Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
In So Many Words
Nicki Ehrlich
May has been declared National Short Story Month. (Inspired by April’s National Poetry Month.) Though I’ve been working with novel-length stories lately, I love to both write and read short stories. We all know that both novels and short stories tell a tale using characters, plot, and setting. Fewer characters, less complex plots, and condensed settings help a writer stay within the one-thousand-word to ten-thousand-word standards of the typical short story. Throw in more characters, complicate the plot and those characters’ situations, and toss in some stunning and varied setting descriptions, and you are on your way to writing (or reading) a novel.
Short story characters often tell the tale through their point of view, often in first person or limited first person. Their conflicts are small-scale and focused. They don’t have a lot of time to get into and out of trouble. The story is more pointed and often can have a more direct impact on a reader. The brevity of a short story means every word counts and each sentence has to move the story forward.
To turn a short story into a novel we can look for ways to branch off the storylines already created. We could develop new characters, expand the setting, include some subplots, and reach beyond the ending. The conclusion of your short story doesn't have to be the end of your novel. I think we can all see how expanding on a short story would be a good way to start a novel, but what about the other way around?
If you’re writing a novel and hitting one of those sticking points (you know, where your
protagonist is sitting in a chair, arms crossed tightly, lower lip sticking out in a pre-teen pout), try
writing a short story about them. Narrow your focus and listen to their point of view for a while.
What might be the best and worst situations to throw at them? Who is their best friend and most
reviled enemy? Set out to learn something about them and you just might figure out how to get
them out of that chair and back onto the page.
I feel writing short stories is, in some ways, more difficult than longer forms of fiction.
The shorter, the harder, in my point of view. I can’t remember the exact quote or who said it, but
something like: In a novel, every paragraph must move the story forward, in a short story, every
sentence must move the story forward, in poetry, every word must move the story forward.
Okay, so maybe it’s time to write a poem about one of those sticky characters.
As May progresses Spring toward Summer, happy reading and writing!
Central Coast Writers
PO Box 997 - Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Copyright © 2024 Central Coast Writers - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by GoDaddy
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.