all write - fiction advice_ november 2012

2/23/2015 AllWriteFictionAdvice:November2012

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SA T URDA Y , 2 4 NOVEMBE R 2 0 1 2

GettingtoGripsWithShortStoriesPart1

Writingashortstorymightsoundeasyafterall,itsonlyafewthousandwords,right?

Actually,theprocessisjustascomplicatedandastechnicalaswritingafulllengthnovel.Itstillneedsalotofthought,planningandpreparation.

Shortstorywritingdoesntcomenaturallytosomewriters.Thismightbebecausetheyrenotsurehowtoeventackleone,andbecausesomehaveneverwrittenashortstory,theynaturallythinktheyrenogoodatit.Thatmeanslotsofopportunitieslikeshortstorycompetitionsandsubmissionsformagazinespassthemby,simplybecausetheywontattempttowriteone.

Sometimestheyvefailedtogettogripswithitforonereasonoranother,andsubsequentlytheytranslatethatasnotbeingabletodoit.Andofcourse,toawriter,notbeingabletodoitautomaticallymeansfailure.

Butitsmostlytodowithfear.Somewritersjustfeartacklingtheshortstory.

Thesearecommonpsychologicalbarriers.Toovercomethem,writersfirstneedtostopfearingtheshortstoryandinsteadtackleit,becausebyunderstandinghowtoplanandstructuretheshortstory,writersbreakthefear.Itthenbecomesapleasuretowritethem,ratherthanachore.

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So,howdoyoutellastoryin,say,1000words?

Thesameasyoudoina90,000wordnovel.Thatsbecausetheprinciplesforplanningandwritingashortstoryarethesameasanovel,buttheyrejustmerelycondensed.Thatmeansyoutakeanideaandroughlychartabeginning,amiddlesectionandanending,andthenaddsomeprospectivekeyscenes/ideas.

Withanovelyousimplyhavemorepagesatyourdisposaltotellyourtaleyouhavemoretoolsandwritingdevicesandyouhavemoretimetoexploreyourthemes,yourcharacters,theirsituationsandsubplots,andyouhavemoretimetocoveralotmoredescriptionandnarrative.

Withashortstory,however,thesetypesofwritingdevicesaresomewhatlimited.Butitswhatmakesuptheshortstorythatcountshowitswritten,andthemostimportantthingwithshortstoriesisgettingthestructureright.

Aswithnovels,balanceiskeytoagoodstorystructure,andthatmeansusingtherightamountofdescription,narrativeanddialogue.Italsomeansyoushouldroughlysketchoutthefollowingaspartofyourplanningandpreparation:

Whosestoryisit?Whoelseisinvolved?Whatisthestoryabout?Whatthemesarethere?Whyisithappening?Whatisthemeaningbehind

thestory?DoIhaveideasonkeyscenes?Whatsortof

actiondoIwant?Whathappensintheend?Whathappenstomy

maincharacter?Isitahappy/satisfactoryending?

So,setasidethefearsofthedreadedshortstory,andletstakeastepbystepwalkthrough.

StructureTheBeginning

TheSetup

Thebeginningshouldstartrightintheheartoftheaction

measure.Iamprivilegedtohaveeightshortstories/poemspublishedinthisbook,soifyoulikeyourdamesalittledarkanddangerous,thisisthebookforyou.

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WISE WORDS . . .

Writingislikebeingmarriedyouhavetoworkhardatmaintaininghappinessandequilibrium,butinvariablyonealwaysendsupinthedoghouse.

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publishingindustry.I'vepublishedarticles,studyguides,poems,flashfiction,shortstoriesandanovel.IalsoworkfulltimesoI'mALWAYSworking.

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orintrigue,oranimportantmomentinyourprotagonistslife,oracrisispoint,justasanovelwoulddo.Butyoudonthavetheluxuryoftheamountofwordsthatanovelaffords,soitsimportanttosetthescenefromtheoutsetsothatthereaderhasaclearunderstandingofwhatthestoryisabout.

