By Evan J
Photo by Evan J
As the Cloud Lake Literary Fiction Editor, I can confidently claim that our submissions never lack creativity. The submission pile is full of stories with premises that shock and excite me. But a unique premise is only part of the recipe for a good story. A publishable story requires all of its literary elements to be well crafted.
It’s like cooking. To be a good chef, you must know every flavour and how they work together. Even if you have a beautiful cut of meat, you must still know what combination of flavours is appropriate for the meal. You must know how the flavours will interact. You must know how to cook these flavours in a balanced and proper manner. If you misjudge even one single flavour, or if you cook in an improper sequence, the meal will taste odd and unbalanced. More than likely the meal will be forgettable. Or worse, ruined.
If this cooking metaphor was too elongated to follow, here’s the code: The chef is the author. The flavours are writing elements. The meal is the story. Balance is, well, balance.
What I’m saying is, to create a successful story the author must employ the appropriate writing elements. These elements are (in no particular order): syntax, sense, diction, sentence length, metaphor, meaning, sound, rhythm, speed, passion, tension, tone, discipline, weight, and pressure. Notice how I didn’t even list plot, characters, or setting? To continue our cooking analogy, those three fiction writing elements are simply fundamental, like a wok and tongs; without them we can’t even begin cooking. Furthermore, good quality cookware is vital to making great food.
To accept a submission to our journal, I’m looking for a story that is well crafted. The author must be serious about their technique; they must know and care about these writing elements and employ them appropriately. There must be balance in the story.
Without doubt, learning how to employ these writing elements is challenging. If it was easy, my job as an editor would be very difficult. But if you want your work to stand out, you must make it stand out. You must work hard, write several drafts, assess your work from the perspective of every writing element in your repertoire, and then edit appropriately. And if eventually you get the balance right, the story will get published. Guaranteed.
To quote Wallace Stevens, “technique is the proof of your seriousness.” Now show me how serious you are.