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mary rosenblum
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Hello, all, and good morning!
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. If you're
new here, remember that you need to click on the 'Ask a Question' button or
the 'word bubble' next to the red question mark at the top of the screen,
or use the ask a question icon in order to ask a question. Your regular
'send' bar won't reach me! You can also type /ask in front of your question
to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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We're trying another of our
'hands on' Forums, today, and so far this has worked out pretty well. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I have yet to be flooded with
too many submissions.
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mary rosenblum
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I'll take story ideas from
people in the auditorium, but not until I've finished with the ones that I
received in advance.
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paja
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did you get mine?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, Paja, I seem to recall
seeing yours. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I'll probably get some late
arrivals...I did last time, so I may do them on Friday.
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mary rosenblum
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My idea here is that it is
easy to tell someone how to create a short story instead of a novel...
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mary rosenblum
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but it is a lot harder for a
novice writer to really comprehend the 'how' of that.
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mary rosenblum
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So by using actual ideas and
showing how they might be refocused if needed in order to create a shorter
story...
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mary rosenblum
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the process may become more
understandable.
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mary rosenblum
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I got yours, sen!
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mary rosenblum
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Checked my email just before I
came in here.
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mary rosenblum
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All of us, when we begin, use
novel sized ideas.
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mary rosenblum
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I suspect we're all trying too
hard...I know I was... reaching for that huge and wonderful idea that will
put our stories 'over the top'.
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mary rosenblum
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What you come to realize is
that it is not the idea that matters in fiction, even in SF where ideas are
important...
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mary rosenblum
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but rather what you do with
that idea. So it becomes easier to 'think small'. Not so easy when you
start out!
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mary rosenblum
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So let's look at some of the
ideas we got here.
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mary rosenblum
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I'm taking them in the order
in which I received them. :-)
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curseofthe44
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Is it possible to earn a decent
living from writing only short stories?
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mary rosenblum
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No, curse. It is not, no more
than it is possible to do so as a poet.
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mary rosenblum
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Realistically, a short story
will get you from a couple of hundred dollars or even less to maybe 1000 at
the top end. I sold one for 1500 this year, but most earn me less.
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mary rosenblum
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And while you can resell to
anthology markets...I've earned over 4000 on one story...if you think about
what you need to live on for a year...
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mary rosenblum
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and realize that editors won't
put a story from you in EVERY issue, look at your markets and do the
math...
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mary rosenblum
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you'll realize that some other
income source is going to be necessary, no matter how poor you're willing
to live.
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mary rosenblum
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BUT...they earn you awards,
they earn you critical attention, and they make it much more possible for
you to sell book length work.
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mary rosenblum
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Occasionally longer short
stories get optioned for movies...I've had two optioned. But not that
often.
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curseofthe44
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What are the odds of a short
story being adapted to a movie, as opposed to a novel adaptation?
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mary rosenblum
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Best seller novels are the hot
ticket, curse.
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mary rosenblum
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Short stories actually adapt
to movies better, but your odds in ANY case are very small. Options
happen...
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mary rosenblum
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but rarely does the story end
up in production. Nice if it does!
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mary rosenblum
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And your standard option is for
..I think three years, maybe two. Can't remember.
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mary rosenblum
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Write short stories because
you love writing them, but if you want to make a living income, either do
nonfiction or find a compatible day job. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Preferably one with healthcare
benefits, LOL. I wish!
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mary rosenblum
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Three fem fetales (the one
with the charm, the one with the
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the guns) open a detective
agency to help
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first job (a dragon living
in
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park) gets them in over
their heads. Big
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away with injuries,
including one incurable
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mary rosenblum
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Okay, here's our first short
story.
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mary rosenblum
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This one sounds like a LOT of
fun, and I'd love to read the book! :-)
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mary rosenblum
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But it's a fine short story
idea, too.
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mary rosenblum
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I'd say that to do this story
well, the author is going to need a good 5000 words if the characters are
going to engage us.
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mary rosenblum
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That way we can start out with
an action scene, meet our characters and the POV after the action scene,
and lead up to the climax of confronting the dragon in the sewer!
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mary rosenblum
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(I wonder if Wendy knows about
the rain dragons inhabiting the Seattle sewers...?)
