Lessons from Others' Mistakes

And a trip to a glacier

I’m judging an international short story contest at the moment and I thought I’d share some of the writing lessons that have stood out so far.

I enjoy judging contests because it always reminds me—there’s a lot that goes into learning to write well.

Many of the entries I’ve read so far are great. Some are okay. Others are barely readable—I gave them 5 points out of 100 for correctly arranging letters into words.

Some of the exceptional writers have told stories in ways I’ve never heard before, and won’t forget anytime soon.

What makes a story stay with you?

What impacts the reader?

They are questions worth pondering as a writer. I don’t think we ever really answer them fully: there’s always more to learn. We can always improve no matter how experienced we are. I think we can all agree with that?

The stories that have made an impact on me in the contest have a few standout elements:

• They are well-written with original metaphors and unique sentences.

• They paint vivid pictures in my mind of settings, characters, and actions.

• They are clear. Confusing writing is distracting for readers. If your reader is left asking, “Whose talking here?” “What’s going on?” you may not hold their attention for long.

• They are free of errors. Editing is essential to good writing. You’d be amazed how many people skip this step.

• Dialogue sounds realistic. We can spot fake dialogue a mile off. Read it aloud and ask “Would people really say that?”

• The story is worthy of the word count. Some stories just don’t need 4000 words. Longer isn’t always better. I want a story to hit me emotionally and make me care about the topic.

  There are so many more elements to good writing. Are there stories that have stayed with you for a long time after reading them?

In other news

It’s my one year wedding anniversary this week! My hubby and I are off for a helicopter ride to the glaciers (we don’t know how long the glaciers will be around—they’ve been retreating fairly rapidly).

My husband, Ben, is also jumping out of a plane. His need for adrenaline is far higher than mine! I’ll happily skip skydiving and take photos from the ground.

Honestly, I’m a bit nervous about helicopters too, but if I survive I’ll send you photos!

These people survived so I’m sure I’ll be fine!

See you soon.