Thisisthebasicpremiseofthesetup.Youneedtosetupthethemeandtoneofthestorystraightaway.Thiscanactuallybeaccomplishedinacoupleoflinesoraparagraph,forexample:

Fueldrippedfromtherupturedpetroltank.Theflamesgrewheknewhehadtoescapefromthewreckbeforeitexploded.

Fromtheoutsetthetoneisclear,andthesetupisestablishedamantrappedinacarwreck,desperatetoescapebeforeitexplodesleavingthereadertowonderwhetherhewillmakeitintime.

Hadtherebeenanymoretears,Annabellewouldhavecried.Butshedidnt.

Thistypeoffirstlineposesthereaderquestions:Whydoesntshehaveanymoretears?Whathashappenedtoherandwhy?

GreatFirstLiners

Itsalsoimportanttohookthereaderfromthefirstline,ifpossible.Agreatopeninglinedoesthiseffectively.Itmightposeaquestion,itmightlure,itmightintrigue,itmighthorrifyorpiquethereader.Itmightmakethemlaugh,oritmightmovethemtotears.Whateveryouchoose,thinkaboutyouropeninglineandwhatyouwanttoconvey.

Oncehooked,thentherestofthenarrativeshouldensnareyourreader.Greatopeninglinescanbeafewwords,orevenoneword.

Heressomefirstlinesfromsomewellknownshortstories:

Itwaslateandeveryonehadleftthecafeexceptanoldmanwhosatintheshadowtheleavesofthetreemadeagainsttheelectriclight.HemingwaysAClean,Well

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LightedPlace.

Hemingwayalsowrotetheshorteststoryofhiscareer,atonlysixwordslong:ForSale:Babyshoes,neverWorn.Therearecountlessquestionsthatneedanswers,justfromthesesixwords.

TherearentmanyhitchhikersontheroadtoHell.DeadRunbyGregBear.Characters

Introduceyourmaincharacterstraightawayanddropthemrightintotheaction(andothercharacterswherenecessary)sothatthereadercanimmediatelygettogripswithwhoyourcharactersare.Youwantthereadertogettoknowyourcharacterfromtheoutset.

Eventhoughyouarewritingashortstory,agoodwriterwillensurethatthereaderidentifiesandempathiseswiththecharacter,justastheywouldwithanovel.Ifyouachievethat,thenthereaderwillwanttoknowwhathappensnextandthereforewillkeepreadinguntiltheendofthestory.

Dontspend600wordsdescribingsomethingingreatdetailandthenintroducethemaincharacterhalfwaythrough,(especiallywhenyouonlyhave1000wordsorsotowritethestory),otherwiseyouriskruiningthestorycompletelyandthusputtingthereaderoff.

SettheScene

Somethingelsethebeginningshoulddoissetthescenesothatthereaderfeelspartofitwhereistheactiontakingplace?Whatcanthecharactersee?Whataretheyfeeling?Whatistheconflictintheirlife?

Thisiswheretheuseofcolours,aromasandsoundscanconveytheatmosphereoftheopeningscenes.Andtheweatheralsoaddstotheoveralleffect,sodontneglectit.Itcanaddimportantlayerstoyourdescription.

Onceyouvegotyouropeningline,setthescene,introducedyourcharacter(s)andjumpedrightintotheactionwiththehook,yourereadytomoveintothemiddlesection,whichwelllookatnextweek.

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Nextweek:Settingtogripswithshortstoriespart2POSTEDBYAJ HUMPAGEATSATURDAY, NOVEMBER24, 20124COMMENTS: L INKSTOTHISPOST

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SA T URDA Y , 1 7 NOVEMBE R 2 0 1 2

HowWritingEvolvesAswriters,weneverreallythinktoomuchabouthowourwritingdevelopsorprogressesaswewrite,butitdoes.

Writingisaneverchanging,continualfluidprocessthereisalwayssomethingnewtolearn,therearebetterwaysofapproachingwritingandtherearealwaysdifferentwaystoimproveourskills.

Buthowdoeshowourwritingevolve?Dowenoticeit?

