The Wordclay Contest Winner’s Circle: Meet the Writers Who Wowed Our Judges

July 15, 2008

If you’re as curious as this blogger, then the announcement of the Single Short Story contest winners may have piqued your interest enough to visit Wordclay’s Contest Connection page and read excerpts from their stories.

But a simple read doesn’t always cut it – sometimes we want to know the writers behind the story. That said, I contacted them personally and asked for some background information to share with our readers.

So without further ado, meet Samantha Weiss (Grand Prize Winner) and Benjamin Solomon (Runner-up):

Samantha Weiss just graduated from MIT with a Bachelor’s degree in creative writing and chemical engineering. She completed Odyssey in the summer of 2007, one of the most highly respected workshops for writers of speculative fiction. She participates in Codex, a professional-level writers group, and is editing a book about professional athletes written by an author who coaches Olympic, all-pro NFL and NCAA athletes. This story, “Simulated in Black and White,” was part of the thesis work for her writing degree. At the moment, she is working as a chemical engineer in India.

What does Weiss have to say about Wordclay?
“I was introduced to Wordclay at a writers’ convention in New York, and was drawn to its reputation for being an unusually easy and affordable self-publishing option, and for having a capable and knowledgeable staff.”

Benjamin Solomon Lives in Atlanta, where he edits The Open Face Sandwich.

What does Solomon have to say about Wordclay?
“I have found Wordclay to be an excellent resource for DIY writers eager to take publication into their own hands.”

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Have a question for the winners about their writing process or inspiration? Submit your comment below, and I’m happy to forward your query onto them.

This is Justin, blogcasting from Wordclay, signing off.

Entry Filed under: Behind the Scenes, In the News, Reading & Writing. Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

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There is usually a road map in the mind of a writer with a direction in which way the story will go. Visualize your map — the starting point, where you are now, and where you would like the story to end. Take that map — your story — and write a synopsis for your back cover. It will be interesting and insightful to see if your road was steady or if creativity took a detour. (11/5/09)

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Every story begins with a byline — an idea — whether it is a well thought out set of events or a single sentence. Once you have your main idea, just start writing. Don’t try to concept your thoughts before you begin to write or you will lose spontaneity and fresh creativity. Just act, halt the rationalizations, and let the words write your story. (11/5/09)

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Oh, the days of Hemingway and Steinbeck … it was a time when descriptive elements blurred the lines of “proper” sentence and paragraph structure. The masters of a craft engaged readers and transported them to another setting, allowing readers to feel their new surroundings through long-winded details. Begin writing from where you have last ended on your current piece. Pay no mind to periods at the end of a sentence or paragraph breaks. Just keep writing. At the end of your writing session, go back and highlight powerful points, and take note of where you have allowed your writing to go. (10/29/09)

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Practice self-editing. Write and then edit. Edit and Edit and then write. Understand that by doing so, you are gaining a feel for your own writing style and developing a skill that will help to create fluency to your work. It is about understanding your boundaries and overcoming them — enhancing your technique as well as increasing your writing output. So, edit for grammatical corrections but, equally as important, edit to understand your writing. (10/29/09)

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