elements that you must look out for and ensure that your story incorporates each of them.
Be Inspired by the Theme
Most writing contests will have a theme and you must ensure that you adhere to this theme. You may come up with a brilliant story, however, if you ignore or eliminate part of the theme, you will be disobeying the guidelines of the contest. Ignoring the theme is one of the quickest ways of getting your story disqualified.
Focus on A Small Story
Always remember that short stories are not novels. You can always tell a great fantasy tale in just 1,500 words. When picking your story idea, you should go for one that will fit within the set word count requirements. For instance, the life story of a 100 year old man may be too long and will surpass your word count. However, and unexpected detour on your way to school might be the perfect length.
Your Story Should Show Clarity
It is possible to write a short story with a few characters and scene changes that can fit in just 1,500 words. When working with a small word count, you should avoid overcomplicating your story. This is because complicated stories tend to confuse the intended readers. You must ensure that your transitions are clear and that every new element you introduce such as a new plot twist, a new character, or new scene helps to move your story forward and not clutter it up. It is always best to have somebody else read your story and help you determine areas that are confusing before you submit to any writing contests.
Your Characters Should have a Goal
When writing your story, make sure that every character had a goal that they are chasing. When your characters do not have a goal, the story will ramble on and this will leave your readers more confused and they will regret why the read the story at all. Readers are hooked by stories with characters that have clear goals and make the right decisions to achieve them.
Your First Line Should Hook Your Readers And Judges
The first sentence of the story gives you a chance to make a great first impression on your readers. Therefore, ensure that your first line is surprising, intriguing and powerful enough to capture the interest of the judges and make them eager to read the entire story. Most writing competitions judges will read hundreds of stories within a short time. Therefore, ensure that your first sentence gives them the excitement to read your story.
Always remember that the story submitted for the writing contest needs a perfect ending because that is what everyone will be looking for. The conclusion should tie up all the loose ends neatly but still leave the story feeling a bit mysterious and resolved. Your readers need to walk away satisfied feeling that they have truly reached the end of the story. Ensure that your story is complete and stands alone so that when it ends, the characters achieve their goal.