Problem with Short Stories

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BookLover7
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Problem with Short Stories

Post by BookLover7 »

I was hoping that I could get some advice on how to write a short story. I tend to write way too much, and am always thinking on a novel, or series level. I don't want to give things away too soon, I want my characters and their motives to be mysterious in the beginning; hence I write too much. Any suggestions for how I can master the art of the short story?
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Bibliophile97
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Post by Bibliophile97 »

Hmm. That's a hard one, see I have the exact opposite problem, I always end up writing short stories and find it hard to try and write an actual novel. I think it's easiest if you have a defined beginning and end that can be reached relatively quickly. Like a story that only spans a day or a few hours. Not everything has to be described either, a car drive can just be a car drive, unless it's important to the plot. The main description should go into the important things, character's emotion (if the point of view allows for them to be revealed) and events that impact it. Hope this helped.
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BookLover7
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Post by BookLover7 »

Thanks! I will give that a try, focusing on one day! If I could write short stories, then I would be able to start submitting them. I'm looking forward to collecting my rejection letters ; P (of course I really hope the outcome is being published, but rejection is suppose to be a part of being a writer.)
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Post by KLyons1 »

I've heard the explanation that a short story comes about when you have one very strong idea or point that you want to convey with maximum impact, which a short story allows by requiring that every single word serve that purpose. When you're writing a novel, you would still have a central idea or theme, but you want to explore and illuminate the various aspects, and the longer format allows for additional information, subplots, etc.
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Bibliophile97
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Post by Bibliophile97 »

You're welcome. I was glad to help.
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Post by hillaryjones92 »

I wish I knew no matter what I can never contain an actual story to a small frame. Even when i was in school I had a hard time shortening what I was doing for an assignment
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Post by moskolights90 »

KLyons1 pretty much hit the nail on the head.

I have always preferred writing shorter pieces, because my attention span was unable to cope with anything longer, but that's just me. Perhaps experiment, you'll need a tighter framework to work inside as you need to cover all the basics in a shorter piece. I quite like the idea of 'flash fiction' and 'micro fiction' (i think they're different) its incredible if you choose your words carefully you could write a simple yet wonderful story within a few lines! I've read several which were really something amazing. I usually look at winners of competitions and read the winning entries, maybe you could get some ideas from these.

in a short piece, you don't have to reveal everything (e.g. character's history...etc) which already gets the reader thinking more about what the characters past could have been.

i hope this somehow helps.
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Post by ALynnPowers »

BookLover7 wrote:I was hoping that I could get some advice on how to write a short story. I tend to write way too much, and am always thinking on a novel, or series level. I don't want to give things away too soon, I want my characters and their motives to be mysterious in the beginning; hence I write too much. Any suggestions for how I can master the art of the short story?
I am in the same boat. Can't write a short story to save my life! Let's hope that my life is never dependent on writing a short story, because then I would be screwed! :shock:
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Post by moderntimes »

"Master the art of the short story?"

Ha ha.... writers have been trying to do this for a hundred years now.

Learning this amazing and immense skill and art? It's something that may take a lifetime, and then the aspiring writer may still never make it.

I've tried to write short stories for years and I still chip away at the granite.

The art of writing short stories is NOT easier than writing a novel, just because they're shorter. Short stories may actually be more difficult. I certainly find this true.

I might recommend that first, read the masters. Read James Joyce's "Dubliners" to start. Then read, perhaps, Katherine Anne Porter. There are plenty of superb short story writers to learn from.

But if you don't succeed, you may decide that your talents need to be better applied to the novel.
"Ineluctable modality of the visible..."
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DawnEL
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Post by DawnEL »

I use to have a lot of problems writing short stories, but I've been writing them for a while now and my best advice is to think of it as a memory. When we think back on a memory that we have we have just that contained moment, which is much like a short story. If you look at it that way then it's easier to let the novel part of it fall away and focus on the contained idea of it all.

