How To Leave A Story Description When Submitting Your Story
When you submit a story, we ask for a one liner. That’s a pretty standard requirement. Though I would say that most writers keep this one liner too short and often way too dry. Personally, I would make them longer and add plenty of spice!
We also ask for an image description so that we can create an image that fits your story for the website.
What we really need is a description of a picture you think would represent your story. Somewhere between your one-liner, and the description of a movie poster or paperback cover.
A great one we just got was this…
A small isolated cabin near a brooding, menacing sea. Darkness is falling and one light is on in a window. The silhouette of a man is perceived
I would probably rewrite it as…
At dusk, a small isolated cabin near a menacing sea, the silhouette of a man in one of the windows.
It gives it a time, a place or universe (this is usually the part that is missed out), and a sense of tone and a focus (the cabin with the man). Below are some of the choices that description offered from MidJourney.
You will be asked for this kind of description for your story when submitting. It does NOT need to be clever prose, just short and descriptive…
Remember…
- The focus of the image / that action / the characters.
- The tone (usually day or night, rain or snow etc.)
- The universe (a living room / a cliff / in a car etc.)
OK BRILLIANT! Now enjoy your writing and get submitting and reviewing!
Chris Jones
Filmmaker, author, screenwriter and founder of Twisted50. Currently directing splinter unit on Mission: Impossible 8.
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4 thoughts on “How To Leave A Story Description When Submitting Your Story”
The images in the contest are fantastic, Chris, and really elevate the experience. I have a question, if you don’t mind, which is this: how do you do it?
We are using MidJourney and where relevant, promoting to include things like ‘In style of painting and in fed hues’ etc. Lots of trial and error but we generally get a really good image in less than five minutes. It is super helpful to have the prompt suggested by the author too as that helps us see what they have in their mind.
It’s definitely working – and so cool to have individually tailored artwork for each story.
Hey! I recognise that description! 😉