Short Story Contest Reading
I recently volunteered to be a reader for a short story contest run by the San Diego Writers Organization (SDW). This is my first time being a reader, and I was interested in learning more about how such contests are run. SDW is one of the largest writer's organizations in San Diego, and their contest drew a huge number of responses. There were several categories, but I chose to read for the prose category of short stories (max 3,000 words). There were no other restrictions. The winners of the competition would get their work published in an anthology.
I received the first of two sets of manuscripts for review late last week. There were fourteen manuscripts. I finished reading them all on Monday, 23 September. The genres ranged from straight fiction to fairytale fantasy. I was expecting at least a few thrillers, CSI type stories, mysteries, and maybe some vampire and undead entries. To my surprise, none of those genres appeared in any of these fourteen stories.
I enjoyed reading the stories, whether good or not so good. Readers were not asked to give full critiques. My role as a "first reader" was to provide short feedback so that the second readers could focus on the better entries. Condensed down, I gave my opinion on whether a story was worth consideration for the anthology, and why or why not.
Out of the fourteen stories I reviewed, none of them jumped out and grabbed me, but there were two that warranted a second look. The other twelve stories, no matter the genre or subject matter, had very common failings. They were, sadly, boring to read. Very little happens, conflict is lacking, and many of the stories simply end without any resolution.
Since the contest is ongoing I won't specifically discuss the two stories that caught my eye. I liked one of them because the writer really had something to say, and the story is one of those where you root for the main characters, but are afraid that the end is not going to turn out well for them. The other one I liked went into fairyland with tongue firmly in cheek in a very entertaining way. It was very short, too, which in filling an anthology could help it land a spot.
I got confirmation that the Read and Critique package I'd sent had been received. The day and time of the meeting is still TBD. Everything is on track for the conference.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
The La Jolla Writer's Conference Package
The La Jolla Writer's Conference Package
I received my conference package by email on 14 September for the 13th annual La Jolla Writer's Conference. The conference is at the Paradise Point Resort. The resort is actually in San Diego on Mission Bay near Seaworld, not La Jolla. That was good news as that will cut my driving time by a lot.
Three New York Times best selling authors lead the billing: Christopher Reich, Lisa Jackson, and Dale Brown. I checked on my Private Read & Critique (PR&C) submission. My request to see Jill Marr, a publisher of both fiction and non-fiction, was approved, but my submission package hasn't reached her yet. I had to make a decision on whether to provide a package for the novel, "The Majik of Spark." It really wasn't ready, though, with the changes I'm still making, so I did not submit it. Instead, I submitted a recently completed short story.
In addition to the formal PR&C, I also plan to get some time with adventure fantasy author Eldon Thompson to talk about "Majik." I'm signing up for a couple of his classes. He has a published trilogy that I'm just getting started on reading. I will also have a PR&C package about "Majik" should he, or anyone else, be interested.
The "official" welcome package is not yet official. They recommend having a hard copy (or download to your device of preference) for the conference, but don't recommend printing it until just before the conference since there will likely still be changes between now and opening. Classes come in two varieties - lectures, which run about fifty minutes, and workshops, which are scheduled for 110 minutes. For almost all of the lectures and workshops there is no pre-registration requirement - just pick what you want and attend. There are three classes that require pre-registration in person on the morning the conference. Those classes go deeper into their subject than other classes. The three are: The 7-Minute Pitch, "American Idol" Pitch Session, and an Advanced Read and Critique specifically for thriller, mystery, and suspense writers.
I have to admit that I don't have a good social media strategy, nor do I use that medium very well. This conference is a nice test for me, as I will try to engage in both Facebook and Twitter during the conference. My rather stodgy website is getting an upgrade, too, with a new bio and some other changes if I can unravel a few issues with Wordpress, the website software I'm trying out.
More to follow as I get closer to the conference opening.
