summer shorts
TIPS FOR WRITERS
Congratulations! If you're in the For Writers section of the website, you're thinking of entering the 2020 Summer Shorts creative writing competition. That's so cool - we know you've got some fantastic ideas, and can't wait to read what you've come up with.
Maybe you're already an experienced writer, having done lots of stories at school or home. Or perhaps you have some exciting thoughts about characters or themes, but need some pointers to help shape them into a story or poem.
Either way, you might find our creative writing tips helpful. At Summer Shorts HQ we have years of writing and story-telling experience, and these are some of the things we've learnt along the way....
SHORT STORY TIPS
PLAN YOUR WORK. Who is your protagonist? (the central character). What is the basic idea behind your story? Thinking of a snappy description for your story before you start will help make it clear in your mind. Here's some examples.
A boy moves town and makes interesting new friends. But are they real, or ghosts?
The story of the first flower on Mars.
A girl loses her paper round but a chance meeting brings exciting new opportunities.
AVOID CLICHES. The theme of this year's competition is The Beginning. Have a really good think about what you want to write about. Someone starting at a new school is a strong idea, but it's also an obvious one. Can you tell that story in a new way? Quirky, interesting characters are a great way to transform a familiar story idea into something memorable. Better still, interpret the theme of 'The Beginning' in a loose way!
BE SELECTIVE. With short stories, you are limited with the amount of words you can use. Say you want to write about someone going to Mars for the first time. Your story doesn't have to be about the whole journey. Perhaps your 750 words is about the moments before and after the astronaut steps out of his pod onto the Red Planet.
Short stories should still have a beginning, middle and an end. Plan it first, and think about having an element of surprise, or a twist to make your story even more memorable.
TAKE RISKS. Harry Potter was rejected by 12 publishers before it found a home at Bloomsbury. Maybe publishers didn’t get the joys of Muggles, Quiddich and Honeydukes sweetshop. But millions of readers did – and now the books are one of the best-loved series in history. Kids - you have the BEST imagination – use it to create memorable situations and characters.
FIRST LINES. Don't let writing the first line put you off writing anything at all. First lines are TOUGH and often quite daunting to write. The best ones grab the readers attention, but in your first draft, just get something down. You can always go back to your first line and change it to something better.
POETRY TIPS
READ LOTS OF POEMS! We love Roger McGough for his sense of fun and Robert Frost for the beautiful way he writes about nature. Try Maya Angelou's thoughtful, inspirational verse and Paul Lyalls witty poems that tell a story. Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a selection of poems on his website www.simonarmitage.com. We also enjoy Jackie Kay, Wendy Cope, Shel Silverstein and many, many more.
RESEARCH THE MANY TYPES OF POEMS. There are lots of different type of poems, including Acrostic, haiku, limericks, spear and sonnets. Check them out! Many of them have a certain form and shape which will give you a structure within which you can work. Or try free verse which doesn't have any rules at all!
PICK A THEME. PICK A FORM. Funny stories lend themselves to rhythm. Blank verse might be more suited to more serious subjects.
MAKE EVERY WORD COUNT. When you write a poem that is less than 15 lines long, you have to make every word count. There is power in a single word. Are you using the right one? Can you explore an idea with interesting metaphors or similes.