April Contest Deadlines

There are some very cool opportunities in April -- and some I'd never heard of until recently, such as the Lake Forest College Emerging Writer's Residency (April 1) and the New Michigan Press / DIAGRAM Chapbook Contest (April 30). Old standbys include the Thurber Prize for American Fiction (April 1), the Crab Orchard Review Literary Contests (April 30), and the Dylan Thomas Centre Dylan Prize (April 30), and more. Check out the full list for other contests and residencies.

April Contest Deadlines originally appeared on About.com Fiction Writing on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 09:26:41.

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Plot 101

For some people, plot does come naturally, but more of us benefit from studying the basic elements -- which, sadly, most fiction workshops don't seem to cover. By mastering the basics of plot, you deliver a satisfying experience to your readers and arm yourself with the tools you'll need to tell more complicated stories. Begin thinking about plot with this short article on the subject.

Plot 101 originally appeared on About.com Fiction Writing on Sunday, March 7th, 2010 at 09:55:26.

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How Do We Establish a Sense of Place?

This week I've been corresponding with a writer about settings. She had asked for feedback on her wedding cake story, and my initial response was confusion: I didn't know where the characters were. It got me thinking about the importance of setting, and the difficulties of establishing it in a very short story. How do we successfully establish a sense of place without writing something that sounds contrived?

Fortunately a few stories from last month's challenge came to mind as examples. In his story, George Belezos just laid it out in the first sentence: "Costas Sepervides sat in an old lawn chair under a tired oak at the edge of his property on Ledra Street, a narrow road in the Midwestern bedroom community of Centerville." For his story, which involves a family feud that began in Cyprus decades before, it was crucial that he make the present-day setting clear from the outset: otherwise, his readers would get confused as he went back and forth in both time and place.

Other writers could be less specific, using small details to communicate a sense of place. "They pulled into the gravel drive of her daddy's old farmhouse late that September morning," is the sentence that grounds Janette McKinley Long's story. A few sentences later, she refers to an "old Chevy," which reinforces our sense of being in the rural United States. Cassandra Barclift likewise relies on telling details to signal a suburban location (though she does become more explicit later): "All five of the neighborhood children were gathered around the mysterious confection. Their bikes were carelessly thrown on Mr. Green's manicured lawn."

For other readers, the setting was a more important element of the story, and thus described in greater detail. For John E. Abel, the protagonist's story is intimately tied to two landscapes, and especially to that of the Southwestern U.S.: "But the most distinguishing feature of the scenery is its hills and buttes and mountains that offer shades of rust and purple-gray. Their silhouette against the hazy Southwestern sky triggers images of faraway elephants lumbering through the arid heat."

How much do you think about setting when you're writing or revising a story? How do you make sure it comes through in a way that seems natural to the story you're telling?

How Do We Establish a Sense of Place? originally appeared on About.com Fiction Writing on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 12:13:29.

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March Writing Challenge Now Open

For the March challenge, write a poem, prose poem, or short-short story from the point of view of an historical figure. The phrase "historical figure" may be taken broadly -- anyone from Nicholas I to Nellie Bly's mom is fair game. Be as creative as you'd like.

I was thinking of the poems of Norman Dubie when I devised this challenge, but please share other examples of works in this vein below. Last month's challenge generated an amazing number of responses: I'm looking forward to seeing what this month brings. The challenge will be open until March 31.

March Writing Challenge Now Open originally appeared on About.com Fiction Writing on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 10:35:00.

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Ten Rules for Writing Fiction

If you like lists -- and the Guardian's book section -- you'll definitely want to see the dos and don'ts for fiction writers they collected from authors such as Margaret Atwood, Colm Tóibín, Jonathan Franzen, and Neil Gaiman. While it can be a bit overwhelming to read so many admonitions at once ("Don't have children." "It's doubtful that anyone with an internet connection at his workplace is writing good fiction") some are instructive ("You see more sitting still than chasing after"), and others downright funny ("Stay in your mental pyjamas all day." "If you have to read, to cheer yourself up read biographies of writers who went insane"). It's worth taking some time to browse through them, especially if you're taking a snow day today, as many are in my area. Then share: what's on your list of dos and don'ts?

Ten Rules for Writing Fiction originally appeared on About.com Fiction Writing on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 10:34:33.

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Last Day, Feb. Writing Challenge

Today's the final day of the "Wedding Cake in the Middle of the Road" writing challenge, so put the finishing touches on your story and send it in. Excellent responses have continued to come in this last week -- some have yet to be posted, but will be soon.

Take some time to read and comment on submissions, especially if you'd like feedback on your story. The writers you critique might just repay the favor.

Thanks to everyone who has submitted work, and especially to those who also found time to offer constructive criticism to others. We'll take a day or so this week to let people read responses to the current prompt, and then post March's challenge.

Last Day, Feb. Writing Challenge originally appeared on About.com Fiction Writing on Sunday, February 21st, 2010 at 09:26:07.

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Overcoming Creative Block

I had resolved to lay off the writing block posts, as I seem to blog about that topic a lot (which may say something about the year I'm having so far), but Granta has a post on the topic worth passing on. They asked 25 artists and creators -- graphic designers, painters, photographers, and others -- to to write about how they ward off creative block. My favorite was from Chad Hagen: "Staying creative is hard work. Honestly, I don't think when I got into art school I was very talented at all. I struggled to stand out. I struggled to stay in school. Staying creative was hard work. BUT, the one thing that kept me focused was my desire to be good. I wanted to be really good. I wanted to be as good as those people that WERE talented. I used to think I would eventually, if I worked hard enough, master art like a math equation and then I could relax and just make great stuff and let everything else follow. That time definitely never came, and I know now I never want it to, because the most important thing that keeps me creative is my wanting to be good." I like that he embraced that sneaky fear of not being talented and focused on being good instead. He goes on to say that his cure for block is to put himself around others' good work. What a great impulse in an artist, to seek out the good, not be intimidated by it or jealous of it, but be grateful for it.

It also reminded me of the need to actively seek out inspirations sometimes, or at least to be alert to the possibility of it in the world. In an interview here, Heather O'Neill shared a list of things that were inspiring her at that moment: "I'm still a sucker for old hotels that you can live in, and I'm also intrigued by this old, white, busted limousine that's parked on the neighbor's lawn, children playing piano, a Russian kid doing gymnastics in his living room on YouTube, mangy cats, pigeons, and drawings of pigeons." Clearly she was making an effort to find things to inspire her. She was actively engaged with her world. Where do you find inspiration? What do you do when you're blocked? Share your thoughts and then shut down the internet, and either take some time to create something, or take yourself out to find some inspiration of your own.

Overcoming Creative Block originally appeared on About.com Fiction Writing on Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 12:27:19.

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