There are new posts available in the Wild Family Adventures Blog:
Wild Family Adventures
I received my conference package by email on 14 September for the 13th annual La Jolla Writer's Conference. The conference is at the Paradise Point Resort. The resort is actually in San Diego on Mission Bay near Seaworld, not La Jolla. That was good news as that will cut my driving time by a lot.
Three New York Times best selling authors lead the billing: Christopher Reich, Lisa Jackson, and Dale Brown. I checked on my Private Read & Critique (PR&C) submission. My request to see Jill Marr, a publisher of both fiction and non-fiction, was approved, but my submission package hasn't reached her yet. I had to make a decision on whether to provide a package for the novel, "The Majik of Spark." It really wasn't ready, though, with the changes I'm still making, so I did not submit it. Instead, I submitted a recently completed short story.
In addition to the formal PR&C, I also plan to get some time with adventure fantasy author Eldon Thompson to talk about "Majik." I'm signing up for a couple of his classes. He has a published trilogy that I'm just getting started on reading. I will also have a PR&C package about "Majik" should he, or anyone else, be interested.
The "official" welcome package is not yet official. They recommend having a hard copy (or download to your device of preference) for the conference, but don't recommend printing it until just before the conference since there will likely still be changes between now and opening. Classes come in two varieties - lectures, which run about fifty minutes, and workshops, which are scheduled for 110 minutes. For almost all of the lectures and workshops there is no pre-registration requirement - just pick what you want and attend. There are three classes that require pre-registration in person on the morning the conference. Those classes go deeper into their subject than other classes. The three are: The 7-Minute Pitch, "American Idol" Pitch Session, and an Advanced Read and Critique specifically for thriller, mystery, and suspense writers.
I have to admit that I don't have a good social media strategy, nor do I use that medium very well. This conference is a nice test for me, as I will try to engage in both Facebook and Twitter during the conference. My rather stodgy website is getting an upgrade, too, with a new bio and some other changes if I can unravel a few issues with Wordpress, the website software I'm trying out.
More to follow as I get closer to the conference opening.
There are new posts available in the Wild Family Adventures Blog:
Wild Family Adventures
Thursday, September 12, 2013
A Third, And Final? Draft
A Third, And Final? Draft
As I promised in my prior post, the below list describes the main issues that need to be resolved in this third draft of "The Majik of Spark" based on the feedback I received from our writer's group. I've already begun work on it, but I'll have to set a feverish pace to have it ready for the conference. The changes will take significant work, but the majority of the story is still intact. There is no need for a complete rewrite, for example. Here are the areas I am working on:
The Main Character: The story opens with the character Jaundice. Naming conventions aside, no one liked the name or it's connotation. After a little resistance on my part, I had to agree. The name will be changed. More significantly, though, is that while Jaundice is an important character, she's not the main character. As the story evolved it became more and more apparent that the real main character is Philly. Philly is not introduced to the reader until deeper into the story, so I am going to alter and reorder the beginning chapters to put Philly front and center.
The Early Chapters: The group concurred with my concern over the lack of plot progression in the early chapters. The consensus was that there was too much information and not enough action. That I can definitely take care of. There was also a lack of focus on the purpose and goals of the expedition that the story centered on. This is my biggest challenge. Frankly, I changed those goals mid-stream during the second draft and obviously did not get it right. I know what I want, I just have to figure out how to get there.
Trilogy vs Satisfying Conclusion: The "Majik of Spark" is the first book of a proposed trilogy. I wanted to end the book with a cliff hanger to encourage readers to want to read the next one. Simply stated, I overdid it. When readers actually get angry at the ending of the story, the writer had better pay attention. In one sense I was happy that I could strike such a nerve, but I knew I had better come up with an ending that left the reader in a better frame of mind. What prompted that anger? Too many things were left hanging with no resolution. Cliff hangers are fine, but the book must have some sense of closure. It must be able to stand on it's own, with it's own, satisfying ending, even though it's the first part of a trilogy.
Writing a novel is a messy business. Getting under the hood like this and sharing where I went wrong is a little unnerving. My hope is that by sharing I might save someone out there from making some of these same mistakes. I certainly learned one important lesson - Writer's group help and writing buddies are a must and a treasure!