Overthecourseofwritinganovel,forinstance,youwillnoticehowyourwritingdevelopsduringthisprocessifyouweretocomparelaterchapterswithyourearlierchapters.Youwillseeasignificantdifferencebetweenthemthewritingatthebeginningmightseemrawandunstructuredoralittlelesscohesive,buttowardstheenditismuchbetterithasbetterstructure,itsmoreunifiedandmorerefined.Descriptionsmightseemfuller,charactersmightseemdeeperandmorecomplicated,dialoguehasimprovedandthegeneralwritingstructureisenhanced.Also,youwillnoticethatmorecomplexthingslikemetaphors,similes,symbolismandsubplotshaveemerged.

Thishappensbecauseinthetimeithastakentowritethenovelanythingbetween12monthstoseveralyearsthestandardofwritinghasvisiblyimprovedbecauseofthisongoingfluidprocessofwriting,learning,improvingandthereforeevolving.

Evenoverthecourseofwritingashortstory,yourwritingstillevolves.Thatsbecauseeverythingdevelopsnaturally,andwritingisnodifferent.Sooverthecourseofmanyyears,thequalityofwritingandthestandardsof

Flashforwards?

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practicegetbetterasyoulearnthecraftandthusbecomemoreproficient.

Aswellastheneedtolearnandprogress,theotherthingthathelpswritersevolveisconstantwriting.Thishelpsyoufindoutwhatworksandwhatdoesnt,ithelpsyousettleintoarhythmicvoicethatisuniquetoyournarrativeitalsohelpsyouunderstandthelimitationsofyourwriting.Andjustlikeanythinginlife,itstruethatthemorewedosomething,thebetterwebecome.

Thereforeitmakessensesthatthemoreflashfictionandshortstoriesorpoetrywewrite,thebetterwebecomeingeneral.Thestandardimprovesandthewritingbecomesbetter.Andthatswhateverywritershouldaimfor.

Thinkofitasapaintingthemorebrushstrokesyouadd,themorelayersyouincludetotheoveralleffect,whicheventuallycreatesabeautifulpicture.Youwanttoachievethesamewithyourwriting.Lotsofbrushstrokesandlayers.

Comparethestandardofwritingwhenyoufirststartedtowrite,tothestandardnow.Therewillbeasignificantdifferencebetweenyourfirstattemptsandthewritingyouproducenow,anditmaysurpriseyou.Ifthestandardhasntchanged,however,thenthereissomethingfundamentallywrongandyourwritingskillsneedtobeaddressed.Thisoftenhappenswhenwritersdontwanttolearnandthereforetheyneverreallyimprovetheirwritingskills.Thereasonforthisissimplearrogancesomewritersthinktheyalreadyknowitall,andarenotopentoadviceandskillsharing.

Thesewriterswillneverevolve.

Writingisaconstantlychangingsubjectitneverstaysstaticbecausetherearealwaysnewthingstolearn,newavenuestotake,newideastoexploreandbetterwritingtoaccomplish.

Aswriters,weallstartinthesameplaceatthebottombutwhereyouwanttogoisdowntothewriting.

Chapter&NovelLengthsJusthowlongshouldachapterbe?

Whatsthebestlength?Anddoesanovelhavetofitintoasetamountofwords?Thesearejusttwoo...

FlashbacksWhatisaflashback?Flashbackis

oneofthoseusefultoolsthatawritercanusetoenhanceastory.Itenrichesand,inasense,nourish...

SubplotsImoftenaskedbynewwriters

howsubplotsshouldevolve.Somewritersfindsubplotsdifficulttogettogripswhileothersareputofftry...

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Soinorderforyourwritingtoevolvepositively:

TakeonboardgoodadviceTakethetimetolearnaboutthecraftReadasmanyauthorsasyoucan,learnfromthe

bestWriteconstantlyshortstories,flashfiction,poetry

etc.Practicemakesalmostperfect.

Toevolveistoimprove.Itsentirelydowntowriterswhethertheywantto.

