Tuesday, October 2, 2012

One Moment: Writing a Short

The present letter is a very long one, simply because I had no leisure to make it shorter. ~ Blaise Pascal

Sure, he was referring to a mathematical equation, but it exemplifies my take on writing Shorts (and synopses too, but that's a different tangent). Unlike Jeffe and James, I find writing fiction under 100,000 words an anathema. I'm the chick whose first-drafts clock in at 250k or higher.

What? I like my characters to live robust lives.

The fact that I can get the second-drafts down to half of the initial word-count is testament to my cutting skills. Cutting isn't the way to write short. Trust me, I've tried. It doesn't work well at all. Novellas (20k-50k) will forever remain beyond me. Sorry, no advice on that front.

I have forced myself to write Short-Shorts, which are 1500 words or less.  The only way I can write those is by repeating to myself one mantra:

Write the moment

A moment is all the word-count available. Every sentence serves the purpose of moving the moment forward. Short-Shorts are great writing exercises. There is no room for verbosity, but there has to be space for a story -- goal, motivation, conflict, and emotional investment. It's roughly half of a scene, so it is possible.

So, if you want to write short-short, put on your blinders. Write the moment.




 

6 comments:

  1. I like that - I'm going to remember that one. Nice way to encapsulate it!

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    1. Thankyouveddymuch. I'm still in awe of your ability to knock out novellas as though they're a tasty little snack.

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    2. "Tasty little snack" <- love that. That's exactly what they are to me!

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  2. Thank you. I've been watching this week from a distance. I don't write short - at least not very well. Short-short I can do in small doses. (Pun intended.) Other than that, I write long. My first drafts don't end up quite that long, but it's easier for me to add in a little or cut a little to hit around 100K than it is for me to try and write anything shorter than 70K. So thank you, KAK. Now I don't feel so lame.

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    1. Yay! I'm not alone! I see those anthology open-calls and I think, "I would love to; however, I utterly lack the ability to close my creative pie-hole."

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  3. lol, I am not a big short story lover. I have read some kick ass ones especially in the horror genre. But they aren't great for developing a character connection. They have to be about the moment (like you said) not about the people. I like reading about the people. Now novellas are my crack! I love those if they are done well. They can be as satisfying as a novel but only take a small amount of time. Erin Kellison has perfected the novella in my opinion.

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