Showing posts with label Contest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Contest. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Flash Fiction Contest
I came across a Flash Fiction Writing contest the other day, which is something I'd not heard about before. (There are many things I've not heard about.) Austin Briggs offers a monthly contest where entrants respond to a prompt with a 55-word-maximum story. Yes, 55 words max. It intrigued me, and on a deadhead leg from Las Vegas home to Seattle I wrote two.
Mr. Briggs further requires a setting, one or more characters, some conflict, and a resolution. Oh yes, the title can be no more than seven words, and it does not count toward the 55 word maximum.
It certainly causes one to focus on what's important and agonize over each word chosen or struck out. In that way it reminds me of my 10+ drafts of Redemption on the River, and the word count reduction from 220,000+ to the current 155,000. Yes, I've agonized over each and every word of the whole manuscript over and over again.
My entries are The Red Balloon and Kick Me, but rather than show them here I'll link to the Mr. Briggs' September Flash Fiction Contest. Oh, yes, he also offers a cash prize to the winner.
P.S. One more thing: I like the looks of his book Five Dances With Death, and have added it to my eBook List.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Sucky Synopsis
How's that for a mature, well-reasoned title for a blog post?
Write a synopsis for my book? No problem, right? After all, I wouldn't tackle writing a novel if I didn't think I could kinda sorta write decently, and who better to synopsize a book than the author?
Holy crap.
I researched and read articles and reviewed examples of agent-procuring synopses and got right to it. I produced Overboard Synopsis 1.0, printed it and handed it to my wife, SFF. She read it and summarized it with, "Well, there are a couple of sentences I thought were okay."
Ouch.
After peeling away that trying-to-be-nice layer she admitted frankly that she thought it sucked. So, we went over it together, line by line, and by the end of it I had to agree with her. So, I buckled down to the keyboard, took all the constructive criticism aboard and produced Overboard Synopsis 1.4, which she is reading as I type this.
While I await the verdict, here are some synopsis-related links:
Nathan Bransford on Writing Synopses
Write a synopsis for my book? No problem, right? After all, I wouldn't tackle writing a novel if I didn't think I could kinda sorta write decently, and who better to synopsize a book than the author?
Holy crap.
I researched and read articles and reviewed examples of agent-procuring synopses and got right to it. I produced Overboard Synopsis 1.0, printed it and handed it to my wife, SFF. She read it and summarized it with, "Well, there are a couple of sentences I thought were okay."
Ouch.
After peeling away that trying-to-be-nice layer she admitted frankly that she thought it sucked. So, we went over it together, line by line, and by the end of it I had to agree with her. So, I buckled down to the keyboard, took all the constructive criticism aboard and produced Overboard Synopsis 1.4, which she is reading as I type this.
While I await the verdict, here are some synopsis-related links:
Nathan Bransford on Writing Synopses
The verdict is in: SFF allows as how the synopsis is significantly improved.
Why the big press when the novel itself is only in version 2.24? It's because the PNWA contest requires a synopsis and the entry deadline is tomorrow. At the very least I'll have some synopsis experience and a basis to start from once I consider the book finished and agent querying begins.
SFF is reviewing Synopsis 1.5 right now and I need to get crap done.
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