Lost, Then Found
A Pursuit of Jade-inspired Reedsy short-story contest
Calling all writers! This week I’m doing a take-over of Reedsy’s short story contest Reedsy Prompts. You can find my five Pursuit of Jade-inspired prompts in their weekly newsletter. More below on my choice of prompts, but for those who want to jump in on the action, here’s the TLDR:
Deadline: May 29 at 11:59 PM EST
Prize: US$250 and my feedback
Create free Reedsy Prompts account here
Word count: 1,000 - 3,000 words
Open to anyone around the world aged 18+
Any genre
Entry fee: US$5
Growing up, I was a voracious reader. Chonky spines on the library shelves were my go to so the book would last as long as possible. It didn’t matter what genre, only that the story pulled me in. Since I came to writing later in life (my debut came out the year I turned forty) when I started my first manuscript I knew what I liked to read but had zero understanding of craft. Thanks to ADHD, once my brain hooks into something, my focus becomes quite intense so I spent quite a few years reading piles of craft books, took classes galore, and broke down novels and movies to analyse story structure and figure out what made a story tick.
I’ll offer the following caveat: my understanding of craft continues to evolve with experience, practice, and curiosity. I’m constantly learning and trying to improve my craft, which for me, makes writing a fun, challenging adventure. However, each creative’s pov is their own, so ymmv. Use what works for you!
With the above in mind, I currently separate the elements of story into two broad categories:
1) The scaffolding. This is the story structure and story props. Story structure is the organisation of the story itself, be it three act, four act, cyclical, framed; it also includes the general archetypes populating the story, such hero, villain, mentor, support, love interest, etc, and any required genre conventions.
Parasite the movie really drove home that I love a good qichengzhuanhe structure (better known by its Japanese term, kishotenketsu) and prefer revelations to conquest, though I still do love a great battle scene! Short stories have far more flex to play with structure.
Props are easiest to explain in terms of film-essentially anything used on a set which isn’t an actor. This includes light, colour, scent, sound, tangible objects such as tables, clothes, as well as leitmotifs which can add subtext and tension. Thinking of elements as props reminds me to not simply treat them as static set dressing, but as elements for a character to interact with. I like to use them to do double and triple duty, adding atmosphere and/or subtext and/or underscoring an emotional state.
Example 1: She sat at an empty table in the sun. vs. She lay her head on the sun-drenched table, the wood warm against her cheek.
2) The second category is the heart of the story: the character’s choices and reactions which create the emotional spine of the story. A short which broke me is Ken Liu’s 2011 “The Paper Menagerie” exploring the isolation of growing up biracial and dual heritage, compounded by language barriers. The choices and reactions of first the little boy, and then the man he grows into, are heart wrenching, and so beautifully executed.
For this week’s short story contest, the prompts explore the theme of Lost, then Found which echoes throughout the drama Pursuit of Jade and are a chance to have fun with structure, props and heart.
The deadline is 29 May 11:59 PM EST. The story should be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and can be any genre. Entry fee is US$5 and is open to anyone around the word aged 18+.
Longlist shared 3 June. Winner and runners up announced shortly thereafter!
I’m really looking forward to reading your stories! Good luck and happy writing!