Submitting to the CBC Short Story Prize? Here are 10 tips from writers who know what it takes
The CBC Short Story Prize is accepting submissions from Sept. 1 to Nov. 1
The 2024 CBC Short Story Prize is open now for submissions and the winner will receive $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts, attend a two-week writing residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and have their work published on CBC Books.
You have until Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023 at 4:59 p.m. ET to submit your original, unpublished fiction that is up to 2,500 words.
We know that submitting to a literary prize can be a daunting task. That's why we spoke to some recent CBC Short Story Prize winners and finalists as well as this year's three jurors to ask them what advice they have for those who might be thinking about submitting or are still undecided about it.
1. Have a strong opening
Suzette Mayr says: "The short stories I remember the most are the ones that have an opening line or paragraph that's sharp and vivid — precise language is so important. Have a strong opening, and half the work's done."
Have a strong opening, and half the work's done.- Suzette Mayr
Suzette Mayr is the Calgary-based author of the novels The Sleeping Car Porter, Dr. Edith Vane and the Hares of Crawley Hall, Monoceros, Moon Honey, The Widows and Venous Hum. Mayr won the 2022 Giller Prize for The Sleeping Car Porter. Mayr is one of the jurors for the 2024 CBC Short Story Prize.
2. Get something on the page
Kevin Chong says: "First off, just get something on the page. You're not going to be Alice Munro in your first draft. You're not going to be Alice Munro ever, but it's going to get better once you get something on the page and you write it and think through it.
Write about what obsesses you. Write about what scares you. Write in a way that's audacious.- Kevin Chong
"And secondly, write about what obsesses you. Write about what scares you. Write in a way that's audacious."
Kevin Chong is a Vancouver-based writer and associate professor at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. His other books include the nonfiction book Northern Dancer and fiction titles like The Plague and Beauty Plus Pity. His latest book, The Double Life of Benson Yu, is a finalist for the 2023 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
Chong has a long history with the CBC Literary Prizes. He was a reader for the CBC Short Story Prize in 2005 and 2012 before being announced as a juror for the 2024 CBC Short Story Prize alongside Suzette Mayr and Ashley Audrain. He was also longlisted for the CBC Nonfiction Prize twice, in 2015 for Empty Houses and in 2020 for White Space.
3. Write about that obsession
Ashley Audrain says: "I think the best fiction writing comes from a place of obsession. What is the idea, or question, or fear, or joy that you cannot stop thinking about? So often, that obsession is the spark that catches wildfire on the page in the most astonishing way. There's something so thrilling about letting your mind indulge whatever this obsession is, and I think it gives writing the very best energy."
I think the best fiction writing comes from a place of obsession.- Ashley Audrain
Ashley Audrain is the former publicity director of Penguin Canada. Her debut novel The Push was a New York Times bestseller and won the Best Crime First Novel at the 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Awards. She is also the author of the thriller The Whispers. Audrain is part of the 2024 CBC Short Story Prize jury.
4. Have a side project
Chanel M. Sutherland says: "All writers get stuck — that's just a fact. Instead of staring at a blank screen for hours, or worse - writing a few pages only to hit delete, try having a "fun" writing project on the side. It could be anything — I tend to choose a project in a different genre — as long as you are writing, and doing so freely without pressure, expectation or deadline. A second project helps you hone your writing skill, opens you up to new ideas, and most importantly — keeps the fun in writing."
A second project helps you hone your writing skill, opens you up to new ideas, and most importantly — keeps the fun in writing.- Chanel M. Sutherland
Chanel M. Sutherland is a two-time CBC Literary Prize winner. She first won the 2021 CBC Nonfiction Prize for her essay, Umbrella. Then in 2022, she won the CBC Short Story Prize for her story Beneath the Softness of Snow.
5. Keep a journal
Helen Han Wei Luo says: "Keep a journal for all beautiful things! Wherever you are, jot down words that inspire, striking sentence fragments, neat literary ideas, strange happenings, and anything that affronts the soul. You don't need to find a home for a good idea right away — file them away for those moments of writer's block, for when you really need them."
You don't need to find a home for a good idea right away — file them away for those moments of writer's block.- Helen Han Wei Luo
Helen Han Wei Luo is a writer, artist and philosophy PhD student at Columbia University. Her story Eel Broth for Growing Children was a finalist for the 2023 CBC Short Story Prize. She previously made the 2020 CBC Short Story Prize longlist for Aranaj, the Fishmonger Who Wept for the Fish and she was also on the 2016 CBC Nonfiction Prize longlist for Character.
