On the basis of the entries for the first six Pier Pressure writing competitions, our most important advice is: do not think you have finished when you have written out your story for the first time. Even geniuses revise. And, sorry to say, the chances of you being a genius are as slim as ours. Perhaps that's what makes them geniuses: the 90 per cent perspiration to fulfil the 10 per cent inspiration. So: rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.

Technique
And while you are rewriting, check your grammar, spelling and punctuation. You owe it to your readers to be accurate and clear. If in doubt about a spelling, look it up. And if you are one of the unfortunate generation who went through the English state education system during that period when grammar, syntax and punctuation were regarded as unnecessary—which means most people between the ages of 20 and 40—make up for it now by reading a good book or two on the subject. For example, Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots and Leaves is 99.9 per cent reliable and very readable.

The novelist John Fowles wrote this in The Times (12 October 1985) as an introduction to a writing competition:
    'There is only one fault that every writer must learn to lose: and that lies in the clumsy use of language. ... Nine times out of 10 the largest fly in the ointment is poor technique: poor spelling, poor punctuation (a dying art), wrong use of words, bad grammar, and all the rest of it. One is never forgiven for pointing this out.
    'A writer who doesn't know (and love) words has no more excuse than a carpenter who doesn't know his tools—or the different character of woods. ... If you would work in printed words, you must learn to use them, to feel them. ... One day you will realise that the true rewards of writing lie inalienably in the writing itself.'

Be warned: The judges take literary competence into account, deducting points for sloppy spelling, grammar, punctuation and structure. So don't spoil a good story through poor presentation.

Be different
Your story needs to stand out from all the other entries. Partly this may come through writing style but even good technique applied to the same old story is unlikely to make a strong impression. You'd be amazed (and depressed) by the number of entries in each of the Pier Pressure competitions that have told virtually identical stories.
    Be bolder in your conception. If you read a lot (as you should—avidly) try reading a wider range of types of literature. Read the great short story writers, the more contemporary the better, to learn what makes their stories stand out. Then avoid copying them!

Length
The rules of the competition specify a maximum length for a story. Maximum does not mean target. When an entry proudly proclaims a total falling just short of the maximum—or even worse '1,250 words exactly'—it implies that the story has been written for length rather than content, and suspicions are raised. If the story's natural length is more than the maximum, better not to consider it as an entry and write something else. In all previous competitions the winning entries have been shorter than the maximum.

Joined-up writing
If you haven't already, think about joining a creative writing course. With a good tutor and a group of like-minded people to give you support and constructive criticism, your writing could improve rapidly. Such courses are also often among the first to know about writing competitions and are also familiar with the magazines and other outlets in which your work might appear.

Alternatively, or additionally (or even better subsequently), join a writing group. For a list, visit the websites of the National Association of Writers Groups or Writers-circles.com. [Links open in new pages]

Other help
There are a number of useful books about creative writing that are available in most larger bookshops. A couple worth mentioning are How to Write Damn Good Fiction by James N Frey and The Creative Writing Course Book by Julia Bell and Paul Magrs. But have a browse along the bookshop shelves to find one that looks inspiring.

Finally, the BBC has a section on its vast website for new writers. Although the BBC has its own reasons for wanting to encourage talent to fill its voracious creative appetite, the Get Writing site has a lot of good advice, although the forum aspect is apparently to be wound up. And it's free!

Enjoy your writing and when you have something to show for it, enter the next Pier Pressure competition.

Click here to return to the competition page