STEPHEN KING ON SHORT STORIES

In this post I wanted to share with you some interesting information about Stephen King on short stories. The following he wrote about very early in his career when the little bit of extra income he needed came from the short stories he was able to sell: "The stories when they sold (they didn't always), were simply a welcome bit of found money. I viewed them as a series of pinatas I banged on, not with a stick but my imagination. Sometimes they broke and showered down a few hundred bucks. Other times, they didn't."

As Stephen King became involved in his novel writing he wrote fewer and fewer short stories. He became dismayed. There were stories he no longer knew how to write, these stories were eluding him. "There are a lot of things in life that are like riding a bike, but writing short stories isn't one of them. You can forget how. Certainly it never occurred to me that writing short stories is a fragile craft, one that can be forgotten if it isn't used almost constantly. It didn't feel fragile to me then." Stephen King thought if he read enough short fiction, immersed himself in it he might be able to recapture some of the effortlessness that had been slipping away. He didn't see losing his ability to write short stories as a fair exchange for a wallet load of credit cards. From there he read hundreds of stories during his year as a guest editor for Best American Short Stories and as he had hoped he got excited all over again and started writing short stories again.

After reading this I have come to the following conclusions:

Even the best of writers struggled long and hard before their careers took off. It was their persistence, determination and hard work that fulfilled their hopes and dreams.

The absolute importance of using your creative ability constantly so it doesn't become lost.

Keep writing....

CHARACTERS

When I create characters I spend time thinking about their names, how they look, what motivates them, their strengths and their weaknesses. I observe the world around me and take 'snippets' of people to create new people. I wondered about other authors and their thoughts on characters and wanted to share this with you:

Dean Koontz - One dimensional characters do not engage the reader's empathy, and if the reader does not worry about what might happen to them, suspense is aborted.

Stephen King - It's dialogue that gives your cast their voices, and is crucial in defining their characters - only what people do tells us more about what they're like, and talk is sneaky: what people say often conveys their characters to others in ways of which they, the speakers, are completley unaware. Well crafted dialogue will indicate if a character is smart or dumb, honest or dishonest, amusing or an old sobersides.

Sidney Sheldon - When I begin a book, I start out with a character. I have no plot in mind. the character begets other characters and soon they begin to take over the novel and chart their own destinies.

W. Somerset Maugham - People are too elusive, too shadowy, to be copied; and they are also too incoherent and contradictory. The writer does not copy his originals; he takes what he wants from them, a few traits that have caught his attention, a turn of mind that has fired his imagination, and therefrom constructs his character.

How do you go about creating your characters?

Keep writing....

SHORT STORY CHECKLIST

Does the title of your story spark interest?

Read your story aloud ensuring that it flows from beginning to end - eliminate the stumbles.

Does your story capture the reader's attention from the beginning wanting them to read more? Ensure each and every word is a progression to your ending advancing the plot; be ruthless and remove unnecessary padding - irrelevant information that does not progress your story is not the solution to meeting a word count. Is your ending surprising yet fitting and altogether a satisfying conclusion?

Be consistent with your point of view, the tense (past or present), names, descriptions of characters (hair, eyes, clothing etc).

Check the POV used. Would your story work better if it was told in a different POV?

Do your words paint pictures in the reader's mind?

Double check the basics of grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Follow editors guidelines and meet their requirements; word count, genre, presentation and whether they prefer emails or traditional post.

Above is a short story checklist I started for myself. I hope it helps you in some way. If there are any points you can improve on or better still, add to the checklist please let me know in your comments. It's a good thing to help each other :-)

Keep writing....

ACHIEVING WRITING SUCCESS

I've heard it before and I've asked the same questions myself; How does one achieve writing success when there are obstacles such as the decline of the short story market, the bombardment of rejections because the supply exceeds the demand and the fierce competition from writers who seem to have secured their niche with certain magazines? How indeed!