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mary rosenblum
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This would be difficult to do
as a short short and retain the power of the longer version, since you'd
have to imply a LOT of back story...
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mary rosenblum
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and the back story...the
business and the characters...promise to provide the humor here. You CAN
focus this down to a short short...
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mary rosenblum
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by concentrating on the climax
scene with the dragon, picking your POV, and putting HER in charge of the
job...
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mary rosenblum
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so that the success or failure
is HER responsibility and then letting her facilitate the triumph of the
trio through some inner resource she thought she didn't have.
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mary rosenblum
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For example, she might be
scared of snakes, and the dragon morphs into a snake. But her friends'
lives are on the line, so she casts the appropriate spell in spite of her
fear.
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mary rosenblum
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Notice that in the longer
version of this, I mentioned a vastly different dramatic arc with a LOT
more going on for us to see for ourselves...
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mary rosenblum
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we'll get to meet the trio in
person, see them in action in the opening scene, see how they relate and
learn about their histories as they do 'office repartee'...
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mary rosenblum
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before they confront the
dragon. By the time we get there, we'll have a different climax..the
success or failure of the 'TRIO is at stake here as the primary conflict to
be resolved.
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mary rosenblum
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We know all these people and
we want them to make it as a business.
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mary rosenblum
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In the short short version,
you simply can't make all that back story and those three characters real
to us, so focus on ONE.
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mary rosenblum
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Give that one an internal
conflict to resolve paired with the defeat of the dragon of course.
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mary rosenblum
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Then we only need to care
about her, and you can do that in say 1500 words by revealing a person we
like.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer, and we're
looking at short story ideas. If you're new here, remember that you need to
click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't reach me! You can
also type /ask in front of your question to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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If you notice the difference
there...I simply narrowed our focus from the 5000 word version to the 1500
word version.
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paja
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What if the femmes were working
FOR the dragon
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mary rosenblum
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Different story. :-) I'm going
to stick to the story I was handed, this time around.
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mary rosenblum
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Or try to!
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mary rosenblum
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A girl from the 1800s runs
away from home. Her father sends his employee, an Indian, after her. The
Indian finds her a captive of his tribe, betrothed to her captor. The
Indian must find a way to rescue her.
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mary rosenblum
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This is a good short story
idea, a very character driven and internal story.
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mary rosenblum
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We have a POV who is coming
face to face with his value systems and the value systems of the day.
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mary rosenblum
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He has chosen to live the
'white man's life' and now has to find a way to reconcile old and new
loyalties.
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mary rosenblum
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This is, by the way, a story
that really demands some research in order to make it work and could work
as anything from an action western or romance story to a really profound
look at values, race, and identity...
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mary rosenblum
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depending on what you wanted
to do and what market you were writing for.
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mary rosenblum
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If you do the 'light' version
where it's just a matter of him rescuing the girl without killing any
relatives or friends, you could do it in 3000 words if you write tight, or
less if ...
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mary rosenblum
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you sacrifice some details and
verisimilitude. If you choose to do the intense and character-driven
version it would be longer.
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mary rosenblum
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And here...the focus change is
quite different, notice.
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mary rosenblum
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If we make the focus action
oriented and fairly superficial, we can do this as a short short.
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mary rosenblum
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If we 'zoom in' on our
character and his internal conflict of self and identity, it will be
longer.
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mary rosenblum
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This is a nice example to pair
with our first one because they are so different. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer, and we're
looking at short story ideas. If you're new here, remember that you need to
click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't reach me! You can
also type /ask in front of your question to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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An abnormally obese man named
Paul Osco experiences numerous health problems and his doctors deem is
necessary for him to have stomach stapling surgery. His brother, Randall
Osco, travels across the state to visit him. Randall and Paul have a very
strained relationship, but Randall, at the advice of his wife and other
family members, offers to pay for the entire cost of Paul's surgery. Paul
has the surgery, then sneaks out of the hospital without anyone's knowing,
goes home, dons his best suit, and goes to his favorite steak house where
he binges. He vomits many times, his malformed stomach rips apart, and he
dies. His brother Randall considers this entire situation on the drive
home, and where his emotions range from white-hot anger to acceptance of
his brother's death to realization about how sometimes two things so
similar can be so opposite, like the two positive sides of a magnet.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, this is one of those
very internal stories without a lot of action. AND it is a story that will
mostly be told in flashback, framed I am guessing, by Matt on his drive
home.
