In Today’s Journal
* My Quote of the Day
* On Length in Short Fiction
* I Love Catching Them Young
* Of Interest
My Quote of the Day
“How do series or sagas come about for we who write into the dark? Simple. A character from a previous story or novel tugs on our sleeve or pops back into our mind and says, ‘Seriously, don’t you wanna know what happens next?” And we say, ‘Why yes. Yes I do.’ And a series is born.”
On Length in Short Fiction
Yesterday in My Quote of the Day I wrote
“Technique transcends genre. In fiction writing, if you master the technique—hooks and cliffhangers; openings and resolutions; dialogue; and depth of description in settings, scenes, and characters—the content will take care of itself.”
If you think about it, that one statement encapsulates everything anyone needs to know about fiction writing.
Recently some writers have mentioned to me that they’re sometimes surprised by how short a story is in length even after they cycle over it. They don’t feel the story is “long enough.”
I understand that sentiment, but I’ve also always said it’s a good idea to let a story be whatever length it wants to be. Length doesn’t equate to quality.
The process is the same for a story of any length, from a flash-fiction short story (under 1000 words) to a novel or a novel series:
- You type until the story (or writing session) ends, and then you stop.
- You take a break, then cycle back over what you’ve written to let the characters add anything you might have missed the first time through.
- After that, the story’s over no matter the brevity or length.
If you aren’t happy with the length of the story, that’s the time to use your conscious, critical mind. This is how you learn from your own writing.
You’ve all be around TNDJ long enough to be aware of the techniques I listed in yesterday’s My Quote. You’re all aware of those techniques, and awareness is all that’s required to ‘know’ them. After that, it only boils down to application, which means practice, which means putting new words on the page.
To begin studying your own work, read over the different parts of the story—not the story as a whole, but the individual parts of the story—to see whether they actually work. After all, even though it’s the characters’ story, the presentation is strictly up to you.
Here are some critical questions to keep in mind as you check the various parts of the story:
- Is the opening hook sharp?
- Does the opening pull the reader into the story?
- If you’ve used any cliffhanger-hook combinations, are the cliffhangers intriguing?
- Can the reader see, hear, smell, taste, and feel (physically and emotionally) the setting, including the POV character and any other characters?
- Is the resolution satisfactory (even if it isn’t what you expected)?
If you can say yes to all of those questions, then you’ve written a good story no matter how short or long it is. And by “a good story” I mean a story some readers will like and some won’t.
Any questions or comments on any of this?
I Love Catching Them Young
A classmate from high school recently emailed me:
“I have a 14 year old grandson who wants to be a writer. I believe he has what it takes. He’s homeschooled. How can I direct him not to get discouraged and give up his dream?”
I replied,
First, tell your grandson to throw out most of what he hears on TV and in most books about how to write. He doesn’t need to outline or “plot” (even novels), or revise, or rewrite and all that stuff. All of that’s really only a way to avoid or put off sitting down to actually write.
Second, give him the stuff I’ve attached. It’s in fully searchable PDF.
Like all of us, your grandson’s been absorbing “story” all his life. So he knows subconsciously how to tell a story. All he really has to do is believe in himself and sit down and write.
I attached the TNDJ archives from 2021 through 2024, and I attached Heinlein’s Rules, with my annotation for the present day.
Then I said he could email me anytime he wants, and if he takes that step I’ll help him further. Of course, all of those things are also available to you, free.
If I were a body part, I guess I’d be a nose: Y’gotta pick it while you’ve got it. (grin)
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
Want a Twist Readers Will Love? This is a good little post.
Mentorships Still Open A great opportunity if you have the right mindset.