And now a word from our contest judges…

We asked five of our contest judges “What do you look for in a story?” and this is what they said:

Kira Vermond
(Guelph author of Owlkids titles The Secret Life of Money, Growing up Inside and Out and the upcoming Why We Live Where We Live.) Find Kira here: http://www.vermond.ca/

"I'm always on the lookout for a story that makes me feel something -- happiness, sadness or even worry -- when I read it. I want to get to know the characters so when they take me on a journey, I'll go along to find out what's going to happen to them."



Lisa Dalrymple
(Fergus author of Skink on the Brink, Bubbly Troubly Polar Bear and If It’s No Trouble, A Polar Bear). Find Lisa here: http://lisadalrymple.com/

"So much of a good story comes down to the development of character. This may be a character I love; it may be a character I hate; it may be a character I want to read more about just because I need to know what makes him/her tick. Then I like to see how this character copes with a certain event or circumstance that occurs. I want to NEED to know what happens next to this character I’ve grown to care about. If you can do those two things in a setting that feels tangible and alive to me, then you’ll have me hooked!"

Heather Wright
(Kitchener author of Writing Fiction: A Hands-On Guide for Teens.) Find Heather here: http://wrightingwords.wordpress.com/my-books/writing-fiction-a-hands-on-guide-for-teens/

"What do I look for in a story? A strong opening that introduces the main character and gets the action of the story going right away. I like characters that would make good friends, which means they're not whiny, or mean, and they don't spend hours wandering around just thinking and feeling sorry for themselves. I like characters who change and grow: if they aren't strong, they learn to be; if they aren't brave, they learn to be; if they're not patient, or kind or understanding; they learn to be."

Lisa McLean
(Guelph communications professional and short-short story author.) Find Lisa here: http://www.stronglywordedletters.ca/about

"For me, a successful short story has a clear plot in which characters do something. And at the end of the doing, I want to know how they’ve been transformed. They might see something differently or hold their head higher (or lower)."

Sharon Blomfield
(Waterloo writer and photographer.) Find Sharon here: http://sharonblomfield.com/About.html

"I know it will be a good story when the first sentence promises me something interesting. When an author gets that part right, the rest of the story always delivers."


Buy all the books mentioned in this post here...

And now a word from our Judges…

The Elora Writers' Festival Writing Competition judges were asked for their favorite writing or editing tip. Here’s what some of them said:

Editing Tip: "Is this adverb necessary?

"

"Chances are, if you are using a lot of adverbs, you are telling and not showing. Adverbs are words ending in ‘ly’ such as happily, sadly, angrily, gloomily. Think about a character that has just won the lottery. Rather than have her yell hurray “joyfully', why not have her jump up and down screaming so loudly that her cat runs under the bed in terror and it takes her twenty minutes to get it out. Maybe she runs to her closet and throws all of her old clothes in the garbage while blasting 'If I Had a Million Dollars' on her MP3 player. Both of those pictures show how the character reacts instead of telling, and create a more interesting picture than the word 'joyfully.'"
—Heather Wright, Author of Writing Fiction: A Hands-on Guide for Teens (Judge: Short Story, Category 3)

Writing Tip: "Getting started!"

"Remember you can't be a writer if you don't make the time to write! Sometimes the hardest thing about being a writer is actually getting paper to pen or fingers to keyboard. Here are 5 quick and easy ways to get going!

1.  Make writing a priority. Daily tasks and other life stuff can often get in the way of writing. Try setting a specific time each week that you devote to writing no matter what else is going on.

2.  Keep a small notebook close by where you can jot down your ideas when the come to you. You want to maximize your actual writing time, so keeping track of your ideas will help you get started more quickly.

3.  Waiting doesn't need to be boring. Instead of using your phone to keep you entertained while you are waiting in line or for an appointment, use the time to write!

4.  Challenge yourself to do writing exercises. Give yourself 5 minutes to write the beginning of a novel.  Write a letter to your parent or child that they are to open on a special birthday years from now. Take a walk and find an object, then sit down and write a poem about that object.

