I will never be a top story or win a challenge

I am still an amateur writer navigating the vocal platform. When someone made a statement that 'winners' are announced on Tuesdays and new challenges are posted on Wednesdays it provoked a thought. "How come my brain hadn't established this connection as yet." This past Tuesday, I woke up anxiously awaiting the results thinking there would be a chance of winning (Let’s blame my close friends and family for rallying behind me in support which I must say isn’t such a bad thing). Once the winners were announced, there was an internal monologue that led to the question, "Did you really think your story deserved to 'win' a challenge or even be considered as a top story?

Let’s begin by saying that there are some amazing writers on the vocal platform. There isn't a day that I am not flawed by their creativity and writing styles. This makes me question sharing my own stories at times. Do I really think that I am on par with this caliber of writers?

Every morning there is a scan through the top story page while I await an imaginary email that congratulates me. No surprise, but it hasn’t come as yet. I say "as yet" in hopes that one day it will change. There is this constant need in humans to compare oneself with another, to even question oneself and to feel jealous. That is something that I experience because I am human too. I do take the time to read some of their stories, but what else can I do?

When it comes to writing, I have not received any formal training. You know the saying “You don’t know until you know” is oh so very true. I recently wrote a piece for the fair winds challenge which I was proud of and allowed it to be critiqued. At first I was crushed when informed that "no one cares if someone was reading a book in the end. The readers want to know what happens to the main character."

My first thought, "That's what I wanted. I wanted to leave them in suspense."

With my feelings set aside, I dug in deeper to dissect the underlying message being relayed. The main takeaway was to focus on the overall structure of my story: my narrative arc (the shape and structure of a story where the goal is to engage the reader and deliver a satisfying conclusion). Instead of an internal Beatdown of how much I suck, I decided to invest some more time in learning about what is a short story and more about its structure.

According to Stephen King "A short story is a different thing altogether - a short story is like a quick kiss in the dark from a stranger."

Here are some things that I have learned about a short story.

1. In the publishing world, a short story is always referred to as fiction. It is usually comprised of no more than 10,000 words with most between 3,000 to 7,000. Short stories in the 1,500 to 3,000 word range are easier to publish and sell. Keep in mind some short stories can be shorter and some can be as long as 20,000 words.
2. The main goal of a short story is to tell a story.
3. It should include an a. Exposition (background information within a short story), b. Conflict (struggle with maybe oneself, others, the environment or the supernatural), Rising Action (series of events that build on the conflict), Climax (the highest point of tension that leads to the resolution of the main conflict, the main character may or may not have achieved their goal) and Denouement (the conclusion or the final outcome where the plot is unravelled and the conflict is resolved). Feel free to be creative with how you use them.

Steps you can take when it comes to writing the short story:

1. Read as many short stories as possible – even hundreds of them. This will give you the opportunity to familiarize yourself with some great pieces of work. Learn from the experts and then try to emulate what you learned. This will help in establishing your own style.
2. Determine the emotion or heart of your story. What is the feeling that you want to evoke in your reader? It is more than just the use of adjectives to convey an emotion, but the way that it is communicated to them. The same emotions that move you will be the ones that move the reader too. The goal is to write a short story that is both meaningful and compelling. This can also include a genre like romance or an idea like life lessons.

1. Once the emotion has been determined, the next thing would be to narrow your scope. The word limit can place restrictions on the number of characters being used, the plot and even scenes within the story when compared to a novel. A short story contains 2 % of a 100,000 word novel and needs to include a beginning, a middle and an end. You can only present a snippet of the main character's journey. Your short story should depict the scene or incident that brings to light the deeper question. Avoiding long descriptive blocks or scenes depicting changes to locations which will help tighten up the story.
2. Spend the time needed to develop a great title. It needs to grab the reader's attention immediately. This will help your short story stand out against competing stories.
3. Include a cast of characters. This can include a main character and supporting characters whose roles are vital to your story. Some characters are based off of people that you know.
4. Develop a scene list and what takes place within a certain period of time and place.
5. Do some research which can help make your story more detailed. Be careful that your research does more to support your story and does not distort what you envisioned. It should strengthen it.
6. Start your story with a hook that immediately grabs the reader’s attention. Sometimes beginning the story In Medias Res (In the middle of things) or in The Fichten Curve (goes straight to the action) can be a great way to lure the readers in. It is recommended that you do not begin with a back story. There should be an element of surprise. This is where you can establish a clear voice or point of view.
7. Write the story based on your development of your main emotion. "Each sentence should be a progression of the story and contribute to the overall mood" according to Edgar Allen Poe. Your main character "needs to be plunged into trouble early on." Get to the problem/challenge/danger that will drive your story and keep the reader's interest.
8. Finish with a strong ending. Ask yourself how would a reader want the story to end. Think about what would make the biggest impact. It shouldn't feel forced. Think of it as the final push of your key emotion to the reader. Once the ending has been written, have some dialogue with yourself. Does the ending make sense? Does it leave a strong emotional impact on the reader? If you are satisfied, then the editing process can begin.
9. Read over your story. While you read, pay attention to how it flows, your plot and character development and if it really conveys the strength of your main emotion. Pay attention to grammar, punctuation, spelling as well as filtering words which can place distance between the reader and the character(s) within the story (I recently learned about filtering words which I am guilty of using and presently working on limiting their use. There is an awesome video called “How to instantly improve your writing l Filtering 101” on YouTube that was recommended to me). Determine if you have made the best word choices and if there are any redundancies within the story. Read it over and over again until it feels right and fulfills all of your objectives. It is said that you need to become a ferocious editor of your own work.

I hope the information above will be as helpful to you as it has been to me during my writing journey so far. As the novelist, short story writer, and comic book author Neil Gaiman says: “Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams. They’re journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner.”

Now does that mean that my future stories will "win" a challenge or maybe even me picked as a top story- who knows? That decision is wholeheartedly made by vocal and its team. What I will continue to do is work on improving my writing.

To all the Challenge Winners and all Top Story authors, A hearty Congratulations to you!!!