Entering the writer’s world
Some nice entries already this month and a number of them illustrate one of the most important elements of a short story, in fact, any story. The beginning.I have sat through many a judging sessions down the years, on various competitions, and seen how different judges’ approach the task. They all think differently, look for slightly different things, but one thing unites them. They want to be drawn into a story from the very first word.
That could mean a line that intrigues or one that gives you the impression that you, as a reader, have arrived in the middle of something, that you had better sit down quietly and let events unfold.
For me, the best writers are the ones who reach out a hand to you, the reader, and say ‘come on, join me on the journey.’ The stories we have had so far this month do that and some of them do it very well indeed.
Here’s to the journey!
John Dean