 Short Stories: May 10, 2017 Issue [#8275] |
  Short Stories
This week: Turning Disadvantages Around Edited by: THANKFUL SONALI back on Jan 4  
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I conduct Harry Potter quizzes and events, and have thus analysed the series quite well. One of the things I find myself doing, each time I re-visit the books, is to marvel at how big mistakes became stepping stones to success, how apparent disadvantages were blessings in disguise.
This is, of course, an analysis of a series of books, but the device of disguising a blessing can be used effectively in a short story as well. There, it would need to be just ONE big disadvantage, or a couple, if it's a long-short story.
Given this month's "What a Character! : Official WDC Contest" prompt, it seemed appropriate to discuss this here!
(Note to non-Potterheads: I sometimes use the HP series as an example, because it's the one that most people know. However, you don't need to have read the Potter books to comprehend my examples. I have given enough plot and character summary in my newsletter, so that you can relate to the topic of the newsletter. Cheers!  ) |
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Dear Reader,
So -- I'm going to plunge in to it. The DISADVANTAGES that turned around and became ADVANTAGES. Harry Potter fans will be familiar with these. For non-Potterheads (yes, I do know you exist!  ), I've tried to give enough background so you get what's happening.
1. HARRY SAYING VOLDEMORT'S NAME (Book #7)
There's a point at which Harry and his best friends, Ron and Hermione, are hiding. There is an enchantment that reveals hidden people if they say the name of the main villain, 'Voldemort'. Though he knows of this, Harry forgets it, says the name, and the trio is captured.
How this became an advantage: They were able to rescue other prisoners (Dean, Luna, Ollivander, Griphook).Had they not been captured themselves, they would not have been able to find or help these individuals.
Also -- While questioning Hermione, their captor, Bellatrix, lets slip a vital piece of information. She indirectly reveals the whereabouts of a Horcrux. A Horcrux contains a piece of Voldemort's soul, and needs to be destroyed before Voldemort can be killed. Knowing the location of this object was a key element in getting rid of the main villain.
2. A. THE DAMAGE TO RONALD'S WAND (Book #2)
To do magic, a wizard needs a working wand.
So when Ron's wand gets broken, it appears to be a catastrophe for sure.
Except that --- at the end of the second book, a not-so-nice person (Lockhart) is trying to put a curse on Harry and Ron, to wipe their memories clean. Lockhart uses Ron's damaged wand for this -- the wand backfires, Lockhart himself is cursed, Harry and Ron go on to be heroes. We next see Lockhart in hospital, three years later, still unable to remember who exactly he is. (That's the power of the curse that would have hit Harry and Ron, but for the wand.)
2. B. THE DAMAGE TO HARRY'S WAND
Later in the series, it is Harry's wand that gets damaged.
At that point, Harry, Ron and Hermione are on a secret mission and Ron has walked out on the other two. They are so hurt by his absence, that they avoid saying his name.
However, when Harry's wand breaks, Hermione has no other example to give of someone whose wand has broken, and she has to say the word 'Ron' aloud. This instigates a piece of magic that enables Ron to find his friends again and rejoin them.
3. HARRY GIVING HIS SON THE BLANKET (HP and the Cursed Child)
Harry Potter is orphaned when he is one year old, wrapped in a blanket and left at the doorstep of his aunt, uncle and cousin. There's no family-feeling, in fact, much mutual resentment is built up in the sixteen years they spend together.
However, years later, after Harry has children of his own, his cousin finds and sends the blanket to him. Harry is very touched, the blanket is his one memory of his dead parents. He tries to give it to his second son, who rejects it, claiming that the first son got a better gift. It results in a big fight between father and son.
Later in the plot, the younger son and a friend are stuck in time. They are stuck at Harry's babyhood with his parents. To return to their present, they leave a message on the blanket, so that Harry can read it in their present and find them..
THE MOST IRONIC OF ALL
To me, the most ironic of all is one that seemed to be working FOR Harry, but was actually working AGAINST him. I'm speaking of the Triwizard Tournament.
So Harry is a reluctant competitor in a huge wizarding competition. His name has been entered for this tournament by the bad guys. They want him to win, and touching the trophy will lead to his death. (Rather like the plot of the movie Miss Congeniality, but I digress.)
All his friends try to help Harry do as well as he can in the tournament, so that he can touch that trophy. In fact, they should have been keeping him away from it!
What finally happens is that another competitor dies, Harry manages to survive.
I know that HP fans will think of hundreds of examples in the books, that are either sheep-in-wolve's clothing or wolf-in-sheep's clothing. I hope I've given you enough to be getting on with!
Thanks for listening,
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Thank you for the responses to "Short Stories Newsletter (January 18, 2017)"
~Lifelessons~ 
Short stories for me are a comfort. A whole lot of showing in a short story. Really I don't think there is a formula for short story telling but certain attributes have to be there. I tend to write write write and then structure. Great read!!
sdv413
Thank you for an excellent newsletter, Sonali. I especially appreciated the paragraph that begins: "In a short story what you say is important - but what you don't say is more important." I felt like you were describing my own purposes.
The Ink Maiden~
Wonderful newsletter. It sure did help me understand things better.
Rmkv
This was a good read. Thank you so much!
Quick-Quill 
Learning to craft short stories is the biggest step to writing a novel. Taking a short story and expanding it to a novel is just as you say. Take the apple off the tree then go to the garden and pick leaves, sweet, spices along with liquid and eggs from the farm next door. Soon you have an apple pie that is enjoyed by many.
brom21
I never examined the way that the author of a short story must quickly and succinctly catch the reader and lead to a climax without seeming lacking in consistency. I loved the example of a short story as a single tree with reachable fruit and a novel as a garden. It's a quick thrill to read a short story. Great newsletter.
futurewriter5
I loved this newsletter! It's very true about short stories, but I also think that short stories leave a lot of mystery in them because they are short, that there is no time to evaluate everything like you can in a novel. They are simple, and to the point, which is why I like my share of novels and short stories depending if I'm in the mood for a quick read or get into a story. |
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