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mary rosenblum
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This is going to be a tough
one to pull off as a very short story, because with a very short word
limit, we will only get the story, without enough words to really create
either Matt or Paul for the reader.
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mary rosenblum
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So we will have to depend on
what Matt tells us about Paul as he considers that sad history.
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mary rosenblum
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Therefore, you the author,
have to assume that the reader finds something in this story to matter.
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mary rosenblum
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What is it about Matt that
compels us?
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mary rosenblum
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Well, there is something to
compell readers here...Matt's ability to understand the family dysfunciton
here and to move beyond it.
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mary rosenblum
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An implied triumph, as Matt
realizes that he doesn't have to be like Paul, is NOT like Paul, can really
give the reader something to think about.
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mary rosenblum
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BUT...as a very short story,
it will be difficult to pull off.
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mary rosenblum
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Our engagement with this story
depends on us caring about Matt, so that what he learns can matter to us.
That is going to be hard to do if all we see is Paul's problem.
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deb1234
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This story needs intense
research. Stomach surgery of this type wouldn't allow for someone to binge
this way. Sorry
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mary rosenblum
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Exactly. And I"m not
going to go into detail on what needs to be researched in most of these
story ideas...
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mary rosenblum
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but we do need to take it as a
given that 'just because I say so' is never a good reason for doing
anything.
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mary rosenblum
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Research does matter. :-)
Remember that our contract with our reader is 'I will create a real world
and YOU will believe in it'.
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pook
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What is Matt's relation to Paul?
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mary rosenblum
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They're brothers, pook.
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mary rosenblum
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A youth minister (named Susan)
at a small country church has discovered
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church, a much loved and
respected member of the
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"relationship"
with one of the teenage girls
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yrs. old) in the youth
group. Susan has been
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to handle this. Finally she
decides to drive
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confront him. While she is
sitting in her car
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courage, he comes out of
the house, begins to walk
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get the mail?) and grabs
his chest and
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a heart attack or
something, because he is not
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is no one else around . . .
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pook
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I thought Randall was the
brother.
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mary rosenblum
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Duh...that's what I meant.
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mary rosenblum
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I
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mary rosenblum
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I'm assuming that the author,
Matt, has made these characters up.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, smeagol, don't ever send
a 'synopsis' like this to an editor. You'll get it back about one day later
with a no thanks attached!
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mary rosenblum
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Remember folks, when an editor
or your instructor wants to see your story idea or synopsis or summary...
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mary rosenblum
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we need to see the end. How do
we know if the end works unless you tell us?
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mary rosenblum
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Want to tell us what happens
next, smeagol?
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mary rosenblum
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Or did you plan one of those
'lady or tiger' endings?
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pook
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I assumed she just let him die.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, she did or she didn't.
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mary rosenblum
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This would make a nice strong
short story and it's one ...as with the original 'Lady or Tiger'..that can
be told short...
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mary rosenblum
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because we don't need to know
the MC intimately. We'll know Susan by what she does here.
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smeagol
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I guess I thought the point of
the story would be her making the decision itself (I'm not great with short
stories). So lets say that she decides to let him die.
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mary rosenblum
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She could do either, but you
DO have to choose.
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mary rosenblum
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Part of the reason that 'Lady
and Tiger' (I disremember the actual title, that may be it) is so memorable
is that it drives readers crazy.
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mary rosenblum
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And very editor I know gets
these and every editor I know hates them so they are risky to write.
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mary rosenblum
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But here we have a story that
can be powerful and very short...
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mary rosenblum
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We have our MC who knows that
her pastor is guilty of what to her is probably a sin.
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mary rosenblum
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And he apparently is struck by
a heart attack in her presence. So here we have a lovely and powerful
dilemma.
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mary rosenblum
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Does she say 'this is God's
judgement' and go inside to call the ambulance, leaving it to God to decide
if he lives that long or not...
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mary rosenblum
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or does she leap out of the
car and do CPR, figuring she cannot watch another human die, no matter what...it
is not her role to judge?
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mary rosenblum
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And you can have her decide
either way and make this a compelling and disturbing story...and you'll
disturb some readers no matter which you choose. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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We don't need to know much at
all about her before that moment...
