  Short Stories
This week: Edited by: Mavis Moog  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
There's a bumper post-bag in this edition. Last month, I asked you how important character names are to you, and how do you choose the right names. The answers are in the Ask and Answer Section
This will be my last Short Stories Newsletter. I wish you all a fond farewell, in my Letter From the Editor
The winners and honourable mentions of this month's short story contest have been selected and are given in Editor's Picks, for your entertainment.
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Good Bye
This will be my last newsletter. I am sorry to give up this editorship, but I have been doing it for quite some time, and I am sure someone else would like the chance. Actually, to be quite honest, I am just too busy with domestic matters, so I'm being entirely selfish really. If I could, I'd be an editor of this wonderful newsletter for as long as The StoryMistress  let me  .
Saying goodbye is something we could all consider when we come to the end of a short story. How often have you had a review telling you to write more, and that the reader is dissatisfied with what you have considered the completed work? People want to know what happened next, and then what, and how did they all end up after that, and..... you know what I mean. So how can we ensure a satisfying ending to a short story?
Some short stories have an epilogue. Each character, even the shop keeper from the second paragraph, is given a life, and the reader is told all about the outcome of all their major endeavours. This is usually done for comic effect, and does not usually feature in serious stories.
Loose ends are not desirable in any short story. Small details, sprinkled throughout a story, should serve a purpose. This means, their significance should become apparent by the end of the story. Most crime writers know about this, but it is true for all genres. Obviously, not every tiny little thing needs to be referred to, but don't leave the reader wondering why the cat had ink on its paws.
Another type of weak ending is one which seems pointless. Last month I discussed theme. By the end, a short story's theme should be clear to the insightful reader, if not to a literal fool. I do suggest this should be done subtly though. It is not a good idea to finish with a paragraph devoted to explaining how your story shows that we should all be good to our grandmothers, or how world peace will be achieved by eating fewer hamburgers. Heavy-handed sermons, do not constitute good conclusions.
The ending should not be rushed. Take time to set your reader down in a comfortable place, or at least an interesting place. Gabbled, note-form endings are surprisingly common. It's as if the author has lost interest in his characters, and races to the final full-stop because he's late for dinner. One should spend as much time on reaching a conclusion as one does about every other part of a story.
We all like surprises. The twist-in-the-tale story is one of the best-loved in literature. This does not mean all stories should follow this format. It is perfectly acceptable to finish without a final flourish, as long as the point of the story has been achieved. If in doubt though, aim for a good twist. Novice writers particularly, may find that finishing with a twist is the easiest way to make their stories satisfying. There seems little sense in making things too difficult for oneself.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday, and that 2006 comes to a satisfying conclusion for you. I'm looking forward to a more relaxed year, during which I want to devote more time to looking after my family, and writing more fiction and poetry. What are your plans? Will 2007 be the year you get that big book deal? Or are you simply wishing for a chance to hone your writing skills. Whatever you want, I hope it works out. Thank you for reading.
Mavis Moog |
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northernwrites
Mavis-
Depression and loss aren't the only emotional writings that need work to be effective for an audience--they all do.
Your reaction to reviewing emotional writing is as valid as anyone else's, but the 10/19 editorial included your own "annoyed" emotional writing, which had not been completely prepared for its audience. That biased language seems to be a blind spot, as it continued in the 11/16 responses to comments.
Persuasive writing isn't effective without respectful wording. Wording with negative emotional baggage is usually heard as an attack by those it's aimed at.
I disagree about only two solutions. If writers who won't be developing their writing beyond emotional expression by focusing on the audience would set such items to unrateable, they would still be available to interested readers, but reviewers would be fairly forewarned. Truth in labeling is respectful too. See
Thank you for your point and the link. ~ MM
Wren
Thanks for your discussion of themes in writing. I find that very useful. Sometimes I have a theme on the edges of my unconscious and see it repeating in my writing. It's a better idea to plan for it. I like the suggestion you made of proverbs.
I was surprised to find anyone was offended by your suggestion that some writing is mostly therapeutic. I've certainly found that true in my own, and then have to decide whether the topic is worth shaping up for the reading public as well. Often it is not. I do not mean to dis therapeutic writing in any way; in fact, maybe we could teach it on WDC.
Thank you for your kind words. That's my therapy for the month dealt with  . I agree that a structured approach to creative therapy would be useful. I have a good friend who is a highly experienced (and qualified) creative therapist. Maybe I'll put the idea to her. I teach creative writing to creative therapy practitoners, but am not a creative therapist myself. I do know however, that creative therapy can be hindered, in terms of honesty and effectiveness, if it is produced with a readership in mind. ~ MM
Answers to Last Month's Question
How do you choose names for your characters? How important is a name? What does a name do for a character?
twyls
Mavis, In regards to your question about naming characters: I am not a careful writer when it comes to names. One of my favorite characters came from a clipping I took of an actor I didn't recognize. I thought he would work well in a story, but I couldn't come up with a name. Then I noticed the top of the picture, where part of the word "premiere" had been caught in the clipping. I realized that Emiere was the perfect name for this character, and it stuck. Another character was stuck with the name John, which I would normally change because it is too common. However, this character was unique in that he blended in so well he became nearly invisible. So I think John was bland enough to work. I think we need to trust our gut, as writers, with the names that fit our characters - but we also can't be complacent and stick with a name that is too common or doesn't work.
werden 
To be honest at least for now, I don't pay to much attention to names. All my short stories (my 2) are slices of life that can happen to anyone. So really to me in those stories the name isn't that important
AmyBallantyne
Thank you, Mavis, for sharing your insights about theme. I like your idea of making a theme list and am going to work one up for myself.
