  Short Stories
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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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Short stories for children.
Books fascinate most children. Kids have less cynicism to suspend to believe in a character, or a place. To write a good children's story you have to keep things simple. On the same point, don't preach or talk down to them. Successful children's stories have a problem to solve or challenges to overcome. And there should only be one problem. Don't complicate things with extra characters or in-depth description.
Characters can be anything from vegetables, animals, to a big red chair. Sometimes it's fun to surprise your readers with an unexpected personality. A fuzzy duck could be grouchy or a porcupine sweet and lovable. Remember Bambi's friend Flower? Be very careful with anthropomorphized animal characters; make them original and believable.
Structure should be as plain as possible, write in chronological order and don't use flashbacks. Narrate in first or third person and do not switch point of view. Dialog is important, it is better have dialog than tell your reader what is going on. Keep your sentences and paragraphs short. Larger words are okay to use if the context is clear. It's a good way for tots to expand their vocabulary. If you right for middle grade readers, you can expand your plot and add more complicated words.
If you want to publish your story, keep your word count low. And don't try to Seuss-rhyme your story, most publishers don't want to see bad form for the sake of rhyme. Publishers also don't like to see murder in young adult books.
So if you're looking to try writing something new, look into children's stories. Write on!
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Excerpt: “I don’t think they have feeling, Camille. They’re stinky pigs, and Farmer Joe, should build them a new home, now that there are so many of them.”
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Excerpt: Once upon a time, in a land called Svalbard, not far from where you live now, there lived a young man by the name of Higgaldy Piggaldy Diggaldy-doo. His parents, Eustace and Rasputia, and Higgaldy Piggaldy all worked in the kitchens of their king and queen’s castle. The Diggaldy-doos loved their king and queen very much along with the land they lived in.
Excerpt: There was familiar the thump-thump of the school bag. Nanni never carried it on her shoulders a fraction of second more than she had to. The last step over the threshold was always unencumbered by its burden and it juddered as it was dragged over the one inch sill.
Excerpt: The grown-ups made jokes when the birthday present Timmy was most excited about were bags of sand. He didn't care though, let them poke their fun; he had his treasure.
Excerpt: The year was 1960, give or take a year, and I was 18 give or take a year. My grandparents lived on a farm with my uncle about 16 miles away. (A pretty good distance at that time.) While in school I would earn money by cutting firewood from the farm and selling it in town. I had purchased a chainsaw, before we had used handsaws and axes. My uncle, a man with high intelligence and a kind heart, would help me cut and split the wood, pile and burn the brush, even loan me the truck to deliver the wood.
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Excerpt: Goldilocks skipped happily on the dirt path, then stopped by a big rock. She grunted, took off her left shoe, and shook it upside down. Two pebbles came out. Then she tightened her pig tails and continued on her way.
She knew she shouldn’t speak to strangers, but that little pig sure looked like he needed some help. He was trying to tie bunches of straw together to make a house, but they kept collapsing.
Excerpt: The Sparrow, one summer day, was returning to his nest in the eaves of the master’s fine house when he caught sight of the beautiful Rose, blushing and smiling at the Sun. The sparrow was bewitched by the sight of the beautiful rose unfolding her petals under the sun’s warm touch. Day after day, the little sparrow returned to watch the lovely rose turn her face to the sky, vainly hoping that the mighty sun would leave his sky to place a kiss on her red lips.
Excerpt: "Vittles! Just look at you, you're always getting into trouble. One day you'll end up on someone's dinner table."
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Still time to enter the Summer edition!
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Excerpt: It's a great place to go if you're really wanting to work on your book! Participation is key and if you don't think you can participate regularly, then please let us know. The only way the forum can stay alive is if people like to play!
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This month's question: Do you feel it is easy to write a children's story? Why?
Last month's question: What is on your 'bucket list"?
Thanks to everyone for the fascinating answers!
Sandy~HopeWhisperer  MY BUCKET LIST
1.See my youngest daughter get married.
2.Remodel the mobile home I recently purchased.
3.Finish remodelling my oldest son's home.
4.Build my AVON business.visit my site at www.youravon.com/sskipper
5.Swim more.
6.Work less.
7.Write a successful novel.
8.Be published.
9.Be comfortable financially.
NickiD89  I started a "bucket list" a few years ago, calling it (100 or More) Things to Do Before I Die." Reading through it now, I see the majority of items involve places I'd like to visit. My list includes: #7 Cross the top of the bridge over the harbor in Sydney, Australia; #20 See the sunrise from Haleakala National Park in Maui; #4 Scuba the Great Barrier Reef. Also found on my list are See My Grandchildren Born; Camp/Hike With the Kids in Yosemite Natl. Park; and Publish a Book. Great NL, Leger! Thanks for highlighting my story "The Sound of Consequences" ~Nicki~
faithjourney I want to learn quilting. That sounds so silly, but ever since I started cross stitching 5 years ago I've wanted to expand on my needlework skills and this one stands out. I guess I could start by buying a sewing machine. Then I need to learn how the darn things work. Thanks for the inspiration!
Zeke  If I had made a bucket list, it would now have all been accomplished thanks to my life partner and wife. She has given me a gift that I could never have imagined in constructing a list.
drifter46 An interesting newsletter. I saw the Bucket List and I've made a mental list. As for your list, there is nothing quite so awesome as seeing a Bald Eagle in flight over a herd of Bison crossing the Yellowstone River. I know this because I've seen it. So for your list I hope you get the chance to see that Eagle over the Rockies. By the way, if you're ever in Southwestern Colorado, let me know. Maybe I can point you to that Eagle.
Angelica Weatherby- NaNo 14000  Hmm I'll say nothing's on my bucket list. *looks around for details on creating one*  I've seen that movie too.
spidey  My bucket list would probably be a long one, but its entries would be categorized into two areas: see the word and never stop learning. There are about a million sights and places I'd love to see, and I love learning new things.
Great newsletter! Thanks for giving me something to think about! 
RICH Bucket list. I just read a young lady's under- taking about how to improve her life. She forgot one thing. The first item I am going to suggest is ; spoil yourself more, be extravagant, then maybe - you will feel guilty enough to spoil the others around you as well. If you are mean with yourself ... do unto others ... logic.
Regards. Rich & enjoy the good work. Thanks.
Nikki Greetings! Regarding the Letter from the Editor - The Bucket List:
I enjoy reading things like this. This topic coincidentally is something I've been thinking about recently. I was looking for a Father's Day present and came across a book that my dad would probably enjoy. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (with Jeffrey Zaslow) was a great encouragement to do just this sort of soul searching. I remember this story sweeping across the media. A few days ago I read the book for the first time and thought it would be a good thing to pass on to someone else.
So that is why I rekindled my Writing.com interest because I've always found joy and excitement reading and writing all my life. I owe it to myself to make the time to do what I know tickles me pink.
Thanks! Nikki
shaara Thank you so much for featuring my motorcycle gang story "Invalid Item" I am always thrilled when some readers believe that the story was really true. (What a compliment!)
I loved your theme this month. The "Bucket List" is a great idea for enriching life. However, we writers, as you said, can have our "Bucket List" and still rest comfortably on safer grounds by writing about it. That's so much safer and cheaper. LOL
Thanks for a great newsletter!
Shaara
P.S. Here's another tale of an adventure I'll never have "Invalid Item" I am even more claustrophobic than my main character. LOL
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Short Stories: July 08, 2009 Issue [#3153]
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