I don't know if that helps or not but I hope it did!
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Post by Down_the_Rabbit_Hole »

I have the same problem with trying to write a short story, then wanting to make into a full scale book series! It helps a little if you plan it out on paper first, like the first paragraph is getting to know your characters and the piece of the puzzle that will solve the mystery later, the second paragraph is when the mystery is presented...and so on. Hope this helps~
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Post by Gustavsson »

Hm, well I would do the opposite of Down the Rabbit Hole when it comes to planning. I can't stand planning out my short stories except for knowing the major plot points. My best suggestion would be to limit the characters-you won't have enough stage time for a full cast. Two or three are usually enough, and if you get too many they all become too minor. But it's hard to balance.
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Post by moderntimes »

There are quite a few instances of authors who started to write a short story and the story just grew into a novel. Happened to me. I've always been a fan of American private detective fiction, and several years ago I sat down to write a short story featuring a private eye of my own creation. The story kept on and on and blossomed.

I saw that a novel was the correct venue for the idea, but I was somehow "scared" of trying to write a novel, as I'd written short stories before and I thought that I didn't have the skill to do a novel. Of course it turns out they are equal in difficulty, and after I said "okay" I managed to write the novel, which became a sequel, and now I've got 3 novels about the private eye, 4th in progress, and zero short stories about him.

I nevertheless have continued to write short stories, and my recommendation is that aspiring short story authors realize that a SS contains ONE plot arc and ONE main character arc. If your thoughts and processes tell you that what you want to say is longer than that, you might consider a series of stories that are interconnected via a theme. James Joyce's "Dubliners" is a perfect example --- each story stands alone, but the overall theme of spiritual paralysis and moral bankruptcy is seen in all of them (Dubliners isn't a happy bunch of stories).

The last story in the collection, "The Dead", is much longer and a novelette or novella. btw the film "The Dead", the last directed by John Huston, is a brilliant version of the story and quite accurate. It's superb.

Anyway, a "real" short story has ONE character arc and ONE thematic arc. If you have trouble limiting the scope to this, either consider a novel or a series of thematically related short stories. All of these are valid endeavors. It's not less important or less difficult to write a short story, just because it's shorter. Novels and short stories are equally difficult but have different scopes.

Understand, if your short story has a couple of minor character arcs or minor thematic arcs, that's okay, but these need to be very limited or else the stretch of your story will encompass too much and run away with itself. I say again, read "Dubliners" (start with "Araby" please) and see how one character is portrayed and how the internal agony of that character is shown so perfectly. Araby is a masterpiece of personal despair at being locked in a situation, hopeless. But anyway, read the story and you'll see how it involves just ONE character arc and ONE theme arc, even though it touches on other characters and their woes in progress.

Of course your story can be sad like Araby or happy. But use the brilliance of Araby as a model for your own story, in how the arc is developed and enlarged. Focus on that single arc of both character and theme, and you'll be able to create that short story.

And if your story keeps growing and you really cannot contain it within a single character or thematic (plot) arc, then don't despair -- you're writing a novel or a series of shorts!
"Ineluctable modality of the visible..."
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Post by Snickerdoodle9 »

I think that the main thing you need to do is come up with a short story idea. Try to come up with something that won't take as many words to write. Then set a word limit for yourself. Sometimes if I want to submit it to a certain magazine or publishing house, then they will have a word limit. The key is to make it a reasonable amount for each story. Then write the story. One of the best things to do is not to use a lot of description words. Try to cut down anything not necessary. After you write the story count out the words (or use a word processing program.) If you think there are too many, look it over and take out anything out that is not needed. For example, unless it is a key to the ending, you probably don't need the characters hair color. Then finish editing/revising. Trust me, I have had trouble with this before, especially if I want to submit to a certain place. If your first story isn't right, don't worry! Just keep writing!
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Post by Braktooth »

I think with short stories, you have to have one idea that you're committed to exploring. Everything else is fodder to the idea, and if it doesn't help explore the central theme, you should cut it. That's what I try to do, anyway.
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