tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post8981944665837975434..comments2024-01-12T11:26:35.176-05:00Comments on Working Stiffs: Short & SweetWorking Stiffshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270595837074553752noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-69978755085096903072008-04-04T15:33:00.000-04:002008-04-04T15:33:00.000-04:00Ramona, that's very helpful, thank you. Now to fig...Ramona, that's very helpful, thank you. Now to figure out what my theme is...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-58804098460904630912008-04-04T14:24:00.000-04:002008-04-04T14:24:00.000-04:00Jennie, this is going to be bare bones because cho...Jennie, this is going to be bare bones because choosing a theme is complex, but I'll try. <BR/><BR/>Think of one word that best describes the "message" of your story. The word is usually a relatively broad concept: Betrayal. Trust. Honor. Dignity. Loyalty. Forgiveness. Friendship. <BR/><BR/>The action is a test of the theme. <BR/><BR/>The characters are the testers. <BR/><BR/>The story gives the character space and time to test the theme. What you want to illustrate in a limited number of scenes is how and why the characters test the theme, and how they change by doing so.<BR/><BR/>This is very general, of course. Hope it helps!Ramonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00627775403015684868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-32312744544019688362008-04-04T14:18:00.000-04:002008-04-04T14:18:00.000-04:00Lisa, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. Yeah,...Lisa, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. Yeah, you start, and then something happens, and something occurs to you, and another possibility opens up, with another character that brings another little something to the proceedings, and pretty soon you're at 5000 words, and all you've managed to do is introduce a couple of characters and set up a nice, long story.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-63919028793205617652008-04-04T14:15:00.001-04:002008-04-04T14:15:00.001-04:00Thanks, Ramona. That's very helpful. I appreciate ...Thanks, Ramona. That's very helpful. I appreciate it. So what's the theme supposed to be like? It's not something I usually think about a whole lot. Sometimes I realize I've sort of developed a theme after I'm finished, but I've never started out with one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-49568470819875129862008-04-04T14:15:00.000-04:002008-04-04T14:15:00.000-04:00Jennie, nice post! I have the same problem with sh...Jennie, nice post! I have the same problem with short fiction -- it's never short! I can write a true/nonfiction story that's actually short -- like those Chicken Soup stories that can't be more than 1200 words -- no problem. But the minute I start making a story up, I can't seem to gear up the pace beyond novel-speed. I don't know why that is, and I really wish I did and could fix it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-4983630486083153252008-04-04T14:11:00.000-04:002008-04-04T14:11:00.000-04:00Jennie, I've had some success writing short storie...Jennie, I've had some success writing short stories and having them published. In fact, in a few weeks I'm teaching a Short Story Master Class and doing MS reviews for an area writers' group.<BR/><BR/>All of your suggestions are great. My advice is to focus on #4. Theme is paramount. Every single sentence should stick to the theme like tar. Getting the thematic idea in the first paragraph (equivalent to your #1) is also imperative. You really need to pack a hook, even if it's in the voice or tone. <BR/><BR/>Read the masters, but there are a lot of great stories in literary magazines. Gettysburg Review, Southern Review, all of those publications with "Review" in the title!<BR/><BR/>Good luck. Once you finish the first, it gets easier.Ramonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00627775403015684868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-51778724116862472542008-04-04T11:08:00.000-04:002008-04-04T11:08:00.000-04:00Hi, Lee! Thanks for stopping by. I didn't know abo...Hi, Lee! Thanks for stopping by. I didn't know about SJ Rozan's contest. I'll have to check that out. Thanks for sharing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-37484387890927722042008-04-04T11:04:00.000-04:002008-04-04T11:04:00.000-04:00SJ Rozan runs a 6 word story contest on her websit...SJ Rozan runs a 6 word story contest on her website. Here's what I wrote for it last year.<BR/><BR/>Bang! Stop, I'll shoot. <BR/>Darn dyslexia.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-60732838945521161142008-04-04T10:42:00.000-04:002008-04-04T10:42:00.000-04:00Nicely done, Nancy. Definitely a whole story there...Nicely done, Nancy. Definitely a whole story there, underneath. Like Hemingway's, it makes you wish you knew more.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-55786600461896191732008-04-04T10:36:00.000-04:002008-04-04T10:36:00.000-04:00My 6 word story:Test results were postive. Call m...My 6 word story:<BR/><BR/>Test results were postive. Call me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-67635561182782549672008-04-04T09:55:00.000-04:002008-04-04T09:55:00.000-04:00Thanks, Cathy. I don't feel like I can do it, but ...Thanks, Cathy. I don't feel like I can do it, but I appreciate the vote of confidence. Maybe the problem is that I just haven't had the right idea yet. I feel like I could write a decent short story in other genres - mystery, cozy, paranormal/ghost story, even romance - but the thriller thing has me stumped. I don't read many thrillers, and I don't think I've ever read a short story thriller. Maybe I need to do some research...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-2824376025555482482008-04-04T09:47:00.000-04:002008-04-04T09:47:00.000-04:00Jennie,My first novel (buried away somewhere in th...Jennie,<BR/>My first novel (buried away somewhere in the depths of my closet) was started as a short story to get me into writing. I didn't realize I had so many words in me. <BR/><BR/>Fun post and very informational. I guess I'm so focused on writing novels, I haven't taken time to play with short stories. You can do it, girl.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-2523946678069342982008-04-04T08:20:00.000-04:002008-04-04T08:20:00.000-04:00Thanks, guys! Tory, yes, I can imagine that after ...Thanks, guys! <BR/><BR/>Tory, yes, I can imagine that after trying flash fiction, 15 pages must seem like quite a lot.<BR/><BR/>Good for you, Joyce. You go, girl.<BR/><BR/>Gina, the simpleness is part of what worries me. Not only do I like words - lots of words - but I worry that if I don't have at least one subplot and some other assorted fun stuff, the story just won't be interesting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-67964726434342463812008-04-04T07:53:00.000-04:002008-04-04T07:53:00.000-04:00Short stories are fun to write because they're sim...Short stories are fun to write because they're simpler by necessity -- there just isn't room for a lot of minor characters and subplots. That said, one of my unsold novels started out as a short story -- I realized it had to be a novel when I got to page 40and hadn't even begun to set up the first of four events that had to occur . . .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-48874275480704900012008-04-04T07:33:00.000-04:002008-04-04T07:33:00.000-04:00I started writing a short story recently and I hav...I started writing a short story recently and I have a couple of pages done. I write very lean, so I think I'll do okay with it. When I write, I always have to go back and add more description, etc. I just have to watch out for too much backstory. I wrote all that out in a separate document so I know, but the reader won't need to see it.Joyce Tremelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00498392016497131719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33226151.post-66257324421172208522008-04-04T06:36:00.000-04:002008-04-04T06:36:00.000-04:00At one of the writers' groups I used to go to, we ...At one of the writers' groups I used to go to, we tried our hands at "flash fiction": in this case, writing a short story in 100 words. <BR/><BR/>I can't say anything I wrote compared with Hemingway's. But it was a great exercise. After that, 15 pages seemed ENORMOUS.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com