Storyteller Tactics: practical use

Inbox surprises

Getting published on paper

Body of Work

There are a few books around with my name on and maybe one day they will be collector's items selling for outrageous prices. I guess they are already, but not in a good way.

There may be a couple more soon. I received a notification that an anthology is coming out with one of my stories in it. A story written to order concerning a most unlikely adventure entirely unclad.

And a notice that an editorial team has been selected for a new Australian collection of speculative fiction to be published by a group in the national capital.

I’ve been watching the process for a while. These folk put out more or less annual anthologies and attract writers from around the world, though of course they are most concerned with Australian authors.

Like me, I guess.

Anyways, I’ve been thinking about a short story for some months. It has a science fiction theme to it, but like a lot of these things, it’s all about the idea, rather than the story. It’s a hook to hang a tale on, and I have only the vaguest notions of the garment, just the things that I want to stick in its pockets.

So, it’s one of those things on the back burner.

The theme for this anthology has just been announced — along with a submission deadline of only a few weeks away, yikes! — and as it happens this theme fits perfectly with my story idea.

I’m going for it!

So now I need a way to make what is really just a clever idea into an engaging, thoughtful, entertaining story.

This is where Storyteller Tactics comes in.

Somewhere in the deck of cards is the answer I need.

The submission process is anonymous. This lot gets submissions from all sorts of writers from base beginners to international publishing superstars.

So everyone is in with a chance.

And I need to bring my game to the very top level, if I’m to have a decent chance.

So that means thinking very carefully about how I structure and present my story.

StoryTeller Tactics is going to be my guru and guide here. The flowchart pictured above is my starting point. I know the answers to some questions, others I need to think about.

Will I share?

Probably not. As I say, there’s a blind judging panel, and if perchance one of the readers stumbles upon a nuts-and-bolts discussion here, then there’s every chance they’ll recognise my story.

Rest assured, I’ll be using my Storyteller Tactics deck to weave my story from whole cloth to intricate tapestry.

Here’s the call for submissions along with information about the process and timetable:

I will track the process privately, and if my story gets up, I’ll share my winning strategy here.

So, hold unto your hats until July.

Right now I’ve got to write. Now.

Britni

The links in this story are affiliates. For most of you, Amazon is probably the only way to get hold of the books these people publish, so there’s that link. This is one of those internal struggle things for me. Amazon is a global resource but I’d very much prefer that you patronise your local bookshop, even if they don’t give me a few cents if you buy something from them. I’ve seen far too many of these magic places fold over the past few years.

For Pip Decks and their Storyteller Tactics card deck, I am wholeheartedly in support of their system. You can spend years reading books on storytelling, attending courses, learning the hard way — and I know some here have done precisely that — or you can use the system (for free, if need be, and I tell you exactly how that can be done) to take a shortcut.