Compel Fiction and Narrative Nonfiction Readers to Turn the Page!

This neat little piece of advice is brought to you from the blog of Michael Larsen-Elizabeth Pomada Literary Agents. Although it mainly applies to fiction novel writers, short story writers would do well to heed its message.


The first page sells the book. The last page sells the next book. –Mickey Spillane

Agents, editors and book buyers only read far enough to make a decision.
If they don’t like what they read on page one, they won’t turn the page.
Book buyers may not read the second sentence of a book in a bookstore.
This leads to the need for “The S Theory of Storytelling” for fiction and narrative nonfiction that writers want to read like novels:

Style
Story
Setting
Someone
Something
Something Said
or Something Else
on page one must be compelling enough
to make agents, editors, and book buyers turn the page.

Your book will compete with all of the ways consumers can use their free time and discretionary income.
So every word you write is an audition to get your readers to read the next word.
Every line you write must convince your readers to read the next line.
Assume you have only one sentence to convince browsers to keep reading.
Every page you write must arouse enough interest to keep readers turning the page.
And you face that challenge on every page you write except the last one.
The last page must make readers want to read your next book.

Michael Larsen-Elizabeth Pomada Literary Agents
Helping Writers Launch Careers Since 1972

Nik

Comment from Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I'm reading 'Strange Pilgrims' by my favourite author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and wanted to share this with you:
" The effort involved in writing a short story is as intense as beginning a novel, where everything must be defined in the first paragraph: structure, tone, style, rhythm, length, and sometimes even the personality of the character. All the rest is the pleasure of writing, the most intimate, solitary pleasure one can imagine, and if the rest of one's life is not spent correcting the novel, it is because the same iron rigour needed to begin the book is required to end it. But a story has no beginning, no end: either it works or it doesn't. And if it doesn't, my own experience, and the experience of others, shows that most of the time it is better for one's health to start again in another direction, or toss the storyin the wastebasket. Someone, I don't remember who, made the point with this comforting phrase: 'Good writers are appreciated more for what they tear up than for what they publish'"

RTN SHORT STORY COMPETITION

Look out for the next issue of Round Town News. There's a September short story competition and the winner gets a laptop computer. Full details to follow soon.

Nik

Writing Competitions - July thru September 2009

WRITING COMPETITION NEWS – JULY-SEPTEMBER 2009
Shown by deadline date. Remember, unless otherwise stated, double-space with one-inch margins on one side of paper and number your pages; use a cover sheet to show story/poem title, word-count, your name, address and tel-no, e-mail address; do not put your name on the manuscript/entry itself. Don’t forget to check out the ‘Writing Competitions’ link on this blog.

Reader’s Digest – top market for humour. In each issue they publish jokes, quotes and humorous anecdotes and pay $100. Submit through the website www.rd.com/submitJokePage.do#guidelines

July 31, 2009
Hay-on-Wye short story competition
Words: 2,000
Theme: Lost
Prizes: £400, £200, £100
Fee: £6 (cheque payable to Hay & District Community Support. Plus entry form ;download from http://www.hayshortstory.com).
Details: Send to: Hay & District Community Support, Oxford Road, Hay-on-Wye, Hereford, HR3 5AL

August 3, 2009
Over the Edge short story and poetry competition
Words: 3,000 story; 40 lines max poem
Theme: Any
Prizes: €300 each for story & poem
Fee: €10, multiple entries €7.50 per entry (must not have a book published) – cheque payable to ‘Over the Edge’
Details: Send to: Over the Edge, New Writer of the Year competition, 3 Carbry Road, Newcastle, Galway, Ireland

August 31, 2009
Salopian Open Poetry competition
Words: 40 lines max
Theme: Any
Prizes: £200, £100, £50 plus 3 x £30
Fee: £3 per poem – plus send entry form (downloaded from www.salopianpoetrysociety.webeden.co.uk)
Details: Entries to be sent to the competition secretary: Roger Hoult, 5,Squires Close,Madeley,Telford, Shropshire, TF7-5RU.

August 31, 2009
Wellington Short Story competition
Words: 4,500 max
Theme: Any
Prizes: £150, £100, £75
Fee: £3 (payable to Wellington Town Council)
Details: Post to: see entry form downloaded from http://www.wellington-shropshire.gov.uk/Short+Story+2008.htm

August 31, 2009
‘Sinful’ short story competition
Words: not known
Prize: £100
Theme: Light-hearted stories on one of the seven deadly sins of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.
Obtain entry form from Town & Village Magazine, 6 Whittle Road, Ferndown Industrial Estate, Wimborne BH21 7RU

September 30, 2009
Rape and Abuse Line short story competition
Words: 1,500-1,800
Theme: Story to begin with ‘If only someone had listened…’
Prizes: £200, £100, £50
Fee: £4 plus entry form (download from www.rapeandabuseline.co.uk); staple sheets together
Details: RAL Short Story Competition, PO Box 10, Dingwall, Ross-shire, IV15 9HA

Best of luck!
Nik