4 lessons from the winners of our Romantasy short story challenge
And what we look for in the winning stories
We just wrapped up our Romantasy Short Story Challenge and announced the winners! In case you missed it, you can read the winning stories here.
Each challenge leaves us in awe of the raw creativity that comes out of the writers who enter. Not only do they come up with entire fantasy worlds (which we want to see in full novels, by the way), but they convey entire stories within just 2,000 words. If you’ve never done that, it’s harder than it sounds.
Here’s the kicker: these 8 page stories also need to include three very specific prompts (ie. an animal companion, a quest for a missing object, etc.).
There is so much that can be learned from the stories that won our last challenge, but for now, we are going to focus on four things. The winning authors of our Romantasy challenge all:
used the prompts creatively
nailed the world-building
told a standalone fantasy story
captured an immersive flow
Looking to enter our next fantasy short story challenge? Make sure to keep reading to get some tips for structuring your submission!
Creative use of prompts
The winners of our short story challenges aren’t just writing great stories. They are also using the prompts we require in a creative way. It’s one thing to include the prompt in a drive-by kind of way just to check off the requirement. It’s a whole other thing to integrate that prompt into the actual storyline and make it an essential part of the plot.
A great example of this is from our 2nd place story: “Barbarian Knight.” We required the writers to include a recurring memory as one of their prompts. Barbarian Knight by Juliette Caruso did not just include a recurring memory, it made the memory a main device in the plot.
balanced world-building vs. storytelling
Since this is a fantasy short story challenge, some amount of world-building is necessary to let the readers know that we are in a fantasy world and not just a fictional version of our world. We’re looking for things like magic systems, mythical creatures, entirely made up worlds/cultures/peoples, etc. Building out a fantasy world in a 400-page novel is one thing. But trying to build out an entire world in just 8 pages is a beast of a challenge in and of itself.
Our winning stories built out worlds that feel real and lived-in. But here’s the key: they didn’t include too much world-building or backstory. With only 8 pages, we can’t afford to spend the first three explaining the backstory before the meat of the story even starts. As readers, we want to get to the point immediately so that we can spend as much time as possible immersed in the story.
Take our third place story for example. The House of Wandering Bone by Morgan Frederick provided us with important context while simultaneously dropping us right into the story line from the very first sentence, all while clueing us in on what to expect for the rest of the story.
Standalone short fantasy story
I’m talking about the basics, here. Beginning, middle, and end. Yes, these stories are short. But they still need to deliver some kind of conflict and resolution to make it interesting and send a message home to the reader.
It is a challenge to write a standalone fantasy short story that doesn’t feel like a chapter out of a novel. But our winning stories did just that. They focus their story on a single event or dynamic. Sometimes even a single interaction. They give only the details necessary to understand the story, and they really drive that story home.
Immersive flow
Another thing you’ll notice in our winning authors is their skillful storytelling. Yes, they all use beautiful prose that is pleasing to read. But it’s more than that.
Something we look for in these challenges is how well the story flowed. As we know from the above points, we’re looking for a delicate balance between world-building and storytelling. The winning stories all managed to find a flow that allowed for both to happen simultaneously and uninterrupted, leaving us with a totally immersive reading experience.
Our first place story, The Sea and Her Moon by Blü Tate told us an immersive, beautiful story, making sure to pull us into the plot before throwing a revealing twist in our faces right at the end.
Ready to give it a shot?
So, thinking about joining our next fantasy short story challenge? Try integrating some of these tips to submit a well-crafted, impactful story that sends a message, leaves your readers in awe, and makes them want to read more!
