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I've rejoiced on two other forums here, so I'll post here as well. I got the call today that my short story "A Key Turning" won first place in the annual contest held by the local paper. There was a 3k word limit, and 1st place pays $250. They will print the story in its entirety sometime in August. There were 60 submissions this year, and the editor who called had some very encouring words for me. I am ecstatic. This story first saw the light of day in the 'writer's forum' here at Hatrack. It is also my first sale.
I feel like I am giving an awards speech and my wife has already said "you're talking like you are a big time writer now". I don't care. I'm too overjoyed.
One thing I would like to say, in all seriousness, is how much I appreciate this site. I don't know if I would have even placed if I hadn't had it critiqued in the workshop first. The final draft was very different from the first. Also, I used a technique that OSC mentioned in a preface in his MIAM collection. He said that when something is represented by a physical object in a story, that the word itself should never appear. I used a lock (a seabag lock passed from a father to his son) to represent forgiveness. I never use the word 'forgiveness' or any form of 'forgive' in the story, but that's what the story wound up being about. I think this made the story much more powerful. Now let me go see if I can get some sleep.
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Yes, not naming a vague-yet-powerful concept is a powerful technique because that concept will become jealous and flaunt itself shamelessly. It will show up whenever you call it by simply not mentioning it -- it hears the unsaid words.
Posts: 697 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
It went Online today! So, check it out. Though it's now published, any feedback is always welcome. The paper version was in Sunday's edition and looked really good. They had some great photos to illustrate it and somehow managed to make me sound coherent during the interview. I was very pleased.
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Thanks guys. Thanks Survivor, I wasn't entirely pleased with the transitions myself. The story was a bit crunched due to the word limit. The rules stated a 3000k upper limit--not a lot to work with. I cut away a lot of stuff to get inside that, but what you gonna do?
Posts: 46 | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
Now that the contest is behind you, perhaps you could re-expand the story and submit it to new markets as a reprint. Make sure to mention that you are submitting an expanded version of your contest winning story, "A Key Turning".
Posts: 1473 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
actually, I meant 3k or 3000, not 3000k. But it looks like you guys figured that out. Now if I can't get all my details into a 3000k word story, then I am definitely too long winded.
The original version of this story did have a sci-fi element, but after I removed it, the core of the story still stood on its own...so I actually wonder if the sci-fi element was even necessary or good.
As for resubbing, maybe later if I can find a market that goes for such a thing. Right now I'm tired of this one and want to get started on my next...oh yeah and continue to hack(no pun intended) away at my novel.
By the way, one of the definitions of science fiction is that if you can take out the science fictional elements and still have a story, it really isn't a science fiction story. In other words, a true science fiction story is one that can only be told as a science fiction story.
I don't necessarily agree with that definition, because I think it's interesting to retell a non-SF story as science fiction (consider some of the stories people came up with for the rewrite challenges), but it's something to consider when you write a story.
If you can remove the science fictional stuff (or if you can remove the magical stuff, in the case of a fantasy) and it still works, then maybe it really just needs to be a regular story.
Or maybe the science fictional or fantastical stuff will add something new and interesting.
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Well, for most stories you could replace the SF elements with Fantasy elements. They wouldn't be SF anymore after that, but that doesn't mean that they weren't SF in the first place.
If you think of the classic "space opera", the idea is that it could have been a Western. But it couldn't have been a "contemporary" story. The "larger than life" conflicts or characters required would simply be grotesque rather than compelling.
In other words, if you've got a plot that is strange and other-worldly, than it can fit into any of the genres that are defined by telling exotic tales rather than mundane stories. Espionage, Western, Historical (of several varieties), and so on are all wasted on stories that could just as easily (or believably, I should say) be told without those elements. SF and Fantasy aren't really special cases.
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Here is an example. Larry Niven's story "Convergent Series" You can consider it either science fiction (mathematics) or fantasy (demon). Remove either one, what's left? Nothing.
Posts: 2 | Registered: Aug 2010
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