EMAILS
Enquiries: info@thamesvalleywriterscircle.org
© Thames Valley Writers’ Circle
Created with Xara Designer Pro+
Iain Pattison’s Own Words On Short Stories
Iain and NAWG
Iain has judged the NAWG short story competition. Below is the advice he gave
to potential participants - as published in NAWG’s Link magazine.
As a judge of the open short story category, what will I be looking for? Quite
simple - a story with wow factor. I want to read a yarn that dares to be
different, oozes originality, that isn’t a wet, limp, retread of all the bland
magazine stories I’ve ever seen.
Give me escapism. Give me drama. Look beyond the mundane and the
ordinary. Be witty be adventurous. If you like, explore dark, meaty themes and
deep emotions.
Whatever you write about, be bold, be intriguing, be attention grabbing and
surprising. Aim for language that is tight and economic - avoid over-blown
description or florid, pretentious self-consciously clever word play. Keep it
simple. Keep it moving.
Never forget that it is a story, not a character sketch or vignette - plot is vital.
Dramatic, upsetting, amazing things have to happen to the main character. He
or she has to be sucked into the events unfolding and play a significant part in
resolving whatever dilemma or crisis has engulfed them.
Give yourself time to hone work. I want to see work that is polished. Don’t
knock it out in a panic a few days before the closing date.
Iain and TVWC
One of the Circle’s highlights each year is the Barbara Olive Smith Memorial Trophy which was, for many years, judged by Iain who also provided a critique for each entry. These quotes give an insight into Iain’s preferences. The quotes are from an interview he did for The Word Hut web site.How would you describe your writing style?
Quirky and zany (if people still say things like zany) with a drop of satire thrown in. I try to make my stories Spartan, fast paced and exciting while machine gunning as many gags as possible. I love twist endings and always aim for an emotional response from my readers – even if it’s only a loud groan.Who is your favourite author and what is it that really strikes you
about their writing?
The late Terry Pratchett. He was a god and I worship his memory. Some people sneeringly dismiss his Discworld books as being simply fantasy or comedy, but he had a spookily insightful understanding of how people really think and act, both as individuals and groups. He said more about the human condition in one chapter than Dickens did in all his works … and got more laughs.
EMAILS
Enquiries: info@thamesvalleywriterscircle.org
© Thames Valley Writers’ Circle
Created with Xara Designer Pro+
Iain Pattison’s Own Words On Short
Stories
Iain and NAWG
Iain has judged the NAWG short story
competition. Below is the advice he gave
to potential participants - as published in
NAWG’s Link magazine.
As a judge of the open short story
category, what will I be looking for? Quite
simple - a story with wow factor. I want
to read a yarn that dares to be different,
oozes originality, that isn’t a wet, limp,
retread of all the bland magazine stories
I’ve ever seen.
Give me escapism. Give me drama.
Look beyond the mundane and the
ordinary. Be witty be adventurous. If you
like, explore dark, meaty themes and
deep emotions.
Whatever you write about, be bold, be
intriguing, be attention grabbing and
surprising. Aim for language that is tight
and economic - avoid over-blown
description or florid, pretentious self-
consciously clever word play. Keep it
simple. Keep it moving.
Never forget that it is a story, not a
character sketch or vignette - plot is vital.
Dramatic, upsetting, amazing things
have to happen to the main character.
He or she has to be sucked into the
events unfolding and play a significant
part in resolving whatever dilemma or
crisis has engulfed them.
Give yourself time to hone work. I want
to see work that is polished. Don’t knock
it out in a panic a few days before the
closing date.
Iain and TVWC
One of the Circle’s highlights each year is the Barbara Olive Smith Memorial Trophy which was, for many years, judged by Iain who also provided a critique for each entry. These quotes give an insight into Iain’s preferences. The quotes are from an interview he did for The Word Hut web site.How would you describe your writing style?
Quirky and zany (if people still say things like zany) with a drop of satire thrown in. I try to make my stories Spartan, fast paced and exciting while machine gunning as many gags as possible. I love twist endings and always aim for an emotional response from my readers – even if it’s only a loud groan.Who is your favourite author and what is it that really
strikes you about their writing?
The late Terry Pratchett. He was a god and I worship his memory. Some people sneeringly dismiss his Discworld books as being simply fantasy or comedy, but he had a spookily insightful understanding of how people really think and act, both as individuals and groups. He said more about the human condition in one chapter than Dickens did in all his works … and got more laughs.
Short Stories
