  Short Stories
This week: Edited by: Mavis Moog  
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| Athletes and musicians practise their skills, so should writers. This week I try to help short story writers develop discipline for practice. |
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How To Practise Writing
If you were an athlete or a musician you would practise every day. There would be no crowd or audience cheering you on, but you would stretch those muscles or run through those arpeggios. An athlete does not say he can't run today because he can't think of anywhere to go and a singer will not complain that she cannot think of any good tunes. Why do writers allow themselves the indulgence of "writers' block."?
Natalie Goldberg, in her books, Writing Down the Bones and Wild Mind ( and if you haven't already, I strongly recommend you buy copies) has this to say about practice: "One poem or story doesn't matter one way or the other. It's the process of writing and life that matters." Goldberg recommends we fill a note book a month. She says it can be full of junk, but full it should be, by the end of each month.
She also gives some rules to help you get going and stop making excuses:
 Keep your hand moving.
Lose control.
Be specific.
Don't think.
Don't worry about punctuation, spelling and grammar.
You are free to write the worst junk in America. ( I don't know about the rest of the world, but Goldberg clearly knows her audience.)
Go for the jugular.
Most of these rules are fairly self explanatory, but the third and seventh probably need a little expansion. When she tells us to be specific, she means we should write under the generic labels. Never write "tree," always "oak" or "pine." Describe a character and name him, do not give him a psycho-babble label. Going for the jugular means writing about stuff that scares you. Make yourself write in genres and forms you would instinctively avoid because you find them too difficult. This is writing practice so you need to stretch yourself.
I would add an eighth rule; don't let anyone read your writing-practice stuff. It is not to be written for appraisal. You need to be confident that you can write anything and no one will ever see it. This is practice not a polished performance.
Goldberg jokes that these rules could apply to almost anything in life and she's right. You will have to read her book to see how she tests this theory, but my final rule stands her test perfectly.
It may seem like a daunting task to set yourself, especially if you feel your muse has left you. I have always found the concept of "my muse" a little pretentious anyway, to be honest. The benefit of practice will come from simply writing. Pick up a pencil and let it flow. You may start off stiff and each word might feel laboured and false, but as you let your mind relax into the task, sense and rhythm will emerge. There will be a moment when you break through the wall and writing will become easy and fluid, just like when a runner gets the endorphin surge. Soon you will wonder why you were so resistant to the idea, and you won't want to stop.
Writing practice gives you a firm foundation. You will discover ideas and techniques. Your mind will reveal itself - be prepared for a fascinating journey. Everything you learn during practice will enrich your formal writing, and banish inhibitions.
Pedantic Tip of the Month
The New Yorker has very tight rules. This one made me chuckle this week.
You must not write, "His long brown hair was tied back in a ponytail."
It must be, "His long hair, which was brown, was tied back in a ponytail."
The explanation? Apparently the first sentence could mean, "His long brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, but his short blond hair was sticking out in spikes and his curly red hair was wet."
Right, I somehow think such a strange hairstyle would be described in detail in subsequent sentences, don't you? Seriously, there is a point here. One should be careful that sentences are not ambiguous, but there is such a thing as pedants'-noose. Alright there wasn't such a thing, I just made that up, but it's a good term, don't you think? My advice is; do not strangle your phrases just because a picky bore could misinterpret it, if they really thought hard about it. |
Lots of people have been asking about how to get exposure for their stories. One good way, is to submit them to this newsletter, but I also found a wonderful item which gives an almost exhaustive list of suggestions.
This story is mostly dialogue. I was particularly impressed with the natural flow and pace. There is also excellent characterisation in this action adventure, which is set in Pakistan.
This story will have you hooked. Written in the style of a WDC blog, I think it really works, and it made me smile too.
This nasty little story will make you shudder. It's well-written and I loved the ending. It's short but not sweet.