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mary rosenblum
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Where we get to know her is in
the few seconds that pass as she sits in the car and makes up her mind...
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mary rosenblum
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and yes, you can drag that out
for some time, since in moments of crisis like this, time does seem to slow
down.
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deb1234
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How do you interject her
relationship to him?
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mary rosenblum
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You don't need to here, deb.
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mary rosenblum
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She will define herself for us
as she makes her choice.
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mary rosenblum
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This type of story really is
the author posing an ethical question to the reader...
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smeagol
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Mary, this would be a character
driven story of internal conflict, right?
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mary rosenblum
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It can be, if you write a
sllightly longer version and let us see how Susan's choice derives from who
she is and her past.
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mary rosenblum
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OR you can make it an ethical
choice piece and we don't have to know a lot about her.
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mary rosenblum
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That would be the short short
version and would be designed to make the reader react. :-)
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pook
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Do we care if he's married? Does
everyone else know?
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mary rosenblum
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Those would be the questions
for the longer version, where Susan's choice is determined by who she is,
pook.
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mary rosenblum
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And the story I've been
referring to is one where the story ends with a man choosing one of two
doors...
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mary rosenblum
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behind one is a tiger, behind
the other, a lovely woman. The author never tells us what is behind the
door he opens.
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mary rosenblum
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For the story -Ryan and Sherry
get romantically involved after some initial friction while working on a
hectic project in a corporate setting. Ryan, although successful in his
career takes off in pursuit of his real ambitions which do not include a
9-5 job while Sherry elects a more conventional future. After experiencing
some success and another love interest, her dissatisfaction with the
corporate scene causes her to rethink her values and she decides to join
Ryan.
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mary rosenblum
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Nice romance plot you have
there. Looked at the Harlequin guidelines, Pook? :-)
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pook
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This kind of thing actually
happened in Somerville NJ many many years ago. They were both married and
the hypocrisy caused the church members to shoot them in bed.
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mary rosenblum
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Ouch. Remind me never to join
that church! :-)
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smeagol
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Mary, but couldn't that be the
point? In "The Things They Carried" we never learn whether or not
the MC gets the girl in the end, but the point is something else, so it
doesn't really matter if he does or not (this is in reference to your Lady
and Tiger comment).
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mary rosenblum
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You CAN make it work, smeagol.
You can make that your point, and it can be a powerful story...BUT it is
NOT at ALL easy to pull off.
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mary rosenblum
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Readers are very resistant to
that type of device. It is going to have to be powerful enough that we may
hate you for leaving it open, but we still can't forget it. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Well, pook, sketchy is fine.
:-)
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pook
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Those guidelines are kind of
sketchy.
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mary rosenblum
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Sorry...cart before horse
there...
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mary rosenblum
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But what you're doing here is
pretty typical...you are trying to cover a novel's worth of events in a
short story format.
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mary rosenblum
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And you can use exactly this
story, but don't try to do it in a linear fashion, the way you laid it out
here...
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mary rosenblum
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or you'll have a 3000 word
summary!
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mary rosenblum
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The problem is that by the
time you fill in all the action/scene changes/description necessary to take
us through that time line...
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mary rosenblum
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you won't really have the time
to stop and really let us get intimate with the characters...so we won't
know them well enough to care about this relationship.
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mary rosenblum
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The easiest way to have time
for your characters..which matter in this type of story...and still include
your plot as outlined...
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mary rosenblum
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is to compress the time.
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mary rosenblum
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Do just as you wrote
here...they are instantly attracted, instantly annoy each other, but it's
clear they have a future together.
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mary rosenblum
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Then the job offer comes and
they split.
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mary rosenblum
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Instead of letting months or
years pass, maybe she has an enounter with her new boss or project manager
that makes her realize...
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mary rosenblum
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that this new job is not at
all what she is going to be comfortable with.
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mary rosenblum
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And you end with her showing
up at his Ryan's door with an invite to come celebrate her new position at
his job...or something like that.
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mary rosenblum
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All you have done is to
compress the same arc of 'attraction...separation...reconnection...into a
matter of hours or days rather than months or years...
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mary rosenblum
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and when you do that, it
allows you to leave out all the things you'd have to tell us to cover the
lapsed time...even if you use good transitions.
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pook
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I'll try it.
