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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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Characterization in Short Stories
One of the issues a short story author has to address is the limitation of length. A short story needs all the elements of a novel but in a condensed version.
So much to write. So little time.
So how do we develop believable characters in a short amount of time?
The first thing to do is develop your characters as much as you can before you begin to write. Knowing what drives your main characters before you begin will help. But all this information is not necessary for the reader. Readers expect to be completely familiar with at least one character, their thoughts, their feelings, events in the past that may drive them to react to situations they way they do. The essential tools of characterization (action, reaction and dialog) are still important but we must eliminate the needless. Giving the reader what they require without a lot of fluffy background helps drive the story.
Flat, cardboard characters that never develop can’t drive short stories. While a story needs "spear carriers" (characters who help provide truth to the story), as a short story author, you need to move them in and out as quickly as possible.
At the same time, when you begin to write, understand you have limited space and cannot be generous with panoramic characterization of every minor character. While you should round out the minor players and make them believable, don't squander time and space by showing the unnecessary. Minor players can be characterized merely by showing their thoughts, actions, speech, looks and interaction with other characters. Review your story for exponents that aren't crucial and remove them. Then reread and see if the story still makes sense without them.
Highlight the flat guys and give static characters the boot.
I find a good method is to print out my story, highlight what I think I can remove and then reread the story without the highlighted material.
Then I work on wrapping up the details and producing a great ending. This is where it can get tricky. We need to remember that the reader has formed an impression of your story plot and as an author you have to give them a place to stop, an ending that the reader will enjoy. The worst thing an author can do is leave a reader empty handed and disappointed.
Words of warning.
 Remember characters and plot are symbiotic. Without one, the other dies.
Don't rush the ending!
A character's speech and action work in tandem to form rising conflict.
Characters should be rich yet concise.
Henry James said, "What is character but the determination of incident?
What is incident but the illustration of character?"
Character, plot, setting, theme, idea and style are inextricably bound;
all must stand or fall together.
I hope these few words of advice help you when writing your next story or improving the ones you have already written. See you next month!
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#1126993 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: “I remember,” he said, then paused. “Do you remember the day everybody died?”
I didn’t look up from my mending, but I could see him in my mind’s eye. He was standing by the window, a cup of coffee growing cold where he’d left it sitting. He was looking out at the twilight. He glanced over his shoulder at me. He’d been making me remember more and more lately.
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Excerpt: Once upon a time there was a little baby girl who was left all alone at the circus. She was abandoned in the stands, left for any kidnapper or ax murderer to find. Luckily, the bearded lady happened to find her as she walked the aisles after closing time.
Excerpt:
It is a somber hospital scene I’ve seen in movies: A doctor counsels the family of his patient’s condition. "Her body has given up," the doctor says. "It is time for you to accept it and let go. Let her enjoy the rest of her life with dignity." Except this time, the episode is happening in real life -- to my family.
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Excerpt: They never found the heads. Nor the paws or skins. As Justin surveyed the latest work of trophy hunters, he felt the sting of defeat. It was his assignment to protect these creatures from the encroachment of man, and while there were over 750,000 acres of park lands to patrol by only six officers, every incident left him feeling as though he had failed.
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Excerpt: The night Henry’s father died, the world danced, hugged, and kissed in celebration of the New Year. His mother called him at half past eleven on December 31st . Her voice was softer and lower than usual.
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Excerpt: Well, it’s been quite the ride for me. For you to even begin to understand what’s going on you must be informed of my distant past. Although it will be difficult to remember and riddled with holes and misinformation, the story of my life must be told. Forgive me for my grandiose ideas, but this is something I cannot help.
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Excerpt: As this news may be of some interest to you, let me first say that I am not a necrophile. My actions in no way resembled those of that Count Von Cosel in Key West or what happened to the mummy of Eva Perón. I advise you to ignore those seven dwarfs in pointy hats. “Dead” is a grey term in this case. I do admit that, yes, your daughter’s heart did actually stop.
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Excerpt: I despise prejudice in any form, and when I took my dog to obedience school, that darned instructor criticized the fleas on my dog. Can you imagine that? My dog’s fleas always stay close to him. They’re his best friends. I tried to explain that to the instructor, but he just wouldn’t listen.
Excerpt: As the final hymn drew to a close, Pastor Marx moved from behind the pulpit to the center of the sanctuary. “Go in peace. Serve the Lord,” he declared.
“Thanks be to God,” the congregation intoned. The pastor began his recessional as the postlude commenced, completing his journey at the back door of the nave. That familiar cue prompted me to grab Amy’s little hand and shuffle out of the pew toward the center aisle, where we were swept up in the rest of the crowd filing towards the exit. The pastor greeted the parishioners as they made their exodus and prepared to go about the rest of their day, and before long, it was my turn.
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Excerpt: The heat was oppressive. James Drake stood beneath a huge poplar tree, looking at the meandering river below. He wondered if it was safe to drink from the water, in his own time the water was filled with poisons, but here.... He worked his way through the brush along the river, and found a deer path down to its edge. The water was cool, and felt good on his parched tongue. Safe or not, he must drink. The water had hardly any taste, and he believed that was a good thing.
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This month's question: What method do you use to stay within the confines of a short story?
Last month's question: How do you find new story ideas?
writeone  writes: Thanks for the newsletter. Another great idea is to find new words. For example: Parsimonious (Frugal to excess); or Schadenfreude (A malicious satisfaction in the misfortune of others); or Deliquesce (To melt away or become liquid), and then write stream of consciousness style until a story comes out. Sometimes it is good just to let the flow happen and see what oozes out.
Have fun!
Writeone
scribbler says: You know I've never had a hard time thinking of ideas. It's actually writing them down that's the trouble.
Lorien answers: Hi Leger! Great newsletter. I find my story ideas in real life: conversations I overhear, events I witness, people I see. Sometimes when watching television or a film one of the tiniest subplots can inspire me on a track completely different from the movie itself.
I don't know if you've ever heard the story of one of Joan Didion's novels (I can't remember its name...). She envisioned a white, blank space, and wanted to write a novel that would completely encompass that ideal.
glory replies: Hi there!
New story ideas are literally dropped on me,sometimes they result from different life circumstances; but either way they really speak The Message of Love, God's Love, and they can even speak that Message back to me.
Ms Kimmie ponders: Good newsletter, Legerdemain. Creative ways to jumpstart the muse are always welcome! You know what I don't get though: how a writer can ever say the words, "I'm bored." I'm never bored. Whenever people have said that phrase around me, I always say, "That means you're boring. If you could entertain yourself, you wouldn't have to wait for anyone else to relieve you of your boredom." That always proves to be enough impetus to get them out of their slump--proving to themselves (or me?) that they are not bored. Bonus to writers specifically: it's one more kick in the rear to fight writer's block! 
schipperke reveals: Great tips on getting more inspiration, and I love your picks for the newsletter this month. Problem with the meditation one, however, is I tend to fall asleep 
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Short Stories: August 16, 2006 Issue [#1203]
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