When we started the Annual Hidden Talents Short Story Contest we hoped to promote the many talented writers out there. We thought we would publish a fabulous book with all the great stories we received, but we soon found that this was going to be impossible. You see, there were far too many great stories and not nearly enough space in the book. That left us with the very difficult task of narrowing the stories down to the winners that we will publish in a book entitled "Tall Tales and Short Stories Vol III". At this time I would like to extend my utmost gratitude to our judges Jacqueline Guest, Pat Jeffery, Barbara Smith, Kim Teteranko for their time and expertise in helping us complete this difficult task.
     We’ve heard from many people that their biggest complaint about writing contests is that they never get feedback on their stories. With so many stories it would be impossible to give proper feedback on each story but we would like to share a general critique of the stories we received. Our hope is that this information will help the writers when they enter our contest again, enter other contests, or when they submit their work to other publishers.
     The biggest problem we encountered when judging this contest was that there were just too many great stories. We would have liked to make many more of them winners but unfortunately we have to draw the line somewhere. This is important information to remember because throughout your career as a writer, rejection letters will not be uncommon. However, don’t be discouraged by these letter, publishers receive many submissions every year and they can only publish so many. If your story isn’t picked up right away, that doesn’t mean it isn’t good, it may just mean that the right person hasn’t read it yet.
     Next I would like to talk about submitting your work to a contest or to a publisher. The most important thing I can say here is, follow the guidelines. A publisher sets out guidelines for a reason and it can make or break the outcome of your submission. If it says they want all submissions double spaced, each page numbered, and your name in the top right hand corner, then that is exactly what you must do. In many cases, a submission that has not followed the guidelines, wont even make it past the person who opened the envelope. Now in our contest we did not rule a story out if the guidelines weren’t exactly followed but if it ever came down to a close call, the way the story was submitted would definitely be considered. This year we also had two stories enter where the entry fee cheque bounced, the sad part is that both were good stories and one would have been a winner.
     One very big problem we had this year was that a number of entries that arrived without a completed entry form. This entry form is required to protect the writer and their work as well as to protect Tall Tales Press from any false submissions and the legal hassles that would follow. Throughout any writing career there will be many contracts that need to be signed so it is something that we need to get used to. Entries received without a completed entry from were still processed but marks were deducted under the Entry Quality section.
     Our contest judged stories in four areas: Storyline, Character Development, Literary Skills and Entry Quality. I will now touch on a few points from each area.
     Storyline - Writing a short story can be tough because unlike a novel you have very little room to tell your story. But done right, a writer can create a piece that can be as moving and as memorable as a novel. Everyone will have a different idea of what they think is a good story but here are a few things to keep in mind.
     Keep the number of main characters to a minimum. If there are too many characters the reader will not have enough time to really get to know the characters. Ideally you want the reader to relate to your characters and care about what they are going through.
     A short story has to be short but it still must contain all the essential elements of a good story. The best way to do this is by sticking to an uncomplicated plot, which means this is not the time to introduce an epic novel told in 5000 words or less.
     One of the important elements of a story is to leave a lasting impression on the reader. This requires a complete story including a good ending. Sometimes we found that a well written story would lead up to a disappointing ending or one that just didn’t make sense. This left the reader feeling cheated or believing that they missed something. On the positive side the good stories will stick with the reader for months or even years down the road.
     Character Development - This is where we delve into the life of the characters. At the end of the story do we feel like we know the characters and can we relate to what they have experienced? We were also looking for growth or change in the characters.
     Literary Skills - The biggest thing I can say here is proof read your work before submitting it. Ensure it is complete, free of grammar and spelling errors, paragraphs are properly placed and indented, and proper sentence structure is used. There is no harm in letting someone else proof read your work because they will often pick up errors that the author overlooks.
     We were also looking for how well the author used the English language to get their story through to the reader. Properly placed words can paint an incredible picture for a reader and allow them to experience places and things they have never seen before. Being creative with words is what makes each author unique, but try not to be so unique that the reader has a hard time deciphering what is being said.
     Entry Quality - Here we judged the entry on whether or not all of the guidelines were followed including; a complete entry form, double spaced, pages numbered, name and address located in the upper right corner, etc.. Other points in this area are; Fonts used, Paragraphs, Spacing, and Indents.

