If you want to call my head a soapbox, more power to you. For that matter, if you want to be in there while I’m standing on it, you have other issues to deal with. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a soapbox, but who am I to fix a cliché and address you from atop my orange crate?
PowerfulPen asserted some claims in Katrina’s blog entry about the contest’s voting process. I’ve always been about transparency – every vote I’ve ever cast has been announced in an accompanying comment – so I thought I’d explain what I’m looking for. Mind you, this doesn’t apply only to the current contest – this is how I consistently vote on StoryMash chapters. If you don’t care about high marks from me, I’m not offended. If you’d rather I don’t vote for your stories, let me know and we can save each other an orange crate of grief.
What I look for is a story that entertains me. I won’t say “moves me,” because there are stories that piss me off and that’s not a feeling I enjoy. If your primary goal is to antagonize or start trouble (or amass comments, positive or negative), I have better things to do with my time than critique your story. I like to be entertained. Make me laugh, gasp, regret, nervous, nostalgic... Have something dynamic occur. Some people here have expert storytelling abilities but forget to tell a story. A setting, however intricate, does not qualify; something needs to happen.
A good opening line/paragraph is helpful though not crucial. If you’re continuing another chapter, it provides an opportunity to tie that in and move forward. If you’re starting a new story, use it (and the title) to give a whiff of what’s coming. It doesn’t need to be description or exposition – dialogue creates fantastic openers too.
Interaction helps. I’ve read many stories where one character explores their thoughts. Some were quite good. None do I remember as much as when multiple characters build off each other. I did improv for years; while monologues can be captivating and funny, the magic takes place when two or more players work together to build a natural scene. Writing can be a lonely profession (so I’m told), but that doesn’t mean stories have to be about loners and hermits. Even chemically, one element by itself is usually boring. Combine two and you get a reaction.
Reread your story before publishing it. I’ve heard about many authors churning out something quick in thirty minutes and posting it. I’m a fast thinker and a fast typist, so I could do that. But spending an extra fifteen minutes aligning your verb tense, your POV, “listening” to the speech, eliminating extraneous words/sentences/paragraphs that don’t contribute. Streamline. I understand many writers use StoryMash as a quick one-off to purge their head of whatever words haunt them. If you want to improve your skill, rewrite. “Writing is rewriting.” “All first drafts are crap.” Is it the most fun you’ll have? Doubtful – the creative process and euphoria of birthing an idea provide feelings that hard to surpass. But it’s worth the effort.
What about Kerouac? Hunter S. Thompson? James Joyce? Dante? Can’t you emulate their style? Help yourself. Critics have panned their works as much as they’ve panned Stephen King, John Grisham, Jonathan Kellerman, Shel Silverstein, Dr. Seuss, Tedd Arnold, Douglas Adams, Steve Martin, and any authors I tend to enjoy. Everyone has fans. Everyone has people who loathe their work. It’s why art is an art and not a science.
Because of the nature of StoryMash, it’s important to leave options for other authors’ ensuing chapters. Claim some ownership by assigning names to your characters, providing some detail on your setting, and offering a direction. Establish too little and you’re forcing the next guy do all the work. Too much and you’re corralling. Let the story go wherever it may and if you don’t like the path, make your own follow-ups. Any way you slice it, your finishing line/sentence/paragraph (hanger) needs to make me want to read (or write) more.
If you’re writing the final installment on a storyline... um... odds are I haven’t read it. That’s one of my personal peeves with StoryMash and one reason I’m enthused by the current contest. Thou Shalt Not Kill will provide an ending. Kudos to others who’ve gone through that, as it provides an entirely different set of obstacles and challenges to overcome.
When it comes to comments, learn to make meaningful notes and receive criticism without being offended. “I liked your story” doesn’t tell me anything about your story. “I liked your detail work” “I like your dialog” is a small step up. “Your characters remind me of old cousins bickering at a family reunion” is a real comment – it lets me know I accomplished something. (Poorly, if my effort was to write pre-teens discovering their dad’s stash of girlie mags.) Say something about the piece itself; include that in how you reacted to it. I spend so much (too much) time critiquing because of my art school background where I was trained that the best way to improve was to learn from other people’s mistakes. And you can’t learn from them if you don’t understand them. Though there’s plenty on StoryMash that I think is pure drivel (and I’m not referring to Steve Martin’s collection), there’s publishable material here too.
Of all stupid inspirations, I get mine from two sources. Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito. In Throw Momma from the Train, Crystal ’s character, a writing instructor, teaches his students the mantra: “A writer writes.” If you write, you’re a writer. If you don’t, you’re not. In an interview, DeVito said, “Greatness haunts.” If you have a great idea, it won’t leave you alone. Share it and let it haunt others as well.
Good luck, all. Keep writing. Should someone else wish to use my platform, I’m leaving it now to get some writing done.
-- Nash