Nextweek:GettingtogripswithShortStories

POSTEDBYAJ HUMPAGEATSATURDAY, NOVEMBER17, 20122COMMENTS: L INKSTOTHISPOST


SUNDA Y , 1 1 NOVEMBE R 2 0 1 2

GeneralFictionCliches

Wereallawareofdifferentnarrativeclichswhichcreepintoourwriting,andweknowwaystoavoidthemphrasesandwordssuchallofasuddenororhellbrokeloose,justthenandsuddenlyetc,butthereisalsoanotherkindofclichwhichcropsupfromtimetotimewithoutawriterevenrealising.Thesearegeneralfictionclichs.

Sowhatarethey?Unliketheusualhackneyedwordsandphrases,thesegeneralclichscanbesituations,characters,places,eventsorevensetscenes.Thebestwaytoillustratethisistogiveyousomeexamplesofcommonfictionclichs:

a)Thecreepy/hauntedhouse/logcabininthemiddleofthewoodsornearalake,envelopedbyaghostlymist...nowwherehaveweseenthatonebefore?

b)Thehardbittencopwithemotionalproblems,whodoesntconformtotherules...howmanybooksandmovieshavethiskindifmaincharacter?

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c)Thewomanaloneinherhouse,whoforsomeinexplicablereasonforgetsthatthelightswitchesworkandinsteadinsistsonusingatorchwhilecallingout,Hello?Whosthere?Likeanyonelurkingintheshadowsisgoinganswerher,andwhywouldanyoneasksuchstupidquestionstoalurkingburglar/murderer/,monsteretc,inthefirstplace?

d)Theclimaxofthestoryalwaystakesplaceinafactoryorfoundry,awarehouseordocks...alwayssomewherewherealltheworkershavemysteriouslyvanishedintoafictionalblackhole,sothereisnooneaboutwhilethebadguyandtheheroslugitout.Soundfamiliar?

e)Theantagonistcornersthehero,itlookslikehesgoinginforthekill...butthenspendsthenextfourpagesexplainingwhyhessoevilandhorribleandintentontakingovertheworld,andthengoesintogreatdetailabouthowhesgoingtokillthehero.Whydothebadguysalwaysinsistontellingtheheroeverythingbeforehand?Ifyouareacoldcalculatingkiller,youkillyoudonthangaroundchattinghappilytoyourvictim.

f)Themaincharactertellshisgirlfriendtostayputwhilehegoestoinvestigatethenoisesoutside...sowhatdoesshedo?Shestupidlyignoreshim(obviously)andgoesoffonherownandquickly(heresasurprise)getsintotrouble...

WhichthenleadsustoprobablytheworstclichinthehistoryoffictionwomenALWAYSneedrescuingfromdangerbythehero,becausetheyreweakandprettydumbandcantdothingsforthemselves,andmoreimportantly,theyretheretomaketheherolook...well,heroic.

Ifyourstoryhasanyofthese,especiallythelastone,itreallyneedssomebrutaleditingandmaybeadoseofreality.

Thesefamiliarexamplesareallfictionclichsandhappenwithregularity.Whymustacreepyorhauntedhousebeinthemiddleofnowhere?Whymustyourcrimenovelhaveacardboardcharactercopsopredictablethatthereaderwillseethroughhim?WhydoTVseries,moviesandbooksalwayshavecharacterssearchingthroughahousewithflashlightswhenmostofthetimetheycanjustthrowalightswitch?

Andwhyarewomenportrayedsodismallyinfictionandwithsuchstereotypicalinfluence?



Writerssettleintotheseclichstooeasily,andwithoutrealisingit,sotoavoidthemistobedifferentinyourapproach.Itisamatterofcarefullyreadingthroughyourstoryandbeingabletospotobviousthesetypesofgeneralfictionclichs,andifyoudospotthem,bejudiciouswithyourediting.

Thinkcarefullyhowthestorybegins,howitwillopenoutandhowitmightend.Thinkabouthowyourcharactersfitandworktogetherintothisframework.Iftherearefemalecharacters,haveyoumadestereotypesfromthem?Whynotswitchthegenderrolesandhavethefemalerescuingthemale,forachange.

Dontbeafraidtobedifferentwithyourcharacterssotheyarenotsopredictableorturnintocardboardcutouts.Bedifferentwithyoursettingssetyourghoststorysomewhereotherthantheclichdcreepyforest/lake,andinsteadchoosethemiddleofabustlingtownorcity,orperhapsittakesplacesonashiporinafactory.Challengeyourreaderwithunpredictableeventsratherthanpredictable,hackneyedones.

