As writers, sometimes we submit our beloved short stories to writing contests and it feels as if our stories have been sucked into a black hole. Then, we wait — some of us compulsively check our email for results while others wait so long that we forget which story we submitted in the first place. When the big day finally comes, we frantically scan the contest results. Some of us find our name among the finalists but others aren’t so lucky. When our name is not on that list, and there’s no feedback from the judges, we often feel defeated. What did I do wrong? Was I within reach of an honorable mention or at the bottom of the pile? If only we could pull back the curtain and get a backstage pass to observe the inner workings of the contest.

I recently had the unique opportunity to do exactly that, experience a short story contest behind the scenes. I took off my writer hat and put on my judge hat for the Blue Marble Storytellers 100-Word Short Story Contest. This microfiction contest was part of the Blue Marble Storytellers Writing Conference in Dublin, Ohio that I helped organize. In case you missed it, check out the conference recordings on YouTube and consider registering for the next conference which will take place in Dublin, Ireland on August 10, 2024.

Congratulations to the following writers whose stories placed in the top ten: Thom Brodkin (winner), Cory Brown, Jon Casper, Stephen Drew, Suma Jayachandar, Cindy Strube, Robert Burns, J. I. Mumford, Autumn Shah, and Aeris Walker. 

7 Tips for Winning Microfiction Contests

Read the tips below to learn what the top ten writers did well and what my takeaways were from judging this contest.

Tip #1: Follow the contest rules

When it comes to word count limits, submission deadlines, and prompt adherence it’s best to follow the rules. Some stories were disqualified for obvious rule violations like exceeding the maximum word count or arriving after the submission deadline.

Whether or not a story adequately adheres to a writing prompt can be somewhat subjective but stories that blatantly missed the mark received lower scores. When judges are sifting through dozens, hundreds, or thousands of submissions, each entrant’s attention to detail and compliance with the rules can make or break their chances of excelling.

Tip #2: Don’t treat the title as an afterthought

In microfiction, your title deserves as much consideration as the story itself for several reasons. For starters, titles do not count toward your word count and are therefore free “real estate.” The title should be leveraged as an extension of your story. Think of it as an opportunity to enhance the story and provide extra context clues. In our contest, stories that were submitted without a title received lower scores.

Your title gives the reader the first impression of your story so make sure that it has good “curb appeal” and piques their interest. But, in microfiction your title also has the opportunity to give the reader what I’ll call a “boomerang impression” — this is the uniquely satisfying experience where the title makes a good first impression on the reader and piques their interest so they press on to read a well-crafted micro story that then circles back to the title in a meaningful way thus creating a positive secondary impression and giving the reader a newfound appreciation for both the title and the story.

To see an example of the boomerang impression, check out the micro story titled, Take the Shot, and pay attention to how you feel at the beginning vs the end of the story.

Tip #3: Be specific, clear, and focused

The best microfiction stories focus on a single intriguing event in a character’s life and pull the reader into the story with a clear premise and specific descriptions and imagery. Basing your story on a premise that is unique, vivid, and memorable is much better than one that is vague and boring.

Timing is key with microfiction. Give careful consideration to the scene you’re going to zero in on. The most engaging stories jumped straight into the moment of action or conflict and brought readers along for the ride with immersive details.

Remember, in micro stories, you don’t have the luxury of meandering through an elaborate backstory. Your story should pique the reader’s curiosity and leave them wanting to know more but not to the extent that they’re confused, frustrated, and walking away with a bunch of unanswered questions.

Take a look at the 250-word story titled, ’68 Comeback. We don’t need a long backstory to know that Glenn works in a lab where he is trying to invent a method for time travel. The story focuses on just one of his test trials, out of thousands. The tale is peppered with specificity and sensory imagery. In the end, readers still don’t know exactly why Glenn is trying to travel back in time but they’re left with a sense of satisfaction and curiosity.

Tip #4: Make sure you have a story structure and character arc

Just like any good story, micros still need a beginning, middle, and end — the challenge is to condense the standard story structure into a much shorter word count. A writer’s ability to be brief and concise is paramount in microfiction.

There also needs to be a character arc in your wee little story, at least for the main character. They should leave the story different from how they started. What sort of transformation does your character make over the course of the story?

