The winner of LitWit Challenge 8.8 is…
revealed at the end of this post.
Notes on the entries. (Read them all here.)
1. Decide whether the story is taking place in the past, the present or the future, pick a tense and stick to it. Constantly switching tenses makes the reader dizzy.
This is especially important if your protagonist lives in the present day but behaves as if it were 1994.
2. Ambition is great, but so is self-awareness. Be honest about your skills level. Do not go for verbal acrobatics unless you are sure you will not land on your face.
Example. They weren’t asexual pods: in fact, they’ve had their fair share of each other’s bodies before they were even engaged. Not having a children after 2 years, it would seem, was an oddity. Or perhaps it was the fact that they have had enough of human flesh that the experience was already boring for them.
The first sentence takes too long to say they used to have sex a lot. The second sentence is windy. The third suggests they are cannibals.
3. Keep it simple. Unless you’re writing an epic fantasy or a farce set in the academe, don’t try to sound like a thesaurus.
Economy is a good thing. Some of you allude to Closer. Consider the most stinging insult in that movie.
Two words: “You. . .writer.” (The clip is in Italian but you’ll get it.)
4. Mind your grammar. When in doubt, consult the spelling and grammar checker on Word or whatever application you’re using. It takes seconds.
It is true that we do not copy-edit letters to our advice columnist. The uncorrected version gives us helpful information on the letter-writer’s state of mind, educational background, etc. If their sentence construction is off-kilter, they can claim emotional distress.
You are trying to win a prize in a contest.
5. “A painting by someone who sounds like a candy brand” only makes sense to people familiar with Goya. Don’t assume that everyone who reads your work is just like you.
6. You watch movies, how delightful. We’re all for dropping film references, but what do Ray and The Aviator have to do with the story? Do the characters have an affinity to blind musicians and germ-phobic billionaires?
7. “Maybe he love her?” Hulk not pleased. Hulk smash!
The winner of LitWit Challenge 8.8: Talk to him is jaime. Congratulations. Please post your full name in Comments and we’ll alert you when your prize has been delivered to National Bookstore in Rockwell.
The Weekly LitWit Challenge is brought to you by our friends at National Bookstore.