  Short Stories
This week: Fables and Short Stories Edited by: Leger~  
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The purpose of this newsletter is to help the Writing.com short story author hone their craft and improve their skills. Along with that I would like to inform, advocate, and create new, fresh ideas for the short story author. Write to me if you have an idea you would like presented.
This week's Short Story Editor
Leger~ |
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Fables and Short Stories
In keeping short stories short, sometimes I find myself forgetting that the reader needs to relate to my story. I don't have five thousand pages to paint an image of my character and have my reader respond to him in a way I want. Because short stories take ideas and mold them into a short narrative, you have to draw your reader in and keep them interested.
Fables do this, they take a complex idea, or a "moral" and fashion an anecdotal scenario around it. Creating something immediately understandable with a fine little world and a memorable character and you're most of the way there. Create a reduction of storytelling and fine tune the plot and a fable or anecdotal short story is born.
Using your character to tell the story, to paint the picture for your reader is a good way to impart information and move the story along. I don't recommend writing everything from your character's eyes, I find it distances your reader, but adding in some description that way can help.
So next time you're looking for a way to get some info delivered in your short story, read some fables, look at how the information was delivered in a narrative story form and see if it inspires you.
This month's question: What is your favorite way to use anecdotes? Send in your answer below!  Editors love feedback!
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Excerpt: From the corner of his eye, Axis glimpsed motion. A girl darted from the shed and ran. She carried a paper bag and wore denim.
Axis gave chase in his wet slippers, but the girl clambered over his chain link fence in running shoes and vanished between the neighbor's dark-needled yews.
Excerpt: Ativus led Nimbus down the steps and to a small metal door. His master opened it and Nimbus froze with gaping mouth at the beautiful sight before him. It was a large crystal that floated in mid-air. Within it was a glowing speck like a blue star in the heavens.
“What is this marvel?” asked Nimbus.
“It is the Crystal Glyph-a living entity that has been here for over two-thousand years. Yesterday, however, it asked to speak to you.”
Excerpt: Are there really fairies out there? She looked out the window yearning for something magical to happen, then began writing down her wishes in her diary. Saturday I will be eight years old, what do I want most of all? Lynn walked over and reached under the bed, pulling out all her notebooks. She laid back, propping her pillow up behind her and studied her drawings of Tinkerbell once more with her fairy sisters and the unicorns. They looked so mystical and beautiful.
Excerpt: The first rule of climbing was never climb alone, yet, here she was. As the only woman on the Himalayan expedition, the ridicule and disrespect was more than she could stand, so she accepted George's bet without hesitation. All she had to do was make it to the Sherpa and back before sundown.
Excerpt: Why he doesn’t know, but when he hears the ice-cream truck jingling its way down the street, Matt recalls the psychologist’s red damask lazy boy chair back in the eighties. At nine or ten years of age, he had what the professionals called the truancy syndrome that kept him out of school and on the street.
Excerpt: Judy hit record and smiled looking over my shoulder. “You are seeking answers about death and a loved one that has crossed over?”
“Yes, my husband. A few months ago.” Just saying it aloud enveloped my heart like a vice. I hated thinking about the loss, and getting out of our bed every morning was becoming a massive chore on good days.
A daily contest with a big prize, check it out and enter!
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Excerpt: Ah well, you see that's because, to give some direction, I'll be giving a song title as a prompt. NB I'll indicate who sang the song as well but it's the actual song title that's the prompt.
So just to clarify, what do I have to do?:
Right, so if you didn't get it, all you have to do is write a small piece i.e. a short story of between 80 and 100 words using the song title as a prompt
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This month's question: What is your favorite way to use anecdotes? Send in your answer below! Editors love feedback!
Last month's question: What do you look at first when you log in?
innerlight  tells: The first thing I look at when I log is the Newsfeed section. The items people post are filled with vital statics. It maybe personal, an item for a group or a video.
Mary Ann MCPhedran  reveals: My first thing I look at when I log on is my email as it has always one waiting for me. I enjoyed reading this news letter and hope to read many more. Thanks for sharing.
brom21  answers: The first thing I look at is probably my email. Sometimes I find interesting things, particularly the WdC newsletters. After that i check the HUB forum in the group that am part of, The Fantasy and Science Fiction Society. One thing I always usually always do is my journal/blog-which, to my disadvantage, is usually quite bland. So there you have it-my WdC regimen. I should throw in a habit of looking at the Please Review forum. I have not reviewed in a while. Thanks for the newsletter!
QPdoll is Grateful submitted: Typically, when I log into WDC, I look at the newsfeed first, then notifications, and finally, the best for last, email.
Quick-Quill  says: I check emails first, then notifications and newsfeed last.
GaelicQueen  replies: I check my emails first.
Zeke does this: I look at reviews first.
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Short Stories: May 03, 2017 Issue [#8272]
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