I am a new subscriber to your newsletter--thank you!
I choose my character names taking into consideration the personality, the setting, era and genre. Most important--I have to be able to pronounce it!
sharifahusin
If a name can foreshadow the characters' personality, their strengths or weaknesses, it may not work well. The only exception is that if, say, the story's about fantasy and fight between good & evil, then maybe a gallant name like Sir xxx will work - it adds to the flow of the events in the story; it fulfils the reader's expectations..
Pennie
I think a characters name should have an impact on the writer, so meaning. The character position in the story should also indicate how much importance is placed on the name. The name of the character can make him/her a memorable person throughout the story that the reader will identify with the title/author of the story.
matthewhuge
I anagram the name of my main character to something to do with the plot of the story or with the ending, many of my tales have surprise twisted endings but figuring out the anagram will give away the ending.
Voxxylady
Names are quite important to our characters, just as they are in real life. The names we are given do help to form our personalities. Native Americans understood this when they refused to name their children until they saw their personalities, so as not to interfere with who they were.
Whether or not an author realizes it, a character's personality and how we feel about that character is shaped by his or her name. Kabalarians.com provides wonderful insight as to the meanings of names for authors who want to check to see whether the name is truly who they want the character to be.
dusktildawn
As I'm primarily a fantasy novelist, the majority of my names are made up, but they also have to sound believable. I will sometimes use an ordinary name and add to it: Ceth = Cethland. Or changing certain vowels works too: Anna = Enna
A wonderful trick a friend of mine here taught me is to reverse the letters around backwards: Arizona = Anozira (This can become a fictional mountain or town). The imagination is a wonderful thing, isn't it? : )
Moody Blue: Needs an Upgrade
In answer to your question: I choose either names of people I know (preferably their middle names) or a name that begins with first letter of their real name.
J. A. Buxton
I've often had problems finding names for my novels' many minor characters. One day while browsing Amazon.com, I came across a Writer's Digest book that helped solve this problem. It's Character Naming Sourcebook by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
There are lists of surnames plus first names for females and males by nationalities. The book starts with an article on how to craft names for characters that is extremely helpful. I highly recommend this book and keep it next to my laptop for easy accessibility while writing. Here is a link to it, if you're interested.
http://www.amazon.com/Writers-Digest-Character-Naming-Sourcebook/dp/1582972958/s...
Judity
writeone
What's in a name? Ah, the age old question. I purchased The Character Naming Source-book from Writer's Digest. It is a great book, filled with thousands of names, their origins and their meanings.
I feel that names have to mean something to me to help me get to know my characters better. Sometimes, I name people according to how I feel about them, sometimes, I name them according to their characteristics. Each name has to resonate.
Names are important because they become symbols to our reading public for the message we want to convey. Think of Forrest Gump, or Harrison Bergerac, or ... well, pick a name you know - either from literature or from movies (which had to be written as screen-plays at some point!) Now, say that name and what do you envision? The name conjures up a hairstyle, a characteristic, a flaw. Names are crucial.
Satuawany
Sometimes a name springs into existence right along with the character's basic make-up. As a last resort, I have a baby-naming book on my shelf next to the dictionary and thesaurus. That works best if I want to have a name that "means something," as each name's meaning is contained therein. Each name's origin is also listed, so if I need a Spanish name, a quick browse gives me a ton of ideas.
Fantasy names are harder. If a name doesn't come with a character, then he or she spends the first paragraph of their life with a blank space as a name. Then I'll try one out. If I don't like the way it feels, I keep using it and using it, trying to force the character to give me something better.
It works. Most of the time. Characters can be very stubborn about giving up their names and sometimes I have no idea how their names come about.
*searchingforastory*
Hey you! Yeah, you! What's your name and how did you get it?
inbuninbu-- in Japan!!
I'm in two minds about this. It seems to me that names in stories can be as
significant or as arbitrary as in real life. Sometimes you meet someone with a
hilariously incongruous name; other times, you meet somebody whose name seems
just exactly right for him. I guess it can be the same with names in stories:
the author can choose to reveal as much, or as little, about the character
though his name as he chooses.
The relevance of some names is immediately apparent (think of the James Bond
girls & villains); the relevance of other names is hidden or only exposed later
in the game; other names have no overt sense or meaning at all.
Different names have different associations for different people, that much is
unavoidable. Yet the names you choose as an author should be appropriate to the
characters: their culture, sex, and age. After that, the author has a luxury
most parents don’t when naming their child: he can fit the name to the
character of a person already fully developed in his mind, whereas a parent can
only choose a name expressive of the type of person he hopes his child will grow
to be.
In sum, there are a lot of factors to be considered when naming a character,
but I find often the right name just jumps out at you, the epitome of the
character you hope to write.
Thank you all for these interesting and informative responses. This is what a newsletter should be about. It's great to see so many contributors. I wish you all the very best, and hope to continue reading your messages in future editions. ~ Mavis Moog |
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Short Stories: December 13, 2006 Issue [#1434]
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