5.  Perfect can paralyze.  Sometimes we feel that can't move forward until we have each sentence perfectly crafted. Just let it flow and then go back and work on improving word choice and making your sentences and ideas unified."
— Carey Gallagher (Judge: Poetry, Category 4)

Writing Tip: "Trust yourself!"

"If I could offer one piece of advice, it would be to trust yourself. It's very hard to quiet your internal critic, that little voice that says, 'That's a stupid idea.' You have to put those thoughts aside and be open to whatever comes through you. When you write through that questioning, that judgement, that uncertainty, that's often when the most surprising, creative and authentic work emerges."
— Heather Debling (Judge: Short Story, Category 2)

Writing Tip: "Multiply by six."

"It’s poetry season again (hot off the heels of poultry seasoning), and perhaps you’re playing with words and their order. And, maybe you’re contemplating ordering those words into a form you will send to me.
     If you are pondering the second point, here are some words I’d like to share: Imagine you are doing the thing you like to do most in the entire universe and multiply that by…six.
     I know you are writers, so don’t be too put off by the math I’m using here, and if your favourite thing ever is math, well, bonus!
     Okay, so your favourite thing times 6 is just an inkling of how you will feel when you have devised, written, tweaked, and submitted your poem to our writing competition.
     Yes, that’s DWTS and, again, if Dancing with the Stars is your favourite thing, then BONUS x2.
     So, get busy devising your poem, in the shower, on the football pitch, during dinner with relatives who keep forgetting to put money in your birthday card, etc.
     Write out that poem and feel smugly satisfied while admiring it. You are a poet, after all. Read it aloud to the teddy bear you still have but do not publicly admit to having…he’s a good listener.
     Then, get your pencil/keyboard/Burnt Sienna crayon ready and TWEAK IT. Make all those clunky words – again, seek Ted’s advice – smooth and fluid. Read your future masterpiece aloud again, maybe this time to some humans.
     Satisfied that your poem has grown to its full potential, print out those all-important final drafts and submit them to the competition so I can have the pleasure and privilege of reading them.
     And, there you have it – awesomesauciness to the power of six. Are you still here?
     What are you waiting for? GO!"
— Keri-Lyn Durant (Judge: Poetry, Category 2)

The EWF Writing Competition deadline is fast approaching! Submit your short story (1500 words maximum) or poem (75 lines maximum) by Friday, April 27. Entry details can be found by downloading the contest flyer here...

And for more information go here...

For information about the 2013 Competition, go here...

A Journey

Photo: Michael Hale (Nile by Faluka, 2011)

Getting started is the hardest part.
So you’re all set to turn up the creative heat and get going on that story or poem for the 2012 Elora Writers' Festival Writing Competition. Laptop turned on or pencils sharpened. Theme of “A Journey” firmly fixed in your head. Ready to roll, and then….

Thump. Where to begin?
If you’re one of those writers who has trouble getting started, consider doing some warm-up exercises first. Musicians do scales. Athletes do stretches. Writers need to prepare their writing muscles for action too.

Here are some suggestions.
Short Story: Write about a “Pet Tale” or a “Good Day” or “My Evil Boss” using words of four letters or fewer. Writing is all about word choice, and this exercise tests that ability, but you’ll be amazed at what a great story you can write even with these restrictions.
     Person, Place, Thing: Under these headings, list six entries (eg. Person might include doctor, princess, Prime Minister, Jane Austen, me, teacher). When your lists are complete, roll a die to select a number from each category. You now have a person, in a place, with a thing. Get writing!
     For additional writing prompts, check out these suggestions created for The Writer magazine by one of our contest judges, Heather Wright (her site has a wealth of information too...) go here...

The EWF Writing Competition:
Enter your short story (1500 words maximum) or poem (75 lines maximum) in the 2012 Elora Writers’ Festival Writing Competition by Friday, April 27. You can find entry details on the contest flyer here... and a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)  here...