6. Just start a sentence
Nicholas Ruddock says: "Don't wait for a fully-formed concept, don't even wait for any concept at all, just start a sentence, put it down, grab the first noun that appears and unwind from there, detail that noun, a story will appear. You'll need a lot of revision, but you'll never be stuck."
Grab the first noun that appears and unwind from there, detail that noun, a story will appear.- Nicholas Ruddock
Nicholas Ruddock is a physician and writer who has worked in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Yukon and Ontario. Has had novels, short stories, poetry published since 2002 in Canada, U.K., Ireland and Germany. Ruddock's story Marriage was a finalist for the 2023 CBC Short Story Prize. He previously made the 2016 CBC Poery Prize longlist for Storm as well as the 2016 CBC Nonfiction Prize longlist for The Hummingbirds.
7. Write a lot
Will Richter says: "Let me just say this — I spent years wasting my time writing the wrong way. I got stuck on a certain kind of voice and a certain kind of story and said, basically, 'That's me.' Without even realizing it, I'd closed my mind and started to stagnate.
"It wasn't until I completely threw all of that self-conceptualization away that I started seeing results and getting published. I made a conscious choice to write in ways I'd never done before and set no limits on the types of stories I'd try to tell, in whatever style or voice or genre it felt interesting to pursue. Some of it worked and some of it didn't, but the process has been enormously expanding and worthwhile.
Write a lot, try on whatever methods and variations you can think of, have fun, and see what sparks.- Will Richter
"My advice is to write a lot, try on whatever methods and variations you can think of, have fun, and see what sparks. It's one of the best ways I know of to learn."
Will Richter is a writer living in Vancouver. Richter was the winner of the 2023 CBC Short Story Prize for his story Just a Howl. He's currently working on a collection of short stories and a novel. He previously made the 2021 CBC Short Story Prize longlist for Proverbs of the Lesser and was also longlisted in 2019 for his story At a Distance.
8. Be patient with your piece
Katie Welch says: "Be patient. When you think your piece is finished, put it away for a minimum of two weeks and let time work its editorial magic. Intimacy with a piece of writing clouds judgment and impedes clarity; there is no substitute for fresh, post-hiatus eyes. I am impatient by nature and often resist this practice but over and over I have returned to a story or essay after a break and discovered all manner of clumsiness, repetition and errors."
When you think your piece is finished, put it away for a minimum of two weeks.- Katie Welch
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Katie Welch's novel Mad Honey weaves magical realism through a mystery inspired by the natural world
Katie Welch writes fiction and teaches music in Kamloops, B.C. She grew up in Ottawa and holds a BA in English literature from the University of Toronto. Her debut novel, Mad Honey, is a 2023 OLA Evergreen Prize nominee. She is currently working on her next novel. She was first runner-up in UBCO's 2019 Short Story Contest, and her story Poisoned Apple was chosen as Pick-of-the-Week by Longform Fiction. Welch's story Bird Emergent was a finalist for the 2023 CBC Short Story Prize.
9. Read your work out loud
Corinna Chong says: "Read your work out loud — not just to yourself, but to an audience. An audience can be as little as one person, and this person can be a friend, partner or even your mom. The key is to get someone else on the receiving end of the words, as this will force your brain to shift slightly into a performance mode, so that you're hearing the words and their rhythms more objectively, as an outsider would. If you just can't find a willing audience, record yourself reading out loud. You might find that the process of recording reveals to you some of the pacing issues, clunky phrasing, inconsistencies or blind spots in the writing before you even get around to playing it back to yourself."
The key is to get someone else on the receiving end of the words.- Corinna Chong
Originally from Calgary, Corinna Chong lives in Kelowna, B.C. and teaches English and fine arts at Okanagan College. She published her first novel Belinda's Rings in 2013. Her short fiction has been published in magazines across Canada, including The Malahat Review, Room, Grain and The Humber Literary Review. In 2021, she won the CBC Short Story Prize for Kids in Kindergarten.
10. Write as if no one will read it
Clara Chalmers says: "My writing tip is a patchwork of advice from other writers and great minds. The words cemented most in my mind are Virginia Woolf's 'kill the angel.' To me, this command means to write as if no one will read your stories. To write ruthlessly, shamelessly and with no concern for hurting people's feelings or crushing a couple toes."
Write as if no one will read your stories.- Clara Chalmers
Clara Chalmers is a King's College London dropout and ex-perfectionist. She writes profusely but often in secret. Chalmers's story Dear M was a shortlisted for the 2023 CBC Short Story Prize.
