Spring 2015
Decisions about subject matter are also inextricably linked to the perceived audience, and to what
effect the writer is trying to achieve. If it is simply about “a good story” in the narrative sense, the
conventional pattern of beginning, middle and end is what most readers will be expecting, and if the
settings, characters and events have a sufficient authority and authenticity about them, the reader is
likely to engage with the story, take it at face value and enjoy it.
If the writer is seeking to make a point or further a cause, more subtle calculations are required.
Preaching or tub thumping will tend to put readers off, as will a bias which ignores any contradictory
views or facts. If the writer wants the reader to sympathise or empathise with experiences in past lives,
exaggeration for effect is also likely to alienate the reader.
There are a number of resources for an aspirant writer deciding what to write about. Firstly, many
magazines and competitions use themes for submissions and entries. Often, the themes are deliberately
kept very vague and general, such as “emotion”, “urban fiction”, “power”, “resolutions”. On occasions,
editors or competition setters will choose a first or last line or sentence, or specify a particular time or
place. Generally speaking, what is being sought is some fresh or original interpretation, because it is
understandably tedious for editors and competition readers to wade through story after story using
the same approach. Something which springs easily to mind when thinking about a theme has probably
also sprung to many other minds equally easily. Thinking around the subject, making notes and talking
to other people can be invaluable methods of preparation.
Secondly, reading short fiction and poetry can prove to be a useful source of ideas. I would
emphasise that I am not talking here about plagiarism, which is in any case dangerous, as the styles of
many leading fiction writers are familiar to people with experience in the field. Simply looking at how
other people have dealt with themes, plots and characters in the limited space available can be a
stimulation in itself, and i Ё