What are you doing to sharpen your writing skills? Here is a challenge.
Boise State Public Radio along with the Idaho Department of Tourism and The Story Initiative at Boise State University are sponsoring a writing contest open to anyone with an Idaho story to tell. Here’s the kicker. Stories must be no longer than 120 words and must mention at least one Idaho location.
A short story in 120 words? Is that possible?
Yes. I’ll show you how.
I recently attended a workshop where we were required to write a story spurred by a picture from a magazine. In my picture, two boys stood beside a barn, their cowboy hats tipped over their faces. All you could see was their chins. We had fifteen minutes to write a story. When we were finished, we were instructed to count the words in our story and cut the scene by 25%. We were then instructed to reduce the story to one sentence.
What? Impossible? No, it wasn’t. It did take some creative thinking though, and what I discovered was that paring the story made the heat rise. Every word had to pack a punch.
To illustrate, here is what I wrote:
Jonathan’s hat teetered on his head, always tipped so I could never see his eyes. I’ve know Jonathan since he was a toddler and though he has changed dramatically through the years there has always been one thing constant, the way each straw hat he dons dips slightly so I cannot see his eyes, or whether or not he is listening to me as I speak, or if his eyebrow teaks and twitches when I talk about his sister Cara.
In his younger years, Jonathan’s hats changed rapidly, almost faster than the size of his T-shirts and Levis. His body grew fast, but his head seemed to grow faster, sprouting as if it were trying to grow away from his body. The first hat I remember was a straw cowboy hat his grandmother had given him on his first birthday. It was woven from straw and had a red string that wrapped around his chin.
25% cut
Jonathan’s hat teetered on his head slightly. I cannot see his eyes or if his eyebrow twitches when I talk about Cara.
Jonathan’s hats changed rapidly, almost faster than the size of his T-shirts and Levis. His body grew fast, but his head grew faster, sprouting as if it were trying to grow away from his body. The first hat I remember was a straw cowboy hat his grandmother had given him on his first birthday.
One sentence
Jonathan’s hat teetered on his head like a shadow every time I asked about Cara.
Try it. In 120 words or less, write a story about Idaho. Pick any subject, say the Malad Gorge, and in a stream of consciousness way, write everything that comes to mind about the gorge. Don’t ponder, just free write for fifteen minutes. When you’re finished, begin revising, cutting useless and redundant words like small, very, ly adjectives, etc. Revise again and again until you have 120 words. When you compare the two versions of your story, I bet you will discover that your second version is clearer, tighter, and more powerful.
What are you waiting for? Get busy. The deadline is August 12, 2011.
Here is more information about the contest:
Call for submissions: BOISE STATE PUBLIC RADIO LAUNCHES
‘ONE MINUTE IDAHO’ STORY WRITING CONTEST
Boise State Public Radio (BSPR), along with the Idaho Department of Tourism and The Story Initiative at Boise State University, present “One Minute Idaho,” a writing contest open to anyone with an Idaho story to tell. Stories must be no longer than 120 words and must mention at least one Idaho location. Entries may be mailed or emailed by midnight, Aug. 12. Contestants may send multiple entries.
The “One Minute Idaho” writing contest is part of BSPR’s ongoing effort to engage with the community, and the contest plays a significant role in demonstrating the important contributions individual experiences make to the community and state.
The top three winning stories will be recorded, posted on the BSPR website for download and aired on BSPR stations. Winners also will receive tickets to see Ira Glass, host and executive producer of National Public Radio’s This American Life, at the Morrison Center on Nov. 5, to a reception prior to the main event and an overnight stay at an Idaho bed and breakfast. Glass will select one of three winning stories to read aloud from the stage of the Morrison Center.
For official contest rules and to submit a story, visit
www.iraglassinboise.com.
Source : http://otherbunch.wordpress.com/2011/07/19/short-story-contest-deadline-august-12-2011/
