  Short Stories
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| this issue of the Short Stories newsletter is dedicated to tightening up existing writes. |
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Editing is a core part of writing; really, it's the only way to put one's best foot forward as a writer. Unwillingness to make basic edits to one's copy is generally viewed poorly at best by reviewers and submissions editors.
Sometimes a story is simply too long-- it's easy for an idea to run overlong in your first draft, and really, as a net result that is preferable. But, in the event you've overrun a word limit for a contest or a magazine submission, it can be harrowing trying to figure out what can safely be cut from a story without sacrificing the meat of the work.
So, once you've given your story a once-over for spelling and grammar errors--don't lean on Spellcheck to do it all for you, there are a surprising number of words you can legitimately mistype and they look just as silly as a typo in a polished manuscript!
The first step I try to take, once I cover the basics, is to find all of my "be" verbs (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been, et al) and try to whittle them out as I go. Certainly I can't eliminate every one of them, but often they add bulk without substance and getting rid of a few adds up quick. It's surprising how helpful this is, and the added benefit is it makes all of the writing more "active"-- those pesky little things contribute to passive voice. It's not always possible to eliminate every one but it adds a lot to the writing while slimming down your manuscript.
Another thing I look for is the word "that." a writer friend of mine once said to me, "The word "that" is almost always unnecessary. It tends to turn up in passages with too much explanation in them. Sometimes it fits and I leave it. Most of the time it's a sign." Stylistically, I use instances of the word "that" as rarely as I possibly can, and it seems to tighten up my writing automatically-- it's another one of those passive voice indicators, and also manifests in situations where one is trying to differentiate "this" from "that."
Clunky phrases are another thing to search for-- things like drawn out cliched phrases and sayings, descriptions that don't fit or contain a lot of unnecessary contradictions and nonsensical contrivances. Sometimes this is where another reviewer's eye can be handy; a phrase that you just adore might fall flat to a test reader. Seeing as we are if nothing else a site full of test readers, you have a wide pool of candidates here.
If you've done all this and you're still over your word budget, try one of these:
a) start looking for plot elements that are more about detail than function, if you simply MUST enter a given contest or generate content for a magazine/online publisher/etc.
b) extraneous parts of the story that you might like but don't belong-- sort of like option A but with a little more force. Excising all of the elements that don't move the story forward typically results in a tighter story.
c) it turns out that your story might simply be longer than what's allowed by the contest or publisher, and that's okay. You'll just have to write another one to enter! 
Until next time,
Take care and Write on!
~j |
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feedback from last month: "Plotting to a Conclusion"
Doug Rainbow  writes:
I bought some tools, some lumber, nails, and wood finish. I didn't want to be bound by any pre-conceived straight jacket of what I was going to make. I sawed a few boards, nailed some together, sanded and finished one board. It didn't make any sense so I threw it in the trash.
I think that little ditty sums up the power of planning pretty well!
LJPC - the tortoise writes:
Hi ~j!
I've met many seat-of-their-pants authors, too. I find that attitude disconcerting. I begin with a firm climax/ending in mind and take months to plot a novel. I guess that's why I never have to fix plot holes or character arc problems. Most published authors plot and outline. If you write stream-of-consciousness, you run the risk of it being actually all about you--your consciousness forms the book by the way you see the world. Messages, themes, and characters can fill with author intrusion. However, I'm a genre writer. I guess literary writers can excell at improvisational writing. To each his own.
-- Laura
Well, I don't know if I qualify as a "genre" writer but I definitely see an improvement in my own work when there's good use of planning involved. I can understand both sides but I definitely prefer to work complete, having seen the benefit of having a plan in mind.
glocha writes:
Hello! What constitutes a short story? Sounds like a stupid question. How many pages are the max? Many thanks, Mother Goose
There really isn't a minimum or maximum, though of course the longer you go, the closer you are to a novella than a short story. I would say that the easiest way to define a short story in terms of length is that it is not any longer than it needs to be and includes very little "extra," compared with a novel where it is often expected that there will be plot lines that unfurl and are there for added story dimension, but may not necessarily be linked to the resolution. There aren't many rules, fortunately.
Stephanie writes:
Guilty as charged! I have so many great story ideas, but I'm really lousy at figuring out good endings for all of them. You're right, though, I definitely write best when I have some idea where the story's going. Maybe that's why I write romance - the endings there are easy. Just get them to happily ever after and you're done. But it would be nice if I could come up with something more imaginative.
Romance actually has a number of conventions that are expected to happen, and the endings are one of those things. It's formulaic but there are worse things that could happen!
Steev the Friction Wizurd writes:
I couldn't agree more. I have an article about this subject ("Anyone Can Begin A Story" ) and I have added a link to your newsletter in that article.
aw shucks! Glad I provided you with some food for thought! 
Zeke writes:
I like to write stories that carry a twist ending. Much of the story is meant to mislead the reader.
I love a good O. Henry style twist, but one has to be careful with misleading the reader; as a general rule readers want to see logical conclusions at the end of a story, that one could reasonably reach without too much guessing or frustration. It's a fine line to walk.
Power Unit submits the following for us:
Your newsletter prompted me to write a blog. Thanks for the discussion. It's something we all need to ponder carefully.
Farooq writes:
while I was writing a story I was feeling excited about the ending. So I ended up writing the end and then wrote the stroy backwards. I was amazed to see that it was completely different from what I first planned to write. This idea may work for some.
That's it for this month--- see you all next month! I look forward to hearing your comments, and I try to print all relevant feedback every month. 
Take care and Write on!
postscript: many apologies for the typo in the title that appears in your inbox; the title has been corrected to correctly reflect in other areas of the site. Super thanks to eagle eyed reader Fyn 
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Short Stories: June 29, 2011 Issue [#4478]
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