Overheard At Gotham
Posted on by Josh Sippie

Gotham Writers Stories Everywhere—What Makes A Good Entry?

I often get the question on Twitter, “What makes a good entry in the Gotham Writers Stories Everywhere contest?” Before I answer that, let’s start with what the contest is. For those of you that are unaware, Gotham Writers has a monthly Twitter contest called “Stories Everywhere.” Every month, we give you a theme and ask you to write a 25-word-or-less story on that theme. The winner receives a free Gotham class of their choosing, as well as being posted on our winner’s page.

But that’s as far as the guidelines go, hence the question of what exactly we’re looking for. After all, 25 words is not a lot of space. Here are some musts to start:

  1. Make sure it’s no more than 25 words. We count.
  2. Make sure you include the Twitter hashtag #GWStoriesEverywhere or we won’t see it. You don’t have to tweet at us and you don’t have to include the theme for that month in your tweet.
  3. Proofread. A misspelled word or comma splice is enough to cause an otherwise worthy entry to be passed over.

Now, let’s get into the tips and tricks of building a good entry:

  1. Do not include the theme in your entry. For instance, if the theme is “This pie I had,” don’t start your story with “This pie I had was so good that it…” and so on. It often leads to automatically being looked over. We want the theme to resonate within the story without you having to remind us that it does.
  2. Make sure that your entry is actually a story. Using the pie theme, if your entry is, “This pie I had was so good that I enjoyed it,” you aren’t going to win. That’s not a story, it’s a statement. However, if your entry talks about the first pie you ever had at your grandmother’s house and how every time you catch a whiff of blueberries baking, you’re transported to the seat in her dining room with the photos of you as a child on the wall… that’s pretty good. Now just make that into a cohesive story that stays under the word limit and you’ve got a great chance.
  3. It doesn’t have to sound fancy. We don’t need big words to be impressed by your storytelling capabilities. Use smart, sensible words that tell the story but don’t draw attention to your excessive vocabulary.
  4. That said, make sure it sounds good. Sometimes the best stories have a lyrical component. Through use of such tools as alliteration (so long as it isn’t forced), you can help your story rise above the pack by simply making it a pleasant-sounding story. Words are instruments to be wielded by you, the writer. Don’t just toss them on the page. Give them some melody and rhythm.
  5. A sense of humor always helps. Being able to get a smile from the judges to pair with the depth of your story is never going to hurt your odds.
  6. Lastly, it really does pay to look at the winning entries and see what made them so special. You can do that here.

And that’s it. Happy entering!

 

Josh Sippie
Director of Conferences & Contests

21 Replies to “Gotham Writers Stories Everywhere—What Makes A Good Entry?”

      1. I’m confused. Do we post the story in the submission box where we hit submit on the contest page and also include the hashtag on that form or do we have to tweet it?
        Thanks,
        Sherel

        Reply

        1. Hi there! You don’t have to include the hashtag now that we’ve moved the contest off of Twitter and are only using our submission portal on the website.

          Reply
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  5. Twitter has become far too controversial. How can one submit a #GWstorieseverywhere micro-story without using that platform?

    But, whatever. Here is my micro-story with April 2023’s Rainy Day theme:

    Tramping in the drizzly wilderness, Tanner unexpectedly encounters his big brother, who is not a day older than when he went missing seven years earlier.

    153 characters, 25 words.

    Reply

  6. Good day, thanks immensely for all you do. Please, where can I make the submission for #GWstorieseverywhere, December, 2023 edition.

    Reply

  7. Oops. I’m not part of twitter or X etc. So hopefully this is a work-around. Here’s the story.

    #GWstorieseverywhere I Want Out: “Why? It’s not as if.” “It is!”

    Many thanks. (I could post it on Facebook if that helps.

    Reply

    1. No problem at all. Moving forward you can enter our monthly “Stories Everywhere” contest here, instead of X/Twitter.

      Reply

  8. Like the gentleman above, I am not on X or the like. So, hopefully, if this doesn’t work someone will tell me;

    #GWstorieseverywhere

    My father didn’t teach me to be a good man,
    So I learn how not to be a good

    Reply

  9. Sorry left off the last word

    #GWstorieseverywhere

    My father didn’t teach me to be a good man,
    So I learn how not to be a good man.

    Reply

  10. If I win, will I only be notified via X, the former Twitter? I rarely use X. Is there a particular date to look on X to see if my story won?

    Reply

    1. Hi there. Great question! We’ve actually removed the contest from X/the website formerly known as Twitter entirely for this exact reason. Now you can enter the contest via our own submission portal every month right here.

      Reply

  11. Hi, here’s my submission for June – Menagerie:)
    *Her suitcase swelled with trinkets: a seashell, a postcard, a used shot glass. Amongst them, a miniature cheese grater, gifted by a mime in Montmartre.*

    Reply

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