In my writing world I have been fortunate to have experienced the odd years where I've surprised even myself with the amount of short stories I've had published, and then there have been the years where the amount of rejections I've received has to be some kind of world record. In those times I began doubting myself. This put me in a bad place. Writing gives me a sense of self, so giving up was not an option. I reassessed my situation. I knew a story acceptance would renew the faith I had in myself, and always a short story sale sparks something inside of me which motivates and inspires - the magic returns and more acceptances follow. I was determined and I persevered.

It had been many months since I'd seen one of my short stories published and now I'm happy to say within a fortnight I've had five sales. What changed? My attitude.

Achieving writing success is about working hard, commitment, believing in yourself and continuing to put the effort in despite all obstacles.

If you don't believe me here is what two successful writers have to say on the subject:

"I will gladly testify that craft is terribly important, that the often tiresome process of draft, redraft, and then draft again is necessary to produce good work, and that hard work is the only acceptable practice for those of us who have some talent but little or no genius." - Stephen King

"When I first went full-time, I worked about fifty to sixty hours a week. I assumed that when and if I became successful, I'd be able to relax a little. Now I work seventy hours most weeks, and as much as eighty hours when I'm especially captivated by a piece." - Dean Koontz

Keep writing....

WRITING BLUES

You know that feeling when you finish writing a piece and you think, 'Wow, that's good! Did I write that?' Well, I haven't felt that in a while. It has been a long time between short story sales for me. So today I've decided to hang up the pen and go for a walk. I need to shake out the old cobwebs and be inspired by the world around me. I have been writing .... starting stories and then hitting a brick wall - very frustrating. I have submitted lots of stories and am a firm believer that while one plays the waiting game one must keep writing. In this extremely competitive writing world of ours I think we have to create something that stands out from the rest - something special. So my plan today is to take a break and venture outdoors in the hope that the fresh air and exercise energises and inspires me.

Mmmmm I think it is going to be a long, long walk!

Keep writing.... but take a break too :-)

WISE WORDS

I received a much needed email from a writing friend. I wanted to use this post to share her wisdom with you, in the hope it may help you in times of doubt:

"This writing life is very much a roller-coaster. The ‘quiet times’ do lead to all sorts of questions and doubts unfortunately, but we all go through that no matter how many sales under the belt. At times like that all you can do is focus on the writing itself and the love of writing itself, enjoy that feeling of putting The End on a new story. Whatever you do, don’t doubt yourself please.

Regarding not knowing why stories don’t get selected, I’ve got stories with an editor that I think are just perfect for that particular mag and yet they don’t get snapped up and I’m not sure why either. And the ones that do sell I can’t work out why those, and not the other ones that I think are as good, or even better. At another mag it’s the same. I never ever have any idea what will sell. A sale this week to them I was totally shocked by (I didn’t think the story had a chance). So really, you can only go crazy trying to work out editors minds. Write, send, forget. Sales will come."

Keep writing....

SHORT STORIES - THE REVAMP

I found myself reading through short stories I'd written - wait for it - over a decade ago! Oh my gawd, I don't wonder now why they got rejected. After my first reaction, EMBARRASSMENT, that I sent them out in the first place and my second reaction, LAUGHTER, I read over them again with a fresh eye and with something I have now that I didn't have before; EXPERIENCE.

Some of my earlier stories lack satisfying conclusions, others have some good paragraphs in them that I could create a new story around and others, well let me just say, 'What was I thinking?'

I've decided to do a list, two in fact, one list of hopefuls that I've got loads of material to work with and another list which although needs a lot of creative work are possibilities.

Well, I'm off to revamp.

Keep writing....

SHORT STORY IDEAS

I’m always on the lookout for short ideas and very interested to learn where other writers get their ideas from. Reading loads of stories fact and fiction often inspires me. It could be a news headline, a sentence or me asking what if this happened instead – where would the story go then? Overhearing conversations sparks my imagination, or observing an interesting character will prompt my creativity. My dreams help and of course there is my muse, when stories just pop into my head and I gratefully snatch them. I have also found other ways to be inspired. Paula Williams has a regular spot in Writer’s Forum (UK mag) called The Writers’ Idea Store where she presents a fiction square where you roll a dice and circle all the ingredients for your next story. Today I stumbled across a website which lists short story ideas. This got the juices fired up.

