In today’s Journal
* Bradbury Challenge Reminder
* A New Short Story
* What Is a Short Story?
* Six Mystery Novels in One!
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Just a reminder—I’ll run this from now through April 30 to be sure everyone has the opportunity to read it.
Writing Better Fiction is still on sale for only $9 for all eformats, including printable PDF. On May 1, the price will increase to $14.
You can also still order a binder-ready paper copy from me for $25 (includes shipping). Simply email memailto:harveystanbrough@gmail.com with your request.
Bradbury Challenge Reminder
Today is Saturday. You who are in or want to join the challenge, please be sure to get your story info in to me before the Journal goes live on Monday.
Setting a Sunday night midnight (or earlier in the week) personal deadline is the easiest way to ensure that.
Remember, the whole point of the challenge is to have fun and grow as a writer even as you expand your IP inventory. (grin)
A New Short Story
“Ca-racked” went live yesterday on my Stanbrough Writes Substack. Go! Read! It’s free!
If you enjoy it, tell Everyone. If you don’t, shhh! (grin)
Note: I read this one again when it appeared in my inbox, and at the end I laughed out loud. I ought’a talk my real-life friend Dan Baldwin (Michael Badouin) into performing this in a skit or a one-act play or whatever with me during his gig as writer in residence at his local liberry. (grin)
What Is A Short Story?
I think I’ve run this before, but with the Flash Contest going on, I thought it appropriate.
Much has been said about short stories being a “tighter” or more restricted form of fiction than novels. That the short story is a form that requires greater economy of words, the compression of thoughts into quicker live-action bites, etc.
I know that instinctinvely sounds right. After all, a short story is presented in a smaller package.
But the smaller package really only means there are fewer words inside. It doesn’t mean that anything inside the package is more compressed or compact. Or that it should be.
Some also spout that writing short stories requires special skills, deeper but somehow shorter descriptions and so on. In fact, you’ll find that nonsense in almost every commercial how-to book out there on writing short stories.
And all of that (and more) is a pile of fresh, steaming, bovine excrement.
In any good story, long or short, it is necessary to
- hook the reader at the start with an enticing sentence or paragraph
- ground the reader in the setting of each scene through the POV character’s physical and emotional senses and opinions of the setting (in description)
- keep the reader deeply engaged in the story with good writing, every word of which comes from or through the POV character
- keep the reader turning pages with appropriate pacing (think paragraph length)
- a cliffhanger at the end of each scene to pair with the hook at the beginning of the next scene, and
- a satisfactory ending and denoument (to entice the reader to find more of your work). The opening of any story sells that story, and the ending of any story sells the next story.
All of that is necessary in a good short story just as it is necessary in a good novel or a good series.
The only real difference between the short story and the longer story (novella or novel) is that a short story is about One Event.
It really is that simple.
And again, if you want a masters-level crash course on all the aspects of writing fiction of any length, be sure to snag your copy of Writing Better Fiction while it’s on sale.
It really is the only book you’ll ever need on the craft of writing fiction.
Six Mystery Novels in One!
One-Off Mysteries: The Omnibus Collection is live now at Amazon and all other vendors for $24.99.
Or you can get it for only $20 at StoneThread Publishing.
Happy Reading and Writing!
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
How to write twists and turns… Good to learn with the conscious mind, but then shut it off and just write what the characters give you.
AuthorsZen Check this out and get in on the ground floor. This is at least part of the future of marketing books.
Authors Guild Supports FTC’s Proposed Ban on Non-Compete Clauses
The Numbers
The Journal……………………………… 740
Writing of Blackwell Ops 24: Buck Jackson Returns (tentative title)
Day 9…… 4375 words. To date…… 26876
Day 10…. 3243 words. To date…… 30119
Day 11…. 3394 words. To date…… 33513
Fiction for April…………………….….… 69774
Fiction for 2024…………………………. 295566
Fiction since October 1………………… 598622
Nonfiction for April……………………… 22860
Nonfiction for 2024……………………… 151580
2024 consumable words……………… 447146
2024 Novels to Date……………………… 7
2024 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2024 Short Stories to Date……………… 1
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)……………… 89
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 9
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 239
Short story collections…………………… 29
Disclaimer: I am a prolific professional fiction writer. On this blog I teach Writing Into the Dark and adherence to Heinlein’s Rules. Unreasoning fear and the myths of writing are lies, and they will slow your progress as a writer or stop you cold. I will never teach the myths on this blog.
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