Short Story Competition Advice by Iain Pattison
Iain Pattison, who gave me a lot of comedy/editing advice on Martini Bond, has some helpful tips for anyone entering writing competitions this summer…
Iain Pattison is a successful short story writer, frequent competition judge and a writing tutor.
He has kindly agreed to share some of his wisdom with us today. He is pleading for more humour and less heartbreak in your competition entries:
You know, sometimes I think judging short story competitions should come with a health warning. Not that it’s dangerous – well, not if you can run fast enough from those who haven’t won – but more because of the awful things it can do to your state of mind.
It’s always the same. Each time a big envelope of entries drops through my letter box I grin insanely knowing I’m in for a reading feast. But then, moments later, I remember that 95% of them will be stories of angst, despair, betrayal, abuse, regret, anger and disappointment and I gulp and wonder if my poor ragged nerves will stand…
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Julia replied:
Thanks. I’ve been scratching my head over why 99% of published short stories so often are black pits of despair. Duh! Because that’s what people submit! I’m no comedian, but it’s a relief to know that fun in a story doesn’t mean it’s going to be deep-sixed for lack of seriousness.
July 4, 2013 at 1:26 pm. Permalink.
WomanBitesDog replied:
Have a go at the fun stuff!
July 20, 2013 at 2:12 pm. Permalink.
Sally Jenkins replied:
Thanks for the re-blog! Iain does seem to have the knack of making things funny in a natural, unforced and non-slapstick way – I would expect he was a very good advisor for Martini Bond.
July 4, 2013 at 2:33 pm. Permalink.
colonialist replied:
As I commented there:
That is vastly encouraging to me. I have always despaired that my lighthearted style puts me right out of the running on such competitions. I like providing a twist – but it tends (oh, horrors!) to lead to a happy ending. Add some of the wordplay I love, and it equals that my chances of a minus are multiplied exponentially!
July 4, 2013 at 10:42 pm. Permalink.