Thank you for again giving us the opportunity to judge the short story section of Yarram’s
CLC’s Short Story and Poetry Competition. As in past years, our task has been
crammed full of delights, challenges and spirited debate.
Members of the judging panel are all avid readers, albeit of a range of genres. This year
you have delivered a feast of reading for us with a vast variety of settings, story lines
and styles and, as always, it was difficult to select a short list, let alone a winner.
Of course no matter how enthusiastic the reader, in a short story it is vital to hook
us in the first paragraph, then reel us in by the end of the first page. Initially we can
be seduced by striking style – poetic images, magical turns of phrase – but
for a beautiful piece of writing to be a good story it must be structured, with characterisation
to engage our emotions and a plot to arouse our curiosity.
Short stories are tricky to write by their definition. The American writer Henry David
Thoreau said it beautifully: “Not that the story need be long, but it will take a
long while to make it short”. When writing a story of 3000 words the maxim “show,
don’t tell” is vital. No matter how complex the theme or how many layers the
story encompasses, there is no room for long passages teasing out the storyline; the characters’ actions
must tell the story for you.
After years of pleading for writers to take more care with their stories’ punctuation, we
were pleased to note a marked improvement in this aspect of the competition this year.
This meant a significant reduction in the number of sentences which had to be read several
times to grasp their meaning. A story with correct punctuation means less interference
between the reader and the story and more chance of the entry making the competition’s
short list.
However we did find that numerous stories were spoiled by poor dialogue. Problems with
dialogue are difficult to avoid when writing but very easy to pick up when reading. The
over-use of “he said, she said” (or every synonym for “said”) is
irritating for the reader; however the complete absence of clues as to who said what is
much worse. Having to re-read a whole passage of stark dialogue to keep track of who is
speaking is a classic case of poor technique breaking the connection between story and
reader. Stilted dialogue has the same effect. Read your dialogue out loud to determine
whether it sounds natural; better still, have someone else read it.
Although this all sounds very pedantic and we could be accused of stifling the writer’s
creative spirit, remember that it is usually readers who decide the winners of competitions;
not other writers. Similarly, publishers employ readers to pluck out the few selections
from slush piles. So anything you can do to make it easier for the reader to engage with
your story without being distracted by missing or incorrect punctuation, sloppy grammar
or unnatural dialogue is sure to help you be a winner.
This judging panel considers identifiable structure and a strong plot essential for a
satisfying short story. It is always gratifying to see the story’s conflict resolved
in a neat conclusion. But, as always, the exception makes the rule and this year
the winner of first prize in the Yarram CLC Short Story Competition has an ending which
is uncertain and unsettling.
“Following the Coast” gives a moving insight into the relationship between the writer and
her aunt. Often discomforting in her examination of the failure of her parents to fill her emotional
needs, the writer takes us with her on her journey of growth, joy and pain. Her taut writing style
and lack of sentimentality makes this a raw and sometimes confronting story interwoven with a poignancy
which is maintained until the last sentence.
Second place goes to “Events in a Small Town”, which is a superb example of
the power of plot. This unique story is written in the voice of a pedantic, bitter old
lady who has lost her only chance at love in the small country town the writer depicts
so clearly. As the tale of her brief love affair and traumatic first day in a new job unfolds,
we are caught up in her life and are delighted to find not one but two twists as this clever
story closes.
Congratulations to this year’s winners, and well done to all who entered. Thank you
once again for allowing us to share your stories; we look forward to next year’s
feast! |