Where do you get your story ideas from? Do tell!

Keep writing….

SHORT STORY SUCCESS

Finally I have launched off the starting blocks and made my first short story sales for 2012. I had my fingers crossed and there was a whisper of a prayer as I started up my computer this morning. Oh the joy when I read the email from You magazine accepting two short stories. High five's all round!

Note to self: In future when those short story acceptances are few and far between, keep writing. Push through the disappointment and dejection. Ignore that little voice that keeps asking, 'Why are you doing this again?' Keep writing. Keep submitting. Re-read, re-work those rejections. Be on the lookout for new markets. Always remember that panic is not an option. Doubting oneself is not helpful. Belief is the key that makes the magic happen - makes it real. Do the best that I can do and when it does fall in to place it is all worth it... like today :-)

Never give up.

Keep writing....

SHORT STORY WRITER

I haven’t made my first short story sale yet for 2012. I have had an article accepted though … woo hoo! I’ve written four new stories so far this year and am working on three others which are in the drafting stage. My latest short story was inspired by pics I saw on The Librarian’s blog. I started writing this story and hit a brick wall when my muse decided to go on vacation. Mr Muse recently returned (I think he missed me) and the rest of the story flowed with ease. It’s not the usual story I would write. I do enjoy challenging myself. Pushing those boundaries. Exploring new territory. And I had so much fun writing it! I’ve submitted the short story feeling hopeful and dare I say, confident? Time will tell.

While I wait to hear some news on those two novel manuscript proposals I’ve sent to Pan MacMillan I’ve taken the author cap off and donned the short story writer cap.

Come on Muse back to short story drafting. Slave driver you say? I wink at him. Welcome home Muse!

Keep writing….

SHORT STORIES - TWIST IN THE TALE

A productive day for me! I finished the final draft of a twist in the tale short story. This got me thinking about twists and how I go about writing them. The challenge of the twist is to create the illusion and provide the diversion – that’s what makes the reader assume.

I begin by knowing what my twist will be and then draft everything leading up to the twist. Think of it as writing a story backwards. This is how I go about doing the twist:

Think of an ending then work out how you are going to reach that ending. Imply the view you wish your reader to assume. Have some fun by guiding the reader up that proverbial garden path – let them assume without deceiving them. You need to plant things which will fit in to the real outcome of your story without being too obvious. Weave in just enough hints to make the outcome plausible. You know your ending, so be clever here and use incidents/descriptions/emotions that would also relate to an idea entirely different to your ending. Even the title of your story can get readers assuming.

The twist in the tale is not about concealing the truth from the reader, it’s about slight hints, subtle signposts or clues that will end with your twist AND tie in with the ‘misconception’ you are building.

Do not reveal essential clues too early. Leave that until later on in your story; the last paragraph or even the final sentence.

Here some ideas you might like to use to get you twisting:

The main character appears to be young but turns out be old.

The hero turns out to be the villain or vice versa.
Mother assumes teenage son up to no good but quite the opposite.
Elderly mother overhears conversation about ‘being put away’ but turns out to be an inanimate object they are talking about.
The main character appears to be on a doomed flight but is really stuck in a Ferris wheel.
The main character appears to be on holiday, lying on the beach, but is actually in a sandpit.

Twist stories do take some planning and plotting. They are a challenge. But with some persistence and smart thinking a successful twist story is a joy to write, a pleasure to read and the publishers love them!

Keep writing ….

HOPE FOR THE SHORT STORY

Many of us have been passionate about taking a proactive approach to the dwindling short story market and doing something about it. I have noticed that the consequences of our actions have reaped some positive outcomes:-

Articles, emails and messages left on magazine facebook pages of those who have dropped the fiction slot, have made magazines aware of our disappointment; not only as writers, but as readers. We have been acknowledged and assured that our feelings are heard.

