A straight shot to this WRiTE CLUB judge’s heart

OK, people, it’s two weeks into submissions for DL Hammons’ annual WRiTE CLUB challenge. And after several years of participation in WRiTE CLUB, the readers’ choice writing contest, I’m now on the inside as a judge (aka slushpile reader). There’s some amazing stuff coming in – and some I wish had been tweaked just a little more. It’s made me think deeply about what I as a reader want to see from writers.

A little over two weeks in, I've seen about 50 submissions, with the vast majority of the expected 200 or so still to come – most in the final week, ending April 14. Each will be read by me, and the other 19 judges before readers at large have a chance to vote. So, taking a tip from several of my 20 fellow judges' Twitter postings here's a list of five things that will make me say Yes! to a 500-word writing sample.

1.     An authentic human character 

2.     Who wants something

3.     And is willing to go through hell to get it

4.     And tell us about it with clarity 

5.     And honesty

image: TeroVesalainen on Pixabay

Darn, you say, stopping at item #1. Your main character is an anthropomorphic animal, a supernatural being, even an inanimate object. (Not that I’ve seen those yet, but it’s still early days.) Fear not. Pick the closest thing to a human trait your nonhuman character has and work it, baby. Work it even harder if your main character is a cliché, a generic (fill in the blank), or has all the depth of a wet Kleenex. 

And please, PUH-LEEZ make her/him/them/it desire something. It can be the most godawful thing you can imagine, as long (at least initially) as the character is willing to work to gain it. Maybe she wants to be king. Maybe they just want to live to the end of their tour of duty. Maybe he wants to strike the match that will keep him from freezing to death. Just, for the love of dog, make them do something. I’ll give you a little leeway for backstory or navel-gazing. Maybe two sentences, three tops. Then get those characters up and working to achieve their heart’s desire.

So, about that clarity thing – what I mean is, don’t confuse me. Hey, I got 200 more stories to read! How much time do you think I got to figure out what the h--- you’re trying to say? Much as I love you, I – and all of us – have jobs with bosses who nag if we clock in two minutes late, income tax forms to fill out, yards to mow, casseroles to cook, baby diapers to change. Give us the story in some orderly fashion, with phrases and sentences that follow each other in logical and/or chronological order. Say what you mean and don’t make it too fancy.

And don't try to pull the wool over my eyes. Characters can lie, authors never. Sure, you can put lies in the mouths of your characters, in fact, make those characters lie their heads off, but you'd better play straight with us readers. That "it was all a dream" stuff? Forget it. (Which doesn't mean that you must tell everything you know up front. Suspense is great, but tell us what we need to know when we need to know it.)

What have I left out? Oh, that “voice” thing everybody is so crazy about. You have it already. Everybody does. It’s not a matter of jumping through a bunch of literary hoops. If you write characters who are true to themselves down to their toenails, their voice, your voice – your story’s voice – will come through like Caruso.

And considering I’m usually such a grammar Nazi, why haven’t I even mentioned spellcheck? Or grammar check? Or punctuation? I file all that the heading of “clarity.” Because if I have to spend too much time trying to figure out what the heck word you have in mind, well. . . color me grumpy.

There is one thing I’ve seen others mention that, frankly, I don’t give a flying flip about. It’s formatting. Who cares if you single space, double space, indent paragraphs or put two spaces in between? OK, your agent will care, but that’s not me. Follow the guidelines on the agency website. Oh, and give yourself a pat on the back. You’re writing! You’re submitting! Yay, you!

***

Lost you yet? Remember, I’m only one of 20 slushpile readers for WRiTE CLUB. (Which you're probably thankful for by now.) Join all 20 of us, Tuesday, April 2, from 6-7 p.m. CDT for a big ole Twitter party for tips, bits from favs, and more. You'll find us under the hashtag #WRiTECLUBDFW. And check out the WRiTE CLUB site for all the glory that could be yours from participating!