Comments on: Short Story Writing Project: How do you get started? http://www.poewar.com/short-story-writing-project-how-do-you-get-started/ Writing Career Center Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:51:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: How Not To Write http://www.poewar.com/short-story-writing-project-how-do-you-get-started/comment-page-1/#comment-162654 How Not To Write Fri, 29 Feb 2008 04:46:46 +0000 http://www.poewar.com/short-story-writing-project-how-do-you-get-started/#comment-162654 Many of my short stories are actually the kernels of novels distilled to their most essential elements. To make the story flow, I might change the intended relationship between characters or strike huge sections of plot. For example, I might have an idea to write a story about the relationship between a daughter and a mother. In a novel, that kind of family relationship provides a rich seam to mine. However, it might not work out so well in a short story. Maybe, as I work through the material, I see that a short story could evolve by focusing on the desires of the girl, perhaps she's looking to change her life and her mother is holding her back. If I change the mother to an older friend, or even a stranger, I can remove some of the back story that can make a story bog down (but works well in a novel). Of course, there's nothing to say that one couldn't write a story about a mother and a daughter. The point is to find that essential element and build around it, ruthlessly slice out anything that doesn't belong. No matter how much you might love it. This makes for a slow story writing process, but then I'm not in a hurry. Many of my short stories are actually the kernels of novels distilled to their most essential elements. To make the story flow, I might change the intended relationship between characters or strike huge sections of plot.

For example, I might have an idea to write a story about the relationship between a daughter and a mother. In a novel, that kind of family relationship provides a rich seam to mine. However, it might not work out so well in a short story. Maybe, as I work through the material, I see that a short story could evolve by focusing on the desires of the girl, perhaps she’s looking to change her life and her mother is holding her back. If I change the mother to an older friend, or even a stranger, I can remove some of the back story that can make a story bog down (but works well in a novel).

Of course, there’s nothing to say that one couldn’t write a story about a mother and a daughter. The point is to find that essential element and build around it, ruthlessly slice out anything that doesn’t belong. No matter how much you might love it.

This makes for a slow story writing process, but then I’m not in a hurry.

]]> By: Julia http://www.poewar.com/short-story-writing-project-how-do-you-get-started/comment-page-1/#comment-160141 Julia Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:52:38 +0000 http://www.poewar.com/short-story-writing-project-how-do-you-get-started/#comment-160141 Thanks for all your wonderful suggestions and help when it comes to writing! I wanted to add a note to your short story post - when one is writing a novel, there has to be some kind of resolution at the end (usually it's best that one doesn't kill off all the characters unless it's a tragedy, though). In short stories, this is not so. One can choose to resolve the situation or just tell about it for a bit. Heck, you can even kill off all the characters at the end. That's one of the fun things about short stories. That's all I wanted to point up. Thanks again for all of your wonderful posts! Thanks for all your wonderful suggestions and help when it comes to writing! I wanted to add a note to your short story post – when one is writing a novel, there has to be some kind of resolution at the end (usually it’s best that one doesn’t kill off all the characters unless it’s a tragedy, though). In short stories, this is not so. One can choose to resolve the situation or just tell about it for a bit. Heck, you can even kill off all the characters at the end. That’s one of the fun things about short stories.
That’s all I wanted to point up. Thanks again for all of your wonderful posts!

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