Trytobedifferentwithasmanyaspectsofyourwritingasyoucan,thisiswhatmakesideasfreshandinventive,butbedifferent,especiallywhenitcomestofictionclichs.

Nextweek:Howyourwritingevolves.

POSTEDBYAJ HUMPAGEATSUNDAY, NOVEMBER11, 20123COMMENTS: L INKSTOTHISPOST


MONDA Y , 5 NOVEMBE R 2 0 1 2

AretheresuchthingsasFlashforwards?

Weallknowaboutflashbackstheoftenuseddeviceforwriterstotellabackstoryorfillingapsofinformationforthereaderbydippingintothepast,butwhataboutflashforwards?

Thecaseoftheflashforwardisdebatableamongwriters.Buttherearesuchthings.




Flashbackstelluswhathashappenedinthepast.Flashforwards,ontheotherhand,telluswhathappensinthefuture,butsincemostwritingtakesplaceeitherinthefirst,secondorthirdperson,flashforwardsshouldnotexistbecauseyoucantpredictwhatmighthappeninthefuture.Orcanyou?

Thisisthestickingpoint.Logictellsusthatwecanttalkaboutthefuture,simplybecausethefuturehasnthappenedyet,sohowcanwriterswriteaboutfutureeventsthatareyettotakeplacewithoutmakingthestorysoundtriteandoverthetop?

Therearesomecircumstanceswhereaflashforwardisdesiredandwouldntseemoutofplacesciencefictionandfantasywritingforinstance.

Thesegenresallowthewritertobendtheruleswherefictionisconcerned,becausescifiandfantasyreliesonthatoutofthisworldelement,wherethenormalbindsofrealitydontexist,sotherecouldactuallybeasequencewhereacharacterseesintothefuture,i.e.atimetravellerstorymaybe,orperhapsthereisadreamscenewherethecharacterimaginesthefuture.Oryoumighthaveascenewherethecharacterwhopossessesthegiftofprophecyseesintothefuture.

Withinthesegenres,theflashforwardisnotoutofplace.Ofcourse,inmostconventionalgenreshowever,thewritingdoesntcontainflashforwards,simplybecausethoseeventshavenotyethappenedtheeventslargelytakeplaceeitherinthepresentorthepast(i.e.firstpersonorthirdperson),andwriterswhotrytoattempttodoitriskmakingacompletemessofthewholethingunlessitsskilfullydone,itspertinenttotheentirestory,itslogicalanditsnecessaryandbelievable,andmostofall,itsexpected.

Ifitsnoneoftheabove,thenitisntgoingtowork.



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Manywritersalsoconfuseforeshadowingwithflashforward.Thesearenotthesamedevices.Theyworkonseparatelevels.Dontconfuseonewiththeother.

Foreshadowingsimplyhintsatthingsthatmighthappenlaterinthestory,wherethewriterplantscluesorusessymbolsormetaphors.Theflashforwardisaspecificmomentinthefuturethatthewriterfocusesonwithinthenarrative,which,likeflashback,stilllogicallytellspartofthestory.

Unlessyouarewritingasciencefictionbasedorafantasybasedstory,steerclearoftryingtoinsertaflashforwardintothenarrativebecausewhileflashbackscanbenotoriouslydifficulttowrite,thinkhowstrangeflashforwardsmightbe,whereyouarewritingabouteventsthathaventhappenedyet.

Ifthiskindofliterarydeviceisnecessarywithinyourstory,thenstudyotherwriterswhohavemanagedthisFlashforwardbyRobertJSawyer,DickensAChristmasCarolortheTimeTravellersWifebyAudreyNiffenegger,tonamejustafew.

So,therearesuchthingsasflashforwards,butonlyinspecialcircumstances.

Nextweek:Avoidingfictionclichs.POSTEDBYAJ HUMPAGEATMONDAY, NOVEMBER05, 20121COMMENT: L INKSTOTHISPOST


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all write - fiction advice_ november 2012

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