Winning Ways
Hello again, this time from a very soggy Cumbria. Flaming June, where are you? I always feel torn during the summer as I want to be working in the garden, but I also want to be writing, and I haven’t worked out how to do both at the same time … yet! So, this soggy Sunday afternoon lets me write with an easy conscience. Of course, when outside I can still dream up ideas and maybe, between your family/working commitments, that’s what you’ve been doing? Hopefully you have conjured up a plethora of ideas for Hysteria’s 2025 Open Competition (closing date June 30th), and now you’ve just got to get them onto paper and send them to us.
It’s always amazing to see the sheer variety of responses that come into this competition. So many imaginations spinning words into webs that entice and trap the reader within them. Every writer has the same tools available to them, yet we receive such diverse creations. Amazing.
What will make your web the magical winning one?
I wish I knew all the answers!
I don’t … but, through trial and lots of errors, I have learnt a few and I’m happy to share those with you along with some ‘what-not-to-do’ tips.
Every story needs a plot and if you search online for ‘story plots’ you will find lots of links. Investigate and you’ll find that many articles state that there are only six basic story plots. (If this is new to you, it’s worth wandering down the rabbit hole!) Within those six types however there are infinite possibilities providing so much scope to be original. This is one of the secrets to success Be inventive, think ‘what if … ‘, and then let your thoughts ferment like fine wine.
(Some writers rehash myths, legends, bible stories, video/computer game scenarios and film plots. Don’t! Their efforts usually end on the scrap heap!)
Writing a poem?
I believe that poems also need to move, to go somewhere. It doesn’t need to be a sixteen-verse ballad – especially as you are only allowed sixteen lines! – but it should move.
So, now you have your own brilliant idea … but who is going to relate your story or poem?
It’s always worth playing around with this. It’s time consuming but I find it great fun. First person, second person, third person?
- The POV (point of view) of the hero, the villain or the victim?
- Perhaps an inanimate object, an animal or a passer-by telling your tale?
- Maybe there will be multiple points of view? A biased POV? A media POV?
The possibilities abound and taking time to play with those choices could mean the difference between success and failure, especially if you want your work to sound authentic.
… and that leads on to vocabulary choices.
Think about your characters.
Would Cressida, Shazza and Doris speak the same words?
What about Jacko, who has a market stall in the East End of London, and Dr MacGregor, the surgeon residing in Edinburgh?
Of course these are extremes, but you get the idea. Many writers find writing dialogue difficult, but it does bring a story or a poem alive – if it sounds realistic. Your best friend here can be a Slang Dictionary which will help you find or check whether your word choices were actually used at the time in which your work is set, and whether their meanings have changed.
Ben: I saw Lady Gaga last night. She’s sick.
Jamie: Yeah? Wicked.
Colloquial language changes very quickly and it is easy to trip up.
It is also easy to be anachronistic. Even Shakespeare had his Romans listening to a striking clock which had not then been invented (Julius Caesar: Act 2, Scene1). Again, your Favourite search engine is your friend. It is so easy now to check if, for example, President Kennedy could travel by Concorde, or whether your WW2 wife could read Woman’s Own. (answers: No and Yes). Anachronisms – unless deliberately part of your plot – can pull readers from your story and that is the last thing you want.
You may also think that a thesaurus is your best buddy but, please, take care with this feral animal.
It can be either friend or foe!
You know those times when the word you need is on the tip of your tongue, but you just can’t bring it to mind? Then, the thesaurus is your friend. You put in/look up a synonym and, like magic, the word you’ve been seeking appears in front of your eyes. You know it as soon as you see it.
At other times finding the right word is like facing the sample paint cards in B&Q. There are fifty shades of gr…een to choose from. That is when you could be in trouble. Each of those words has a different nuance and if the wrong one is selected, your work can sound ridiculous. Consider the following:-
From their bedroom window they could see the sea.
In my thesaurus, the synonyms of see include detect, perceive, behold, know, grasp, divine, envisage, watch, diocese, forecast, understand, discover, espy, glimpse, spot, visit, usher, escort, fix, make sure, woo, fathom.
There are many others. Many sound ‘better’ than ‘see’ but very few actually fit my intended meaning. How utterly stupid my entry would have seemed if I had made a haphazard choice.
If in doubt, use your thesaurus in conjunction with a dictionary.
You still have over a month to begin, or to polish your masterpieces so there is no need to panic, and my next blog will give you some tips on structure and specificity – those tiny details that can add valuable weight to your piece.
Meanwhile, experiment, enjoy our wonderful language, and ferment those ‘off-the-wall ideas.
Good luck
Gillian