On Writing a Short Story

            In a conversation with a co-worker the other day, she told me she was going to submit a short work of fiction for a writing scholarship competition. Having only worked on a novel, she was unfamiliar with short story writing. I realized then not all writers are familiar with writing shorter works. In this blog I will give some pointers on how to write a good work of shorter length.

            The short story has been around for centuries. Some writers utilized the medium extensively, like Poe, Hawthorne and London, and some had their stories broken down into smaller bits for publication in newspapers, like the French writer Dumas. Short works are best described as works long enough to give ample definition to emotions and settings, as well as plot, but short enough to read in a single sitting. I personally love the style and approach of a short story; it gives me room to move artistically, but also keeps me focused on the story, as I do not have too much space for frivolous material. A short story keeps you to the point.

            There are a few basic tips to follow when constructing a shorter work, tips I shall detail below. First, and I believe most importantly, write in the here and now. You all know my flare for existential writing; write in the now. Of all my stories, only a few actually progress through time. The remainder of my tales all take place in the moment. Writing in such a manner allows for further emphasis on the emotions of the moment, and the moment itself. It presents a powerful piece in which the feelings and atmosphere become the actual characters, [see my blog on existential writing]. Try the style. Some writers may prefer to have a general progression of time, while others may find they like the approach. I feel I would be utterly lost without this method.

            Second, keep your characters few in number. A short story cannot have dozens of characters, each with their own plots and subplots. If such is your story, please write a novel. My stories have one, perhaps two characters at best. The Man in the Window had only the main character with the two boys appearing only as part of the backdrop. In many of my tales, there is but one character, and only one. This also helps to tie into the theme of existentialism; too many people in the story illustrate too many themes and too much emphasis on time.

            Thirdly, write a simple plot. You need not re-create the Count of Monte Cristo or A Tale of Two Cities in short fiction form. It is a short work: let the plot be short and simple. In Perpetually Seven the main character is driven mad by the loss of time; the same is true of The Noise from Above, where the character thinks he hears someone moving around in the second story of his home. Take a single incident and construct it on paper, letting the scene speak for itself. Don’t worry about background information. It is sometimes unique and neat to be dropped into the middle of a situation. The scene will reveal itself over the course of the story, so don’t worry about that.

            Finally, pace yourself. When writing a novel, writers pace themselves for a long haul or run; with short fiction, pace yourself for a sprint. Know and remind yourself constantly that the work will be a short one. Not all problems need to be handled and corrected in the lives of your characters in the story. Let some issues slide by in an effort to run your sprint with ease.

            If you do feel compelled to use time in your story (I did with Unbinding Tie and The Man in the Window), try to keep it simple. I have found that using such phrases as “After a week,” or  simply, “with the passage of days…” helps greatly to create the illusion of passing time, without having to progress through each day and encumbering your story with needless details. It is not my point, however, to erase all descriptions and details from the work. That is certainly not my intent. If you have read any of my tales, you will find very descriptive paragraphs. You need only to eradicate what is not necessary.

            So, there you are. Now, sit before your computer and belt out one of those stories. Not that easy? Well, you are correct. As always, let the story speak to you. Short or not, the story has a tale to tell, and it will let you know when it is ready. Be alert and ready when it calls, and use these tips to craft an excellent work.

            As always, good luck writing!

Work Update 1

            I thought I would take a moment this week to detail some of my writing endeavors, in an effort to better acquaint you with what I have on my desk at this hour. I am currently working on two projects, though one has monopolized most of my attention. The two works are Bleodsian and An Unbinding Tie. The former is a novella, the first I have written, and the latter a short work I scribbled out some days ago.

            Bleodsian, which is old English for sprinkling blood, is a story about Richard Cacciare and his quest for life. He suffers from a very rare blood disorder and is dying; with the aid of a “voice” which seems to control him at times, he embarks on a rather unusual -to put it mildly- means of procuring a rejuvenation of energy. The novella is approximately 90 pages, and is the first one I have written. I have to say, after writing the work in that format, I enjoy the length of the novella, but still the shortness of the entire work. It is not too cumbersome, like a novel, but still expandable enough to give ample description and character development. I have been editing Bleodsian for the past few days, and so far I am very pleased with the editions. I read the document first, then my little editor, my wife, applied her brilliant editorial skill to the text, and read through it also. It was certainly a “rough draft,” but it is coming along nicely. I feel confident by the third revision the text will be spotless and ready for sale.

            The other work, An Unbinding Tie, is a short story about a favorite topic of mine: the dead! In the story, the narrator loses his lover, and acquires the lover’s dog at her request. The animal never really takes to the man, but when a new girl comes along, the dog begins to exhibit bizarre behavior. First, the dog leaves messy tracks through the house, then, after some time, leaves bloodied tracks instead. The story ultimately deals with the idea of the dead not truly being dead, but still interacting with the living through various means. It is a theme taking from Poe’s works, in which the dead were never truly dead. I have, however, added a bit of free-lance interpretation to it; the dead are never truly dead, and when they return, they are pissed! Without giving away the ending, such is the case with An Unbinding Tie. We have both read through it, but the novella is controlling my time now. Once it is out of the way, I can commit some time to its structure.