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mary rosenblum
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I think it'll make a nice
strong romance story, pook.
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mermaid1110
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should you narrow down dialogue
or narrative when trying to keep the word count to a minimum
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mary rosenblum
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GOOD dialogue is always
stronger than narrative, mermaid. That is GOOD dialogue...
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mary rosenblum
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and that is because it not
only conveys characterization, but allows the characters to feed us LOTS of
information in a brief time.
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mary rosenblum
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And a few few vivid details
can give us clear visuals.
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pook
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But doesn't she have to m iss
him when he leaves?
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mary rosenblum
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she can realize how much she
WILL miss him, pook. Remember that you can imply things that happen
offstage or will happen later and they can have more impact...
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mary rosenblum
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than briefly sketching them
out without enough words to make them powerful.
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mary rosenblum
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If her heart aches as he walks
away and she tells herself, 'there are more like him, you need this job',
we'll know this is the wrong...
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mary rosenblum
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decision and we'll know she'll
miss him terribly. We don't have to SEE it happen.
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mary rosenblum
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That is a mistake we all make
at first...thinking that we MUST show the reader every detail.
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mary rosenblum
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Readers are VERY good at
filling in blanks if you imply that blank!
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me, Mary Rosenblum, LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer, and we're
looking at short story ideas. If you're new here, remember that you need to
click on the 'Ask a Question' button or the 'word bubble' next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular 'send' bar won't reach me! You can
also type /ask in front of your question to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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Dee must do a good deed in
order to win a scholarship. Her assignment is to
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bad rap just because he is
poor, his Dad has run
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he lives with his sister
and her baby in public
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mary rosenblum
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I don't think I got a name
with this...or it didn't come through when I copied. Again...be sure to
tell an editor or instructor what your planned ending is!
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mary rosenblum
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This is NOT a 'lady and tiger'
type story.
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mary rosenblum
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The strength in this story
idea...and it is a CONSIDERABLE strength, is whether or not Dee can reach
out to this resistant kid to succeed.
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mary rosenblum
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The implication is that she is
going to have to understand him and the 'whys' of the way he is in order to
do so..
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mary rosenblum
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and that gives this the
potential of having a VERY strong message for today's kids and being a very
powerful YA story.
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mary rosenblum
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It can work for the adult
market, too, since readers will have probably had a situation at least
similar to this one at some point in their lives...
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mary rosenblum
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and either found a way to see
the kid behind the behavior-mask...or failed to do so.
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mary rosenblum
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So the story should resonate
well with adult readers, too.
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mary rosenblum
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I would focus on the dramatic
peak in order to make this work as a short story.
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mary rosenblum
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The power in the story comes
when Dee is able to look beyond the snotty kid to see the real kid behind
that mask...so give us enough 'snotty' interaction between the two to set
up that realization...
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mary rosenblum
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but I would not start with the
scholarship and the first meeting with snotty Scotty. I'd begin with
lessons underway and Dee's despair over managing to get anywhere with this
brat.
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mary rosenblum
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Then I'd find some event that
for some reason, brings them momentarily together so that they briefly can
be on the same side.
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mary rosenblum
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That is your dramatic peak.
The resolution is the final scene where for the first time, Scotty, still
rather snotty (he's not going to turn into an angel overnight!) makes his
first real effort...
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mary rosenblum
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and then we'll know that she
will succeed. AGain, you don't have to show us that success. We know it
will happen.
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mary rosenblum
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Patricia
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a province rebel. He knows
war will not
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people. He's sad beyond
words. The Prince,
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chooses to visit the people
and
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The people kill him; but
not before he meets
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who has been receiving the
spirits of
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killed. She receives the
Prince's spirit,
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his father, the King.
Through a mystical
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the people and they are
returned to the
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Prince are married.
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mary rosenblum
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Cool story, Patricia! That is
a nice core plot for a fantasy novel, and I hope you write it.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, you can also do it as a
short story...although you'll need to focus it down some.
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mary rosenblum
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This is a plot that has a lot
of implied action and a fairly long period of time...we start with the
rebellion and have to go through the Prince's adventure, his meeting and
bonding with Jeri du'Salem...
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mary rosenblum
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his death, her return to the
King, and her delivery of the spirits to the realm of the flesh. Yep...THAT
is a novel plot.
