The lovely Della Galton has kindly agreed to answer some of our questions - thanks, Della!You judge lots of competitions, do you see the same mistakes on a regular basis and are there things entrants do which drive you to despair?
Nothing that drives me to despair as
such but I often see the same stories or very similar stories -
especially when there is a theme. I don't mean literally the same but
stories that aren't original or have a similar feel to ones I've seen
before. The same twists, the same plot lines etc.
Susan Jane Jones would like to know how
to make a story stand out without being crazy.
A story will stand out if it's beautifully written and well crafted with characters that leap off the page.
If a competition calls for stories 'up
to 2,000 words', is it a good idea to get close to that word count,
or does any length story (that stays within the rules) have the same
chance of winning?
I think it's a good idea to get close to the length - don't be too short. Anything above 1500 words is fine.
Maggie May wants to know if you'll
write her stories for her? I'm almost certain she was joking and
really just needs a push to get started on her own entries.
I have enough of a struggle to write my own, thanks Maggie May ;-)
How important is the title of your
story?
It's not important if you've
written a brilliant short story - but if there are two brilliant short
stories and one of them has a brilliant title and the other one doesn't,
guess which one will win!
Enid says - I'm sure, like me, you have
stories that have not been accepted (well not as many but maybe a
few). What do you do with these?
Keep them for future markets. My record so far is, a story that I sold 18 years after I wrote it ;-)
Keep them for future markets. My record so far is, a story that I sold 18 years after I wrote it ;-)
Is
there anything you'd like to add?
I
think going to workshops or weekly classes is a great way to get
feedback and improve your craft. I still attend a weekly class as well
as teaching two in Bournemouth.
You've written two books to help writers, would you like to mention them?
How to Write and Sell Short Stories, published by Accent Press, is out now and costs £9.99
Moving On - Short Story to Novel also published by Accent Press is out any day and costs £9.99
You can order either of these books via my website and I will sign them for you!
or email dellagalton@yahoo.co.uk They make great Christmas presents for writer friends.
She's right about that, I got the short story one from Gary last year and was very pleased with it. I'd be just as pleased to get the novel writing one (she hints, none too subtly)
21 comments:
That was brilliant - interesting and entertaining. Another winner...
Write about life, it's never the same two times around. You may think you know it, but it has that indefinable quality, that always seems to bite your bum. Things are going well then you're in a well, drowning, gasping for breath. It's what it is. What it is, is breath taking, and soul defying. That's Life, cue ole blue eyes. Write it as you see it, you will never go far wrong.. Ain't that a kick in the head.
That was interesting, thanks Patsy and Della.
Hi Della and Patsy. I'm still trying to implement all the great advice I received from a workshop I took with Della earlier this year.
Some great reminders here in this post.
Baggy, I'm pleased we entertained you!
Anonymous, I agree we should write about life - there's a constant supply of inspiration all around us.
Hope it's helpful, Suzie.
Madeleine, I know the feeling. Actually today I just finished writing a story I started in Della's workshop on the third and I did find her advice helpful.
It's interesting that she mentioned how many stories lack that breakout premise. I think there's probably a lot of truth in that. :)
Hi Della, Hi Patsy!! Thanks for the fab advice! I recently read a winning story from Prima mag from 2010 and I could totally see how it won. It was a very short story (under 500 words) and such a mundane theme - watching the telly - but oh! The voice! Beautiful. I totally see how this magical little story won and I totally see how it showed up my own writerly inadequacies. It wasn't that I was writing anything original. It was I was writing it in the most unoriginal way!
Take care
x
Great tips! Thanks, Della and Patsy. :)
Oh Patsy - you have outdone yourself. Loved the post! THANK YOU Della.. you are someone to aspire to!
Very useful - thanks to Patsy for organising and Della for advising! :)
Marion
L G Smith, it's a difficult thing to achieve (which is why those who manage it are more likely to win)
Kitty, you're an original - you just need to show that in the writing and you're sorted!
Glad you like them, Linda. Wish I could take the credit.
Hope it all helps, Marion.
Great interview, thanks Della and Patsy. I have Della's short story book and I think it's great. I think her other one needs to be on my Christmas list :-)
Thanks to Patsy and Della for a great Q and A session!
Thanks Patsy and Della for that very interesting chat.
"A story will stand out if it's beautifully written and well crafted with characters that leap off the page." Hear, hear! (Or read, read!)
Sarah, you're right - it does!
Rosemary, thanks for popping in.
You too, Maggie - sorry I couldn't talk Della into doing your writing though.
Absolutely, Milo.
I would say that stories don't always have to be near the word length but can be shorter if the quality of other elements are good. It also depends on the judge/reader in some cases. Some prefer short and snappy.
Thanks Della and Patsy.
Thanks Patsy and Della. I attend one of the weekly classes Della teaches in Bournemouth, and agree it's brilliant for inspiration and getting feedback. No matter how much you write there's always more to learn.
Writing about life is great with one caveat: fiction has to be believable, and nobody ever told life it had to be believable.
Case in point: my neighbour didn't approve of the flowers I'd planted in front of the house, so he put his own flowers there without asking. And when I complained, he shouted at me.
I swear it's true, and maybe you believe me (especially if you know me.) But would you believe it if you read it in a story?
Another interesting interview, Patsy - good work! And thanks to Della for sharing her thoughts.
The word count thing always makes me wonder exactly what competition organisers have in mind. Only a few of them give a minimum wordcount, but I always assume they're looking for a story within a stone's throw of the maximum.
A brilliant flash piece won the Bristol Short Story Prize last year, but considering the upper limit was 3000, I couldn't help wondering if the brevity of the winner helped it stand out. But then it seemed like it wasn't a level playing field - because a 3000 word story is completely different in terms of depth and scope for development.
I suppose the lesson is that a story should only ever be as long as it needs to be. Knowing when to stop's the hard bit.
[As I seem to have proved with this comment. Sorry]
Dan.
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Kirsty, I agree it depends on the judge - perhaps I need to interview a few more?
Womagwriter, you're correct about there always being more to learn. When I started writing I had no idea how much I didn't know!
Sheila, I do believe you but agree if you'd put up that story for critique in our group I'd have suggested a few changes.
True, Dan a story should only be as long as it needs to be. If our entry fell well short of the max word count it would be better to send it that way than to pad it out with extra words and scenes that weren't needed (assuming it fell within the min count, of course)
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