            Aside from the stories, I am doing a little bit of research and working out some ideas for future projects. You may remember the idea notebook I spoke of in an earlier post; I am getting some ideas ready for submission into its hallowed pages. It is a busy time now, but it is nothing more than usual. For a workload this is rather light compared to other times.

            I rather dislike editing; it is time-consuming and not near as much fun as writing. I sometimes have to force myself to edit. With the novella, I am about half finished with it. Only two more reads and it will be finished. Needless to say, we have only begun. You should have seen me when I was editing the 232 page novel!

            That is all for now. I hope everyone had a good week. As always, good luck writing!

Otherness

            I recently read an interesting blog by another author on writing within the confines of culture and the time of the character or author. There is a huge avenue for historical fiction, but many writers choose to set their stories in the time they know best: the present, and their own present. Although my stories also take place in what I know to be the present, I prefer “otherness” to exhibit itself in my writings.

             Otherness, as it is termed, is the absence of all that is attached to time, to put it mildly. It is not the total absence of technology; my characters are not living in primitive environments, but are very much active in their worlds, although their world is but for a moment. Many of my stories are within the confines of a single “scene,” or episode with little or no scenery change, (some, however, deviate from this patter). With this method I have been able to create a timelessness for the story and allowed it to fully embrace the existential moment.

This is a key component of otherness, the existential moment. Existentialism was a philosophical and theological movement some decades ago which brought extreme emphasis on the moment, the single moment. Paul Tillich, a German theologian, wrote a book entitled The Eternal Now. It is his view that we as humans have lost the past and have not yet gained the future. All we have is the “now,” the eternal now. It is in the single moment that we all exist and have our being, and this idea comes through brilliantly in my writings.

The characters are detached from time and placed in one moment; as mentioned above, many of my writings take place within the span of an hour or less, if one were counting. Few objects are mentioned to set a definite location of time; I neglect to mention certain items such as computers, cell phones, satellites and so forth. I rely on more traditional gothic landscapes and Poe-like scenes, opting for isolation and seclusion without the modern amenities we have all come to embrace.

I admit it is very difficult to sometimes escape our cultural and technological limitations. Technology is so prevalent today and is so much an active part of our lives that it is nearly impossible to write a story without some item of the technological universe creeping in. Computers, internet, wifi and cell phones can all be found on the person, and even in the remotest of woods one is bound to have some type of reception. It is in reaction to all this, I believe, that I choose otherness in my writings.

I admit freely I am at odds with contemporary culture and disillusioned with the state of the nation today. My eyes fall upon a landscape which seemingly offers little to the new generations. Banks fail, the government no longer functions, the bottom is trampled while the top rejoices. When I view all this, I want an escape, not a renewal or re-imagining of thought. I want otherness in my readings, not a constant and blatant reminder of how things are. Otherness is escapism.

If one were to attempt to incorporate this type of style into their writings, I would suggest two things: lose your attachment to the culture, and embrace the power of the moment. First, we as a culture are so absorbed with technological marvels that we feel life has no substance without them. It is perfectly acceptable to include the modern cultural elements; if one is looking for timeless, however, forsake the world and all its entities and rest in the moment. Second, you must embrace the power of the moment. We have behind us a past which is lost forever, and before us a future we have no certainty of gaining. I stare with tear-filled eyes at that which lies both behind and before me, knowing I have neither. What I do have, however, is the moment, the single moment in which all creation exists. Within its confines do I live and breathe and have my being. We have nothing but the now; all else is gone forever, the past slipping and the future fading before me.

This is otherness….

A New Endeavor

This is my first blog, my first attempt at putting my thoughts into an electronic format. Many have written their ideas and notions, and even shared intimate pieces of themselves upon the illusory fabric of the internet; it is not my design to do such. I have but one major goal with this endeavor: to establish a creative writing source for authors.

I have been writing for a few years now and have completed one novel (it is one of three), one novella, and over a hundred pages of short stories. I write in a manner worthy of Edgar Allan Poe, perhaps the greatest mentor a young writer can have. Like every student, I have taken the style of Poe and blended it with my own style to create what I like to think of as psychological horror. I may write about ghosts and monsters, but the idea behind the story is ‘what is most believable.’ Is there truly a ghost in the next room, or has the deeper recesses of the mind conjured some image and placed it in the shadows, thus creating the ghost? I love the constant battle between the logical and the illogical, the natural and supernatural. These themes you will find replete within my writings.

I am a young man, though my age has little bearing on this work; I have lived long enough and experienced enough of the good and bad of human creation to truly rationalize a story which epitomizes the human experiment, as I loving refer to it. I have also acquired enough of a skill in writing, a skill I am now prepared to share with the public. I make no claims to be any master of the art; I am a humble student who merely wishes to share his thoughts and ideas on certain writing issues. I have thought of a few good topics thus far, ranging from character development to writing location. There are many topics swirling in my mind, and if you care to read them I am more than willing to bequeath them to you.

Fear not, reader, as this is not entirely a boring academic resource filled with saw-dust like tidbits and unpalatable delicacies. I have a strong interest in reading, wine and cooking. I will occasionally share with you some of my adventures in the kitchen and wine world. I may, if the ghosts are moving and the suns all align, even share a personal story or day with you. As the Count of Monte Cristo once said, “wait and hope.”

I suppose this is sufficient for now. Enjoy and happy writing.