This week: Cousin It 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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Cousin It
The correct spelling is genealogy, with the root of the word coming from the Greek word genea, meaning generation, family or race the ending does indeed mean the study of, it just doesn't have the connecting "o" before "-logy".
When writing your stories, it's always important to not dump a pile of information in your reader's lap. However, it can be important to let your reader know how one character is related to another. Engaging family histories can be a great base for a storyline. A structure can be crucial so as not to confuse your reader.
One way is to put a hint in the dialog tag. "It's going to rain," said his father.
Another can be in the scene description. He looked over at the bearded man he's always called father.
External characters can help with the clues. "There goes that boy's mother, she's always stirring up trouble."
Collecting pieces of history within a story can make sense when you use a flashback, or when a character has a memory. It also helps to write the genealogy down as you form your story, so it makes sense to you too. If the family tree is complicated, maybe including a diagram would be helpful.
Overall, be sure you don't drag your reader down a genealogy rabbit hole that isn't necessary. While the history of the characters is interesting, ensure they're relevant to the actual storyline. It can all be very interesting but stay on task and focus on what is needed.
As always, Write On!
This month's question: How do you get information into your story without an info dump? Send in your answer below!  Editors love feedback! |
APRIL SITE CONTEST
Genre Prompt for April 2023: Mystery
You can do a good deed by reviewing any qualifying item* on Writing.Com and you might win! Enter as many times as you want to increase your odds of being selected as a prize winner!
And that's your challenge: following the picture prompt below, write the most engaging opening line(s). You have full artistic license to take the picture prompt in any direction your muse takes you. Any genre, any style, anywhere your creativity takes you. Just make it the best!
Excerpt: "Cockroach Cluster!" Harry yelled at the Gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's room.
"You've got the password right, young man, but I can't allow you in anyway," the Gargoyle replied.
"Can't allow me in? Can't allow me in?" Harry was desperate.
"The Headmaster doesn't wish to be disturbed."
"You're sounding like Snape. What's Dumbledore doing that's so important?"
Excerpt: “Not bad for a twelve year old. Right Father?” Miles stated proudly of his fine swordsmanship ability. The quick-paced clank of steel against steel echoed across the magnificent English courtyard, as father and son continued their sword spar. Lord Petrus, who has been known throughout his lands for his expertise with the sword, enjoyed spending these quality times with his son.
Excerpt: Lila and Phoenix were unicorns and they were lost in the cold and the snow. They should have stayed on Unicorn Island where they were safe and warm. They were mad at Fadera the head fairy of Unicorn Island and jealous of the black unicorn Spartacus and his new born son Hercules who looked exactly like him. Spartacus was the King Unicorn and he was nice but didn't allow horse play.
The Challenge: Write a poem or story and incorporate the prompted lyric somewhere in your work, word for word.
Often in a Thriller, the Protagonist is faced with what seems to be an insurmountable problem carried out against a ticking clock, and the stakes are high. Although resourceful, they face personal dilemmas along the way that force them to make sacrifices for others.
The coffee is always hot and there's usually a fresh batch of delicious cookies
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This month's question: How do you get information into your story without an info dump?
Send in your answer below! Editors love feedback!
Last month's "Short Stories Newsletter (March 29, 2023)" question: Do you write fanfiction? What characters do you admire?
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  : I do write fanfiction. In general, it depends on if I'm interested in the topics. Currently, one of the things I've been adding to is a Sly Cooper Fanfic interactive, and the one section is a crossover between The Bad Guys (the movie group), Zootopia, and Kung Fu Panda has just been thrown into the mix.
Howler of the Moon  : I don't actively write fanfiction, but I do have a few ideas for different fandoms. I come up with as story whenever I see a character and become obsessed with them.
Olivia: it's NaNo-Time
8154  : I dabbled a bit in the Law & Order Universe – Benson & Stabler, Goren & Eames – down that line. But although I avidly watched those shows – Criminal Intent & Special Victims Unit – it kinda didn't work, and that although I was quite familiar with those characters. 
Guess I felt uncomfortable using someone else's creations. 
That was shortly before I joined WDC in 2007 – and wrote my own characters, my FMC loosely based on Olivia Benson from Special Victim's Unit, in "San Francisco Stories" .
Turkey DrumStik  : I wrote fanfic last decade. Now if I do write fanfic these days, I'm spinning off from a previously written fanfic. Go figure.
Mousewitch  : More often than not, the shows I watch are part inspiration, part insight to what has already been done. For instance, my current main character is loosely based on several ghost communicators I have watched, mixed with my own Wiccan practice.
I have always took inspiration from everywhere. Everything I experience gets filed somewhere and gets pulled out when the moment arrives for it.
tj-turkey-jobble-jobble-hard-J  : Although I'm a fan of fiction, I'm not much into writing fanfiction. I mean, how much can one make up about a fan...
I'll leave now.
s  : I had published (online but they paid me) two fanfic works in the WWE universe.
Having said that, I dislike most fanfic. And I even wrote an essay about it: "Some Thoughts On Fan-Fiction"
Abuse heading my way in 3...2...
bryanmchunter: Yes. I have a whole Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? interactive story where the host interacts with various characters from popular culture. Some of my favorite characters to write about in that story are from franchises such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Dennis the Menace (US), Looney Tunes, and Tiny Toon Adventures. Right now I'm trying to come up with new questions for their storylines.
N.A Miller : Strands of Starlight series (Gail Baudino) Character and story you can relate to.
wrote a fanfic series based on it...
investigativedads : I adore fanfiction! I write it all the time! My favourite character to write is Sherlock Holmes/Herlock Sholmes from The Great Ace Attorney.
joemjackson : Susan Bones of the Harry Potter series.
qaroll: I love fanfiction, it's how I started writing! Characters I admire include Ban and Meliodas from Nanatsu no Taizai (The Seven Deadly Sins), Ichigo, Gin, and Zangetsu from Bleach, and all of the cast, really, from Underworld Chronicles by rotxinxpieces!! 😃
T.J Shepard  : sometimes i do write fanfiction but i also write fiction i would have to make a list of characters that i admire
Thanks to everyone sending replies! Leger~ |
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Short Stories: April 26, 2023 Issue [#11933]
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