How to Write a Killer Short Story for a Vocal Challenge.

So a new Vocal challenge has popped up, this time asking you to write a short story. Eager to get started you read the guidelines and examine the prompt. A couple of ideas already start taking shape in your head.

"I got this" you say, clicking the 'create story' button with determined optimism. You're suddenly greeted with a daunting blank page and find you have absolutely no idea where to begin. You may even begin assessing your worth as a writer (guilty!) and the whole experience can leave you feeling a little discouraged.

But you're an amazing writer! 90% of what makes a great writer is passion and finding a writer on vocal who writes for the money is few and far between. So, before we get started on getting you ready to write your Vocal challenge masterpiece, here's a little reminder: you're doing great and that writing anything at all, no matter the quality is half the battle.

Here's how write a killer short story for a Vocal Challenge.

1. Have an Outline

Outlining your short story is a necessity. When writing a novel or a long story, I find you can wing it a little and mess about with the overall structure but fitting a story into 6,ooo words can often prove more difficult than you'd think. You don't have to have everything mapped out to perfection but make sure you have a general plan, including a beginning, middle and end.

Ps. There's multiple ways to layout your story, from the Fichtean Curve (skipping over exposition and inciting incidents, going straight into the action) to In Media Res (starting your story in the middle of the narrative, with some sort of major crisis occurring)

2. Be Unique

One of the main causes of grief from Vocal Challenges based on writing short stories is the lack of direction. The guidelines and prompts are vague and leave either too much or too little to the imagination.

But what if I told you that's the best part?

Having such loose boundaries is an amazing pro when it comes to writing a short story. It limits the possibility of your entry being too similar to someone else's and allows your creative chops to truly shine. On top of this, uniqueness is one of the main elements your story will be judged on so never be afraid to get a little crazy with it.

(Maybe writing short stories isn't your strong suit but that doesn't mean you can't write an incredibly unique and vibrant tale. Just because you may not be the best or most proficient writer, don't let that stop you from wowing the judges with your heart, passion and personality. Never shy away from showing your unique essence in, not only the short story challenges, but in every Vocal story you do.)

3. Have Heart

Eliciting an emotive reaction from the judges and other readers from your story isn't as hard as it sounds. Really. In fact it's quite simple.

Be yourself.

Yeah, pretty washy advice that can be taken kinda indefinitely. I'll break it down a little better. Be yourself and... nah, that's pretty much it. Telling a story from the heart relies on you telling it from, well, your heart. Use the prompts to write a story personal to yourself, your life and your passions. Trust me, it'll shine through even in a short story.

Just like uniqueness, heart and passion are elements that the judges are always looking at when picking winners so put a little effort into making sure your story expresses you the way you want to express yourself.

4. Check your spelling/grammar

Although this should apply to every Vocal story you write, it should be something you take particular care with when writing a short story. When you're in the heat of writing, mistakes are gonna happen. Not only do they make your story look a lot less appealing, mistakes can also take you out of the experience entirely and that's the last thing you want.

Whether it's spelling or grammar, take the time to double check your entry when you're done so it can be appreciated by everyone the way your awesome story deserves! Try to finish your story at least a few hours before the deadline so you can take a break and check for any mistakes with a clear mind.

5. Try and try again

Finally, don't be afraid to enter a hundred times if that's what you feel like doing, especially with short story challenges. The judges won't mind! Don't try squeezing six amazing story ideas into one; instead, take the time to develop each one to a point you're happy with and write it! Each one deserves to be told to the best of your ability and you're only increasing your chances of success with every entry.

This is another reason why I wouldn't recommend leaving your entry/entries till the last minute. It adds unneeded stress and can often make you write to a lower quality.

And there you have it. As always, I hope this little guide helped you and feel free to leave a tip. Anything you can spare is incredibly appreciated. Click the little picture of me for more content just like this. Thank's for reading!