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mary rosenblum
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But, you can focus this down
to a rich and enigmatic little fantasy story by simply narrowing the scope
to your dramatic arc.
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mary rosenblum
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Do it from the King's POV for
one story, or from Jeri's POV for a different story. The story would
include only the delivery of the spirits back into flesh.
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mary rosenblum
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But you'll have to find a
narrower conflict here...you can't use the complex interwoven threads you
now have (Jeri's story and the Princes' story).
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paja
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If the arc in focused down and
the ss written, would that impinge on the novel, or could it still be
written?
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mary rosenblum
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It will help sell your novel
if it's already in print. The first two chapters of my current SF novel
will appear in Asimov's Magazine as 'Green Shift' a novelette.
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mary rosenblum
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They are almost identical. It
will only help your novel sell.
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smeagol
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Mary, which would make a
stronger POV short story? The King or Jeri? I am guessing the King?
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mary rosenblum
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They would be different. If
this was my story, I'd think through both versions before deciding on one.
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mary rosenblum
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If you use the King, here
comes this woman. If the King makes the wrong choice, she'll go away and if
he makes the right one, she give him back his son.
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mary rosenblum
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You can't tell us that in
advance, but if you make his internal conflict over how to deal with this
woman powerful, it will work nicely. Maybe by law, she should be killed or
kicked out of the country...
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mary rosenblum
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but there is something about
her that moves him and so he takes a risk, opposes the priests, and saves
her.
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mary rosenblum
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I would let the King be
putting something serious on the line in order to make that right choice,
though. REaders want their MCs to take risks...too easy isn't a fun read!
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paja
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Jeri would be
"birthing" a 1000 people, another story could be on her emotional
recovery?
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mary rosenblum
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Definitely another story.
That's way too heavy for this one.
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mary rosenblum
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From Jeri's POV...she could be
ambivalent about what she can do.
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mary rosenblum
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She knows perhaps what it will
cost her.
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mary rosenblum
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But convinced of the King's
love for his son, she does it.
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mary rosenblum
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Again, instead of trying to
compress that span of time and dual MC plot lines into a short story,
simply focus on the strongest peak of the larger story and orient your
short story to that.
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mary rosenblum
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Roe:
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an old Victorian home. In
the process of remodeling they discover a sealed off room in the attic.
When they break through the wall, 2 shadow people are released. Anna is the
only that sees them. In the room is a trunk that holds old clothes and a
box. Inside the box wedding rings 2 marriage certificates and a death
certificate. The box has a false bottom that holds a diary, which Anna
doesn't find til later. Anna becomes obsessed with research on the house
and discovers the first wife died and the second disappeare, supposedly ran
off with a lover. Everytime Anna goes in the room the shadow people become
agitated, as if they are ltrying to tell her something. Eventually Anna
discovers the false bottom and the diary which tells how the husband killed
his wives. The second wife is buried in the basement. Once the discovery is
made the shadow people are put to rest
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mary rosenblum
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I'm going to hurry along
...any I don't finish I'll do on Friday!
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mary rosenblum
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This would make a good short
mystery for Hitchcock, but I'd imply a lot of the back story after you
begin this.
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mary rosenblum
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If you do this in a linear
fashion as you have here, starting with the wall and ending with thte
basement...it's going to be long and will probably...
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mary rosenblum
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force you to be rather
superficial in order to squeeze it all into an acceptable word count.
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mary rosenblum
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I would start with the shadow
people already a part of life. The wall was opened days or weeks ago..she
won't let hubby proceed with the remodel until she figures out what is
going on, and maybe he thinks she's crazy. Start with her in their
presence, trying to interact.
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mary rosenblum
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WE find out about the remodel
later. Give us a ticking clock. Hubby is getting more convinced she is
nuts...
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mary rosenblum
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so that she NEEDS to find this
diary soon, it's not just an idle past time.
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smeagol
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Mary, but what might be the
insight she comes to for herself? Or is this important. I figured that the
King would get some "self" insights out of this if it were his
POV.
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mary rosenblum
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Jeri could realized that the
king's love for his son and his son's potential are worth risking herself
for.
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mary rosenblum
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I don't have enough of Jeri to
know what her motivations might be, but you can ALWAYS find a necessary
insight for a character, smeagol.