     Our goal at Tall Tales Press is run the most user friendly contest possible and we hope this letter helps those who have submitted stories. If you have any other ideas on how to improve our contest we would love to hear from you. If we use your idea, we will provide you with a coupon for a free entry into our upcoming contest.
     This year we are considering offering Tall Tales and Short Stories Vol. III, an anthology which includes the winners of this year’s contest, at a discounted rate. In previous years this discount was only offered to the winners but we’ve decided it may help other authors to read the stories our judges picked as winners. Stay tune for more details.
     Congratulations to all the winners and to all the entrants thank you for your great stories and all your hard work. We look forward to seeing all of you enter next year’s competition.

Sincerely
Steve Van Bakel
Publisher
Tall Tales Press
www.talltalespress.com

The Winners 2006

1st Place - Sue Boggio, from New Mexico, Destination
2nd Place - Steve Dimeo, from Oregon, Catching My Death
3rd Place - Don George, from South Carolina, Long Shot
4th Place - Barrie Robinson, from Alberta, Ashes

Honourable Mentions
Mike Carson, from British Columbia, Promethean Heart
Lisa Clark, from Bulgaria, MMORPG
Donna Gamache, from Manitoba, Granny Power
Shoshana Kobrin, from California, Marty
Ruth Smith Meyer, from Ontario, Full Circle
Thomas Mooney, from California, Wolfmaker
Neil Naft, from Ontario, For Ten Dollars
Sonia Suedfeld, from British Columbia, The Trash Collector

Junior Writers
The Winners 2006

1st Place - Nikki Cochrane, from Ontario, Sunshine
2nd Place - Melinda Clemmer, from Pennsylvania, The Green Hills, My Home

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The Winners 2005

1st Place - Neil Naft, from Ontario, Regular People
2nd Place - Richard Sarles, from California, Astray
3rd Place - Robert Scott, from Virginia, Faith
4th Place - Leigh Clements, from Alberta, Love Potion

Honourable Mentions
Robert Craig, from Indiana, Resurrection Mariah
Audrey B. Hansen, from New Mexico, The Incident at Raven House
Joan Biggar Husby, from Washington, Murder from the Deep
Chris Jeacock, from Ontario, A Long Walk Home
David Korinetz, from British Columbia, The Magic of Mars
Kate MacDonald, from Ontario, An Honest Day
Elisabeth Stewart, from Ontario, What She Knows
Sonia Suedfeld, from British Columbia, The Tin Box
Leonard Varasano, from New Jersey, The Vision of Sara Lyle

Junior Writers
The Winners 2005

1st Place - Rachel Wilson, from Alberta, Maria’s Necklace
2nd Place - Amy Glanz, from British Columbia, Summon the Heroes
3rd Place - Andy Rovira, from Florida, My Liberation
4th Place - Gabbi Bernard, from Alberta, Dragoneye

Honourable Mentions
Sarah Sterling, from Ontario, The Bag Lady
Phoebe Wagner, from Pennsylvania, Otter Paw

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The Winners 2004

1^st Place - David W. Silva, from California, My Favorite Housekeeper
2^nd Place - Kevin N. Payne, from Illinois, The Caboose
3^rd Place - Richard Sarles, from California, Out on a Limb
4^th Place - R.F. Vincent, from Ontario, Men in Red Shirts have Souls, Too

Honourable Mentions

Dorothy Rogers, from Mississippi, Decision Before Dawn
Leigh Clements, from Alberta, Life As She Knew It
Robert Williams, from Connecticut, Coming Home
Leslie Lee, from California, Jabberbox
Richard R. Morrison, from Alberta, A Penny For Your Thoughts
Mary E. Robinson, from Alberta, The Girl in the Black Raincoat
Thea Hughes, from New Zealand, The Miracle of St. George
Alison Dellenbaugh, from Texas, Falling Through the Quacks

1^st Place - Michelle Chen, from New Jersey, Silence Speaks Volumes
2^nd Place - Crystal Grimsen, from Alberta, Out of the Ashes
3^rd Place - Jonathan Williams, from British Columbia, Mervin’s Music
4^th Place - Katherine J. Kullman, from Alberta, Ripped

Ashley Simone, from British Columbia, Brother of all Brothers
Kimberly Wearing, from Saskatchewan, When Thunder Crashes
Amanda Glanz, from British Columbia, That’s What Love is For