Let’s take a look at the 250-word romantic comedy story titled, The Mindful Matchmaker:

• Beginning: Colby is at a restaurant waiting for his date to arrive (the scene is being set and there’s already some tension because his date is running late)
• Middle: Colby’s date, Jenessa, finally arrives and things don’t go well for poor Colby (rising tension)
• End: The date ends abruptly and a new love interest is revealed (falling action)
• Colby’s character arc: At the beginning of the story, Colby is feeling eager and optimistic about his long-awaited date with Jenessa. By the end of the story, Colby has learned the harsh reality that his relationship with Jenessa was not what it seemed. But, we’re left with a sense of redemption for Colby as a new love interest enters the scene in the last few lines.

Tip #5: Select words with care

In microfiction, every word counts. Choose words that pack a punch. Compare the sentences below:

Sentence #1: The dog took a drink of water from the bowl. (10 words)

Sentence #2: The dog lapped water from the bowl. (7 words)

The second sentence is more concise and more interesting.

Here’s a list of great words and phrases that appeared in some of the 100-word stories I judged:

• Saunter
• Swagger
• Bewitch
• Disembark
• Macabre
• Indignant
• Squandering
• Vivacious
• Teeter
• Menagerie
• Celestial
• Bulge
• Accosts
• Topple
• Brackish
• Preening
• Prattling
• Fuchsia wings
• Stovepipe hat
• Silver-edged clouds cloak the full moon (Writer: Cindy Strube)
• You advance, moving like a tightrope walker (Writer: Cindy Strube)
• Pulsing a salsa heartbeat (Writer: Robert Burns)
• She purrs (Referring to a woman, not a cat; Writer: Robert Burns)
• Warm saffron light (Writer: Dustin Gillham)
• A gaggle of fur-clad women (Writer: Aeris Walker)
• Her face like a dried-up orange (Writer: Aeris Walker)
• Vomit into a Ficus (Writer: Aeris Walker)
• Lights waver like underwater suns (Writer: Aeris Walker)

Here’s a word of caution though: Avoid using too many obscure words that will require the reader to look up definitions. This can trip the reader up, pull them out of the story, and interrupt the flow of your story.

Tip #6: Dialogue should be authentic, purposeful, and…you guessed it, brief

Microfiction stories don’t have to contain dialogue at all. In fact, half of the stories that placed in the top ten of our contest did not include dialogue. But, if you are going to use dialogue in your micro, make sure it’s unique to your characters — little subtleties and nuances make dialogue feel authentic. Spend some time eavesdropping and observing the way people speak in real life and log what you hear in your idea journal.

When you’re grappling with the word count restraints of microfiction, avoid including dialogue just for the sake of including dialogue. Utilize dialogue for a purpose to advance the plot or reveal something meaningful to the reader and keep it brief.

Consider these lines of dialogue from the beginning of The Mindful Matchmaker:

“Ready to order?” The waitress clicked her pen. (Dialogue is used in this first line of the story to immediately orient the reader to the setting, a restaurant.)

Colby checked his watch. “She should be here any minute.” (Hello, main character! Now we know that Colby is anxiously waiting for a woman to arrive.)

I’ve waited years to land this date. Colby swirled his water like fine wine. A bit longer won’t hurt. (This use of internal dialogue, formatted in italics, gets the reader inside Colby’s head, aids in his character development, and confirms that he’s on a date.)

Tip #7: Keep the point of view consistent

The prompt for our writing competition required the 100-word stories to be written in the second person point of view (POV). Second person POV is a less common choice in fiction writing, and it definitely takes a little practice, but if it’s executed well it creates an immersive experience for the reader by breaking the fourth wall.

In our contest, it was clear that some writers didn’t yet understand how to write in second person POV —others slipped in and out of second person POV throughout their story which resulted in a disorienting reading experience.

Sometimes, in longer works of fiction, the POV will change periodically (at the start of a new chapter, for example) to give the reader a fuller picture. But POV changes aren’t as effective in micro stories.

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I hope these writing tips serve you well in your next microfiction contest! Let’s discuss this topic in the comments. What are your thoughts on these tips? Do you have any additional tips of your own to share?

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