This week: Workshop Edited by: NaNoNette  
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3. Letter from the Editor
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| One of the best aspects of becoming a member here on Writing.Com is that the site works a little bit like a giant writing workshop. The benefits from getting lots of critiques for our writing are evident. At the same time, not every review is constructive enough to make a writer better. Or sometimes the critique is so random that the writer doesn't know how to apply it to her writing. A successful back and forth of writing - reviewing - editing - reviewing again - and more often if needed is the best. |
| ASIN: B000FC0SIM |
Product Type: Kindle Store
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Amazon's Price: $ 12.99
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Workshop
Short story workshops are not the same as novel workshops. There are some distinct differences that make it worth having access to both.
The novel workshop.
Writers who join a novel workshop have all or most of their novel already written. This means that they have made it as far as they could get on their own. When they join a novel workshop, they are ready to hear what others love, what others think can be made better, and what others think is outright wrong.
Reviews follow a template, which helps to keep reviews relevant.
Reviews come one chapter at a time, which means that the cohesion of a whole novel might not be fully appreciated by the reviewers.
The short story workshop.
The story is finished: Everybody drops a short story of approximately the same length into the bucket.
Everyone reviews everyone.
A template or questions to ask help to keep the reviews constructive.
There is no story: Everyone starts with a blank page.
This one can help writers who want to write a story, but have no idea how to start.
Ideally, this workshop includes a few documents that discuss important information such as:
 Story structure
Character building
Scene setting
Possibly reader expectations for certain genres.
Writers might go through some writing exercises together. Small text snippets to try different things out.
After a few sessions together, each workshop member turns in a short story of an agreed upon length.
The review - edit - review again cycle begins.
Who can start a writing workshop?
Anyone. As long as there is one person who is willing to administer the workshop and there are two more people willing to take part, you have yourself a workshop.
What kind of resources are there for the writer who wants to open a workshop, but is a learner himself?
That is going to be the easiest part of setting up the workshop. Writing.Com is brimming with articles and bulletins made by members for other members. It does not matter whether the questions are about grammar or story pacing. If you can think of the question, someone on this very writing site already typed up the answer and made it available for you.
Not only your fellow members have something to teach you. Writing.Com links you to a whole host of writing classes from this page that you can find in the left side bar by clicking on Writing Resources  Writing Classes https://www.writing.com/main/info/about/writing_classes.html
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| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2200168 by Not Available. |
| | WYRM (13+)
A group for those dedicated to writing and reviewing speculative fiction.
#1142497 by WYRM  |
Can't find the right kind of workshop or class that you want? Go and post in the General Discussion Forum and see if you can find someone who wants to start a short story workshop group with you.
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I received these replies to my last Short Stories newsletter "Ten Small Steps" . What's your short story formula?
brom21  wrote: Thanks for the NL. It was informative and it helped reinforce what I know about short stories. The most helpful point was number 2. I sometimes info dump or put in fluff. A lot of times I go over the word count because I go off in other directions. It's just so much fun! But I have to put a harness on my story development a little. Thanks again!
Paul  wrote: Thank you for this post. I write short stories, but I do not think I’m ready to start a novel. You have given me more knowledge on the craft and I appreciate it.
Paul 💐🐸🙏🏼
Kit MacPherson  wrote: Inspiration plus perspiration.
s wrote: I don't set out to write a short story.
I start with a "What if...?" question, then write. If it ends up 100 words or 200k words, it doesn't matter. It is what the idea demands.
Example - I finished a short story yesterday. 11k words. "What if Prince Charming got bored?" Thought it would be flash fiction (11-500 words), realised it was going into short story territory, kept writing, it became a long short. Yes, that means it will be a difficult sell, but that was the length the story demanded.
I just write. The story dictates its own length.
jolanh wrote: Characters+plot+beginning+middle+end=story
david wrote: The Story is Dead. The story is not important.Every conceivable story has already been written ten times over.What is important now is developing the characters.A good short story will place its characters in interesting situations and see how they behave.
wdwilcox wrote: I usually start with my main character. Short stories are not going to be filled with lots of people, there's no time. So, you write your main guy and SHOW what happens to him. Then I like to throw a twist at the end to satisfy the reader.
Nine wrote: Make the readers feel the things you see from a different perspective.
Bilal Latif wrote: There's a formula?
elephantsealer wrote: A short story formula? It should start with the presentation of the problem; continues to the many facets of the ways to resolve the problem; and ends with the final resolution to the problem. It is a basic formula, and the most difficult part of it is the presentation of the problem.
Ginger wrote: There is usually the basic equation to a short story, but I like to write from the hip. I have a very difficult time outlining anything.
Anna Marie Carlson wrote: My short story formula is (1) Develop the Character (2) What role does the character play (3) What kind of action do they do? (4) Do they save a life (a hero) or do they mess up a person's life and (4) Will it have a happy, sad, or continuing story?
~HarvestSilverMoon~  wrote: I tried having the beginning and end figured out.then fill in how they get from point A to point B, or whether it changes along the way. But still it all has to make sense.
Beholden  wrote: Thanks for including my short story, When Dreams Come True, amongst the Editor's Picks.
Lilli 🧿 ☕  wrote: This is a wonderful newsletter filled with great info! Thank you!
Princess Megan Snow Rose  wrote: Thanks for including my story about Santa meeting Mrs. Claus. I enjoyed your guidelines for writing a short story. Good newsletter and informative. |
| ASIN: 0996254145 |
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Amazon's Price: $ 12.95
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Short Stories: May 05, 2021 Issue [#10708]
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