The fabulous flash fiction writer Simon Larter sold another of his short stories to an anthology for science fiction. I believe that's his third such sale, so congratulations to one of my critting partners!
This reminded me that I have long tried to prod myself to write some short fiction in order to get a couple sales to have on my bio. The problem is that short fiction doesn't come naturally to me. When I think up stories, they always seem to be in novel-sized lengths. I think I even write better in the long form. With novels I can sprinkle in exposition in subtle ways that don't jar the reader, while in short stories I have trouble figuring out how to get everything across to the reader without turning dialogue into excuses to provide exposition.
Today I took a look at my three attempts at short stories, each in varying stages of completeness. None make me feel good the way my novels do, but I see some promise in them, if I can just nail down where exactly I need to improve them. So I began polishing and fleshing them out. Perhaps my crit buddies can help a little, if I'm lucky.
Any of you out there masters of short story telling? If you'd like to read mine in their rough form and give me advice, just let me know!
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Josh and Lizzy
9 hours ago
Well, I wouldn't say I'm a master, but I do enjoy writing short stories more these days. I think a lot of the skill is in allowing the reader to fill in the blanks - read "between the lines". If it allows for many interpretations that's great. It is a hard skill to pin down so I hope you get comments from others more well versed in the field!
ReplyDeleteThat is where I may not be so good, Nick. I think I may be too specific in my details when it comes to short stories.
ReplyDeleteNo, I need more room to tell a tale. If Simon is doing them successfully, he's your best bet for advice. Or Milo, as he knows every speculative fiction place accepting short stories and has had dozens published.
ReplyDeleteSimon really is the master of these. I feel like I'm good at flash-fiction, or the vignette, but not the short story.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading yours, though.
The only trick to short story telling I know of is to stick to one character and imagein them in a scene from a novel.
ReplyDeleteIt seems the shorter the form, the harder it is. I write novel length, short story, and poetry. The poems are the toughest, definitely. Yet I write fewer short stories than anything. Seems as though if I like an idea enough to write several pages, I probably like it enough to keep on living there until it grows and grows ...
ReplyDeleteOne Writer's Mind
I struggle with short stories too.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on this. I don't like writing short stories or even stand alone novels. I think in epic series. Usually I only read short stories or novellas if they were written by friends.
ReplyDeletei've never really tried a short story, but i bet you're right about it being a whole different bear to wrastle with!
ReplyDeleteThat's what crit partners are for Ted :)
ReplyDeleteI love short stories. Once I got started on them I'm finding it hard to complete novel length plots. There has to be a balance somewhere. Stephen King figured it out . .
........dhole
Starting writing from scratch, it took me 7 years to get my first short story printed. I started by collecting the short story writers I liked most, and reading them over and over, and over. Ones from H.E.Bates, D.H.Lawrence. Hemingway, Steinbeck, John O'hara, and Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. I was a hard working long hours oilman with a family,and aged 32 when I started to write. I still, at age 76, do my best to write them. A good short story is a bitch to write, but I still love them.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Colin. You got a jump start on my, as I didn't start to write until my late thirties. I may find that I can't get a short story published anytime soon, but I am going to try.
ReplyDeleteTed, I'm sure you can. They were never that easy to write though, and editors either hate your work, and with luck a few can really take to it. I've just placed three books on Kindle. Escapades and Islands Part 1,2,and 3. I've used some of the stories that I sold, and some that did not, and some that have never seen an editor, and a few news ones since Kindle has given me fresh hopes. If you pick your days right, you can get them free, but you can get a preview inside them anyhow, through your computer. Thank God for Kindle.
ReplyDeleteI could tell you a lot more about how I write short stories, but perhaps you might read a few of mine first, to see if my advice is worthwhile. CLB
Sure Ted, I'd like to read the three you are working on. I tend to work on more than one at a time too. I just keep hitting them every couple days, and they seem to build in their own way. It is better to write them and not think anything too specific, or tell anybody about them.I don't know if you do that too with a novel. I would not actually comment about yours, until one actually printed, and hope you'll remember to tell me.
ReplyDeleteIf you look at my stuff in Kindle, you'll see where and when they were mostly first published. BBC,Short Story International,etc.
That's probably my biggest weakness, Colin -- that I don't really enjoy reading short stories and hardly ever do so. I feel like I need to write some because it's better to have some publishing credits when you try to snag an agent, but it can't be easy to try to become good at something that you don't really even like. I have a few short story collections on my shelves that I need to study at some point.
ReplyDeleteTed, My stories are very varied and easy to read. They may change your mind, since they were also published in London Magazine, Penthouse, Mayfair, Women and Home, besides the BBC and Short Story International. One even made it to the British Arts Council Anthologies. I write about what I know well, and make them, according to one well known Caribbean editor, " As though they were true". Some are very short indeed like 1000 words. None of them pass 5000. When written, they were restricted to Magazine requirements.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow. Hope you will have a bash at writing such midgets, because they might very well help you in your own writing, help stir imagination, or what ever. Best of Luck. Colin
Colin, I don't see a blog or website for you. I don't own an eReader yet, though my wife is threatening to buy one for my birthday, so I have no means of getting electronic stories yet. I did send out one story to four magazines yesterday. I expect they'll reject me, but it's a start.
ReplyDeleteTed, I don't have a blog or web site. You can just go to Amazon. Colin Leslie Beadon Escapades and Islands part 1, Part 2, or Part 3. And you'll get more than one story to read in each part, plus book contents, preface, etc, into your computer. For that you don't need a Kindle.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you sent one off. You must never be deterred. You should see my pile of rejection slips, among those that made it. When I started I was working over 250 hours a month in the oil fields, a night and day thing, no days off. I kept little notebooks and jotted in pencil, and used a manual typewriter at home, when I managed to get to it.
I don't know what you are up against. It is a matter of cast iron resolve, as you must know.
We'll keep in contract. Hope you will. Colin