I read someplace that writing a short story/novella can be harder than writing a novel. If so, consider the latest call for submissions a challenge, all you novelists out there!
Remember, a short story/novella is not a novel outline so don’t treat it as one. To get into the mood, read some (preferably fantasy) to get the feel. (Hint: check out the Faery line at The Wild Rose Press.) Break a few down and analyze them to see how the author sets everything up. You can’t spend pages and pages describing the heroine or the spooky old house she inherits from a mysterious great-aunt she had never met before in a short story. You have to be thrifty with your words and write tightly. Every sentence must contribute.
Just because it’s a short story you’re writing doesn’t mean you can dash off something then send it off. We do have standards here. We expect polished manuscripts. That includes plot, action, setting, description and character development. It includes proper spelling, punctuation and manuscript formatting. And there absolutely must be a HEA (Happily Ever After) ending. That can’t be stressed enough.
Good luck and I look forward to reading your submission!
Claudia Fallon
3 comments:
Well said, Claudia. I think short stories are tricky for writers. You need to get the whole story in, but in less space. Truly a challenge for the brave!
I agree! Writing shorter works makes a writer work harder to deliver all the perks we expect from a longer book. Thanks, Claudia!
Amanda Barnett
I agree. Especially the part about short stories being lean, not skeletal (in spite of what we publish here at Faery at Halloween time). Give it the meat without the fluff.
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