What do you think?
As I promised in my prior post, the below list describes the main issues that need to be resolved in this third draft of "The Majik of Spark" based on the feedback I received from our writer's group. I've already begun work on it, but I'll have to set a feverish pace to have it ready for the conference. The changes will take significant work, but the majority of the story is still intact. There is no need for a complete rewrite, for example. Here are the areas I am working on:
The Main Character: The story opens with the character Jaundice. Naming conventions aside, no one liked the name or it's connotation. After a little resistance on my part, I had to agree. The name will be changed. More significantly, though, is that while Jaundice is an important character, she's not the main character. As the story evolved it became more and more apparent that the real main character is Philly. Philly is not introduced to the reader until deeper into the story, so I am going to alter and reorder the beginning chapters to put Philly front and center.
The Early Chapters: The group concurred with my concern over the lack of plot progression in the early chapters. The consensus was that there was too much information and not enough action. That I can definitely take care of. There was also a lack of focus on the purpose and goals of the expedition that the story centered on. This is my biggest challenge. Frankly, I changed those goals mid-stream during the second draft and obviously did not get it right. I know what I want, I just have to figure out how to get there.
Trilogy vs Satisfying Conclusion: The "Majik of Spark" is the first book of a proposed trilogy. I wanted to end the book with a cliff hanger to encourage readers to want to read the next one. Simply stated, I overdid it. When readers actually get angry at the ending of the story, the writer had better pay attention. In one sense I was happy that I could strike such a nerve, but I knew I had better come up with an ending that left the reader in a better frame of mind. What prompted that anger? Too many things were left hanging with no resolution. Cliff hangers are fine, but the book must have some sense of closure. It must be able to stand on it's own, with it's own, satisfying ending, even though it's the first part of a trilogy.
Writing a novel is a messy business. Getting under the hood like this and sharing where I went wrong is a little unnerving. My hope is that by sharing I might save someone out there from making some of these same mistakes. I certainly learned one important lesson - Writer's group help and writing buddies are a must and a treasure!
What do you think?
Friday, September 6, 2013
Writing is Lot Easier than Pitching!
Writing is Lot Easier than Pitching!
Yes, we were at Petco Park to watch the Padres beat the Giants, 3-2, this week, which got us out of last place (at least for a day). That's not what I mean about "pitching," however. Having written a novel seems to be the easiest part of the process of publishing a book. The amount of information that has to be prepared and available for presentation when pitching a manuscript to an agent/publisher is daunting! I have the One Sentence Storyline completed. I have the Five Sentence Storyline done. The Chapter Synopsis is done. I am working on a Two Page Synopsis, a Scene Synopsis, and a One page Synopsis. This last one pager is for the La Jolla conference specifically, an extra task. Once the above is done I'll be working on my Query Letter.
The Chapter Synopsis has been an eye opener. Frankly, it's been a little discouraging. There is a heavy emphasis on maintaining plot continuity. Each scene, each chapter, has to advance the story. In the earlier chapters, the troupe of adventurers certainly progress along the journey they are on toward their final goal. But, I'm less certain that the plot of the story is advancing as it should. There is a lot of explanation, but I'm worried that there isn't enough action and conflict.
I have tentatively selected the twelve page excerpt of my manuscript required for the conference. I fitted together parts of Chapter Fifteen and Eighteen. These two chapters focus on the conflict between the fiend, Kee, and Philly, as well as involving the rest of Dice's Troupe. I hope that the excerpt will show my writing style and relevant examples of how Majik and Song make up the twin worlds.
Our writer's group met on 5 September. I got some truly superb critiques on "The Majik of Spark" that sent me back to the manuscript to work on the suggestions and issues that were brought up. There are three major changes that I need to work out.
I'll get to what those are and what I am doing about it in a future post. Getting that done before the conference is going to be a challenge.