Take a Break’s Fiction is still accepting the occasional story and Fiction Feast seems to be still going strong (sigh of relief). That’s Life and That’s Life Fast Fiction has not let us down! There are other magazines that I know of who accept unsolicited manuscripts; Womans Weekly, The Weekly News, Yours, Peoples Friend and Womans World. We all hope they will continue their fiction slots, so it is important for us to let them know that their fiction is read and enjoyed.

There has been a return of fiction to Best magazine. Hopefully this will prove to be a successful venture and the trend continues.

The Lady and Candis will read anything sent in and if it is ‘brilliant’ they’ll publish it. Which makes me wonder whether an exceptionally good story sent to any of the mags who have dropped fiction might stand a chance of getting published!

The facebook page, Bring Back Fiction to Women’s Magazines, has grown to 113 members and rising.

It’s fantastic how writers have united. We congratulate each other on our successes and we support each other through the hard times. How good is that? So, although the reality remains that we do need more markets and that our quest is far from over – there is hope for the short story!

Keep on writing ….

BRING BACK THE SHORT STORY -UPDATE

I have to say that I am impressed with all the readers and writers who have put an effort in and joined the crusade to bring back fiction to women’s magazines. THANK YOU!

The facebook page, Bring Back Fiction to Women’s Magazines, begun by Julie Phillips has reached 74 members, and growing.

People have commented on the various magazines facebook pages and have written letters to the editors of the magazines. On a positive note some of these magazines have read these requests and have passed on the request to see fiction returned.

If you are interested in saving the short story and bringing back fiction to women’s magazines please post your comment on the magazines’ facebook pages and write letters to the editors.

The magazines that I know of who have dropped fiction are:

Australia – The Australian Women’s Weekly, Woman’s Day and New Idea.

UK - Chat, That's Life, Best, Bella, Woman, Woman's Own, The Lady, Take A Break (weekly) and Candis.

We are a huge voice when we stand united, and I believe if we all put an effort in to make our voice heard we will achieve positive results!

BRING BACK THE SHORT STORY

Further to my post SAVING THE SHORT STORY MARKET, I have made an attempt to show the magazines that we are interested in reading short stories by leaving messages on their facebook pages. I’ve included some links and am hoping you too can show your support by visiting Facebook and ‘liking’ my comment, adding to it or creating a comment of your own:

http://www.facebook.com/theweekly (Australian Women’s Weekly)

http://www.facebook.com/womansdaymagazine

http://www.facebook.com/newideamagazine

http://www.facebook.com/womanmagazine (Pat Posner started the comment for Woman magazine – thank you Pat)

If the UK short story writers would be kind enough to post some links to the magazines that have stopped publishing fiction it would be greatly appreciated, and I would be more than happy to express my interest in short stories being again published in their magazines. THANK YOU! J

SAVING THE SHORT STORY MARKET

I enjoy reading short stories and I enjoy writing short stories. I write because I am passionate about it. Writing puts my head in a good place. When you are passionate about something, you persevere and you never ever give up.

How precious is that feeling when a publisher accepts your story? How gratifying is it when an editor feels your story is so good that they want to pay you? How exciting is it seeing your story in print and knowing so many people are going to read it? EXTREMELY!

I (and I am sure there are many others) am painfully aware that the supply of stories exceeds the demand. Unless you’ve been living under a rock on a planet in a galaxy far, far away you would have noticed that the short story market is dwindling. We’ve lost far too many markets. It is disheartening as competition to get published becomes fiercer than it has ever been. What to do?

Persevere - Improve your skills. Read, read, read, write, write, write and read and write some more. It’s time to raise that proverbial bar. Don’t be disheartened or panic; polish your story until it shines. Set yourself a goal to be one of those writers that other writers envy.

Be Proactive – If we, our family, friends, acquaintances and neighbours write into magazines showing an interest in reading short stories this will bring back the demand for the short story.

We can hope, wish and some may even pray for the short story market to improve, or we can do something about it – at the least we have to try.

Meanwhile… keep on writing and never ever give up!