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janp
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Anybody have a smashing short
story? Writer's Digest just put out a notice. Short story contest, 1500 wds
or less, deadline Dec 1
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mary rosenblum
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Aha...you can apply all these
examples. LOL
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curseofthe44
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Could Anna use dreams-possibly
from the shadow people wives-to discover the false bottom and diary maybe
quicker?
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mary rosenblum
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Sure. good idea.
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mary rosenblum
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There are many ways to get her
there.
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mary rosenblum
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Okay, one more, and then I'll
continue this on Friday.
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mary rosenblum
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The eighteenth birthday and
formal naming day should be a future king's greatest day. But, the young
prince is in a quandary. By custom, his paternal aunt, who in a fit of
spite against his mother, has assigned him his formal name, Oedipus Rex,
which he hates with a passion and, which he will be stuck with for life.
The future king must find a way to change his name, create peace within his
fractious family and all before the formal grand naming ceremony and ball
tomorrow night.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, I'll do yours after
this, Jackie. It's the last one.
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mary rosenblum
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Lots of good humor here, sen.
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mary rosenblum
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This is a good doable short
story idea. AGain, focus on the climax scenes in order to keep this short
and not boring.
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mary rosenblum
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Use lots of rich and vivid
details to set the scene as characters interact, and go from one
interaction to another until you reach your climax.
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mary rosenblum
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Give us back story as our
ticked off princeling argues and schemes with relatives.
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mary rosenblum
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There was a GREAT example of
this in F & SF not too long ago...darn if I can remember the title.
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mary rosenblum
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Same sort of family feud plot,
rich details of the world, nice dialogue, very good story.
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mary rosenblum
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Give yourself 3 - 5000 words
for this one, though. Humor, like characterization, takes more words.
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mary rosenblum
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Okay, last one here.
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mary rosenblum
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Mary, my story is about a
young man who learns, after graduating from college, that his mother (whom
he thought to be dead) is really alive and living a few miles away in an
exclusive psychiatric hospital. The story will parallel his journey in
finding her and getting to know her and putting the peices of his shattered
life together.
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long novel with interesting
twists and heart wrenching scenes.
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into a novel
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mary rosenblum
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This is a fine story idea and
yes, suitable for a novel. Realize that what will make this work for the
reader is our identification with the man. Therefore, making him a real and
compelling character is paramount for this story.
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mary rosenblum
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If mom is a highly unique
individual it won't hurt either. I would beware of making this a long,
drawn out and depressing slog with a ray of sunshine on page 376.
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mary rosenblum
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Who is going to be reading by
then? :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Don't forget we will need
multiple dramatic peaks before we reach the main one, even if they are
small and quirky peaks. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I did get one more
submission...
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mary rosenblum
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She didn't know the person
standing before her, couldn't comprehend how she'd
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her life. When she realized
that she was studying a
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mirror, she dropped to her
knees and began to
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shaking her body like a
seizure.
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mary rosenblum
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This is really an opening
rather than a story idea. It's a fine opening. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I don't have a clue where it's
going, though. :-) But it does indeed picque my interest!
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mary rosenblum
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Okay, we made it through all
the email examples!
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mary rosenblum
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If I find a ton of latecomers,
I'll do them on Friday. Stay tuned. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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AND...by design, hehe...
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mary rosenblum
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my guest this Thursday is
Michael Arnzen, our poet and horror writer who visited earlier...]
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mary rosenblum
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and his topic will be Fast
Fiction!
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mary rosenblum
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Since we have this nice
Writers Digest contest for 1500 word stories, this is timely, yes? :-)
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mary rosenblum
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You can all write a story for
the contest now.
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mary rosenblum
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Consider it an assignment,
heheh.
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mary rosenblum
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See you all in the casual chat
tomorrow, same time same place.
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mary rosenblum
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And if you haven't sent off a
short short to Storyhouse.com...DO so.
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mary rosenblum
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They are paying 15 cents a
word and that adds up fast.
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mary rosenblum
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Just be prepared to wait a
year!
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mary rosenblum
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See you all at the casual chat
tomorrow!
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mary rosenblum
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Write well!
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mary rosenblum
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I'll post the transcript in
the usual place...
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mary rosenblum
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Writing Craft -- Forum
Transcripts
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