Writers--Make Your Submissions Shine

Today's photo shows a beautiful Thanksgiving Dinner table setting. Look at the care that was taken to coordinate colors, to make the napkins a little fancier than usual, the centerpiece, charger plates and the lovely tablecloth to make the rest stand out. With Thanksgiving only a couple weeks away, there's more than the food to think about, and the table setting is one of them. You strive to make it the best it can be with what you have.

Our writing should be given the same kind of thought and care. When you submit your work to a publication or to a contest, you want it to have the same kind of care that the table setting in our photo has. You may have the basics of your story, but before you submit, you need to add those extra little touches that will make your story stand out.

You'll want to pay attention to the following:

A.  Clarity--you see your story in your mind very clearly, but you must be sure to write it so the reader sees it as you do

B.  Change passive verbs to active ones--of course, you cannot change every single passive verb, but you can upgrade many of your verbs. 

C.  Sensory details--look for places to add sensory details. Don't tell the reader what was seen, heard, smelled, tasted or touche--show them. 

D.  Show, don't tell--as mentioned above for the sensory details, make sure you show wherever you can rather than telling or merely reporting.

E.  Adding or subtracting adjectives--one is good, two is alright occasionally, three is a no-no. Use too many and you lose the thrust of what you're trying to do. And, the piece becomes too flowery.

F.  Use adverbs sparingly--don't tell me Fred said, angrily. Show me Fred's anger without using the adverb. 

G.  Cutting words--cut unnecessary words. Your story will be stronger when you do this.

H.  Mechanics--don't take it for granted that you've spelled every word correctly or have used punctuation in the proper way. Watch your spell check and grammar programs for punctuation if you use one. If you don't have a program to help you identify these problems, look into getting one. Many are free.

J.  Redundancy--watch for repetition of words close together and ideas. 

If you check for all of the above, your story or essay or article will be stronger, clearer, and stands a better chance of being accepted or placing in a contest. You want your submission to shine and make a statement just like the table setting in our photo.