Monday, January 13th saw the adjudication for our 1,000 word short story competition, judged by versatile story writer and poet, Alison Lock. Full details can be seen on the Competitions Page.

On closing, Alison offered some general advice in regard to the craft of short story writing, which we thought would be worth sharing here for the benefit of all members.

– Enter the story with some action that draws in the reader. Ask if the opening paragraph is necessary.

– Play with the point of view and/or tense.

– When the story is finished, look at the title. What does it tell you about the story, is it interesting, does it add to the piece?

– Think about the theme/s and strengthen wherever possible.

– Technical – how do you release the plot? Explore the idea of foreshadowing (in a subtle way). If you use the idea of flashback, ask if it is necessary.

– Some stories benefit from having the beginning and end drawn together, or reflected.