This year’s Guilded Pen – 2024 Anthology theme is:  Good Luck or Is It?

Note: The blog post below was written ahead of the announcement of our 11th edition (2022) of Guilded Pen anthology. For information about the requirements for the 13th edition, see https://sdweg.org/Anthology. The information in this blog post applies to the 13th edition, but the information here is not everything submitters need to know about the process. 

What is a “theme” – it is, simply put, the meaning of the story. This year’s anthology theme is Good Luck or Is It? Each submission must address this theme in some way: drama, comedy, enlightenment/transcendence. 

While writing a short story with a theme in mind seems intimidating, below are some ways that might inspire you as you weave a thematic message through your work. 

Here are links to helpful tips on writing to a theme in short stories. 

The Simple Way to Weave a Thematic Message:

https://thewritepractice.com/writing-theme/

and

https://diymfa.com › writing › themes-short-stories

“The best works of literary fiction are driven by an overriding theme.” Some famous contemporary authors explain how they write to a theme:

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/categories/writing

Here are tips on how to write a theme-based short story:

https://self-publishingschool.com/how-to-write-a-short-story/and  https://davehood59.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/the-theme-of-a-short-story/

Some ideas to fit the theme of the 13th edition, Good Luck or Is It, might be stories of success or failure or facing a challenge. Considering the association of the number 13 with bad luck might also serve as inspiration.

Have some fun with the theme as you focus on creating your short story.