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1096549 by Not Available. |
I found this story charming and well-written. It is by a British writer. A car-boot sale is like a yard sale, where lots of people turn up to sell their unwanted stuff from the trunk of their cars. They're something of an institution here in Blighty.
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1096500 by Not Available. |
This story has some powerful depiction of one woman's distress. Infertility brings out the worst and the best in Caitlin.
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
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hdelphyne
Enjoyed your notes on speech punctuation. The point form format, short sentences and focusing specifically on speech, made it a digestable morsel. Thank you.
Thea
esprit
Mavis, this edition was particularly interesting to me. I love dialogue. I'm so glad you brought up the point about reviewers criticising dialect. I notice the same thing every day, and have written a little on it. Now, if only the right people read this, the problem may be on the way of being solved! Thank you for a helpful newsletter  .
cursorblock
Great information on writing dialog. This is something I am forever working on improving. Keep up the great work.
schipperke
Thank you, Mavis for this newsletter. I wondered about how to punctuate people's thoughts in a story.
I think the best way to do thoughts is to put them in italics. Some people say one should avoid thoughts unless it is a first-person narrative, but I think it is a moot point. - MM
demor
I'm one of those wannabee writers who finds showing very difficult. How do you provide background information when the main character is alone and must be for the story to proceed?
There are a number of answers to this one.
Has the story started in the right place? If essential background is needed, maybe the story didn't start at the best tipping point. There is a difference between short stories and novels. Generally short stories need to be self contained and have a limited time span.
You can write flash-backs in a short story, but they need to be managed very carefully. The general rule is, do not confuse the reader. If you must use a flash-back make it clear it is one and don't hop back and forth too often. The beginner should probably avoid them.
You can write a story in a first person monologue style. This is not the easiest format, but it does mean you can include internal ruminations of your character. Many readers find this style dull, so be warned.
Try to make your character's actions show the story. It may take a little ingenuity, but no one said good writing was easy.
-MM
billwilcox
Just an outstanding newsletter, Mavis, thank you!
You say the nicest things, Bill. Thank you. - MM.
Erik Stark
Oh wow, now I see where the great reviews came from!
Thanks so much for including my "Invalid Item" in your newsletter! I don't know what else to say, Mavis Moog !! Okay, maybe I have a couple of things to say.
I really enjoyed writing this and though it has a few simple mistakes, I feel I will try my hand at more dialogue in the future. The challenge is refreshing! Thanks again
Erik
lvpopular
I just wanted to know about the section of punctuation what are tags and when should you add comma's into your stories?
Tags are the little phrases we add before or after speech, like "he said," or "she replied,".
Commas are used to make the pauses clear. There are many specific rules and some differences in comma usage depending on national systems, but there are many good guides available. I use Fowler's Modern English Usage, and The Oxford A-Z of Grammar and Punctuation, but these are both English system based.
There are some good websites. Spend some time Googling punctuation sites, you will soon be an expert. - MM
blueeyes
Nicely written, Mavis Moog. Your script analogy was dead on, and made it easy to understand your point. I was surprised by some of the comments you found regarding punctuation and dialogue, because it's not how *I* do things. I'm glad you included the point about being consistent, no matter what format you choose. Thanks!
Many people are surprised that although many nations speak English, it is not the same English. Punctuation differs from one English-speaker to another too. Most of it is universal, but there are different opinions and rules. I say, Vive la difference! - MM
revdbob
Good job. I liked your comments following each item entry.
Thank you, but I am by no means infallible. I research and double-check my material, but if you disagree with anything I say, please feel free to submit your comment. I promise I'll use it, as long as it's polite  . - MM
*~* Judie *~*
I don't have a submission, but I do want to take a moment to thank you for the article on punctuation! I have finally found my way back to writing and I've discovered I'm out of practice. Thanks for being there at just the right time!
I'm glad you found it helpful. Don't forget to send me a submission, when you're ready. - MM.
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Short Stories: May 03, 2006 Issue [#1012]
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