There is a new post on the Wild Family Adventures Blog:
http://wildfamilytales.blogspot.com/2013/09/rules-of-pve-pet-battle-engagement.html
Yes, we were at Petco Park to watch the Padres beat the Giants, 3-2, this week, which got us out of last place (at least for a day). That's not what I mean about "pitching," however. Having written a novel seems to be the easiest part of the process of publishing a book. The amount of information that has to be prepared and available for presentation when pitching a manuscript to an agent/publisher is daunting! I have the One Sentence Storyline completed. I have the Five Sentence Storyline done. The Chapter Synopsis is done. I am working on a Two Page Synopsis, a Scene Synopsis, and a One page Synopsis. This last one pager is for the La Jolla conference specifically, an extra task. Once the above is done I'll be working on my Query Letter.
The Chapter Synopsis has been an eye opener. Frankly, it's been a little discouraging. There is a heavy emphasis on maintaining plot continuity. Each scene, each chapter, has to advance the story. In the earlier chapters, the troupe of adventurers certainly progress along the journey they are on toward their final goal. But, I'm less certain that the plot of the story is advancing as it should. There is a lot of explanation, but I'm worried that there isn't enough action and conflict.
I have tentatively selected the twelve page excerpt of my manuscript required for the conference. I fitted together parts of Chapter Fifteen and Eighteen. These two chapters focus on the conflict between the fiend, Kee, and Philly, as well as involving the rest of Dice's Troupe. I hope that the excerpt will show my writing style and relevant examples of how Majik and Song make up the twin worlds.
Our writer's group met on 5 September. I got some truly superb critiques on "The Majik of Spark" that sent me back to the manuscript to work on the suggestions and issues that were brought up. There are three major changes that I need to work out.
I'll get to what those are and what I am doing about it in a future post. Getting that done before the conference is going to be a challenge.
There is a new post on the Wild Family Adventures Blog:
http://wildfamilytales.blogspot.com/2013/09/rules-of-pve-pet-battle-engagement.html
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Preparing for the Writer's Conference
Preparing for the Writer's Conference
I have definitely decided to go to the La Jolla Writer's Conference scheduled for November 1-3, 2013. Taking advantage of the discounts available, the cost for the full conference is $310, which includes meals and all the events. I live close enough that I will be able to drive to and from the conference, so I can avoid the hotel costs.
I am also going to sign up for at least one session of private "Read and Critique" sessions. I've been reviewing each of the listed agents/publishers/publicists/faculty to determine who to ask for. I have tentatively picked one already, but I haven't finished going through the list, yet. If I find a second person that I really like I might do two sessions. Each session costs $55 for a twenty minute interview. I have to prepare and mail (hardcopy) a one page synopsis and up to twelve pages of my manuscript. The package has to be in the hands of the conference organizers by September 25th, which - GAH! - means I only have about two weeks to get it in the mail.
I'm looking forward to the feedback from my writer's group and suggestions on which part of the manuscript I should take the twelve pages from. The next meeting of the group is on September 5th.
Also note that there is a new post on the Wild Family Adventures Blog:
Making Arrangements
I have definitely decided to go to the La Jolla Writer's Conference scheduled for November 1-3, 2013. Taking advantage of the discounts available, the cost for the full conference is $310, which includes meals and all the events. I live close enough that I will be able to drive to and from the conference, so I can avoid the hotel costs.
I am also going to sign up for at least one session of private "Read and Critique" sessions. I've been reviewing each of the listed agents/publishers/publicists/faculty to determine who to ask for. I have tentatively picked one already, but I haven't finished going through the list, yet. If I find a second person that I really like I might do two sessions. Each session costs $55 for a twenty minute interview. I have to prepare and mail (hardcopy) a one page synopsis and up to twelve pages of my manuscript. The package has to be in the hands of the conference organizers by September 25th, which - GAH! - means I only have about two weeks to get it in the mail.
I'm looking forward to the feedback from my writer's group and suggestions on which part of the manuscript I should take the twelve pages from. The next meeting of the group is on September 5th.
Also note that there is a new post on the Wild Family Adventures Blog:
Making Arrangements
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