 Short Stories: August 25, 2010 Issue [#3935] |
  Short Stories
This week: Epiphany Edited by: Storm Machine  
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I'm honored to be your guest editor this week.
Plot is a verb. |
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Characters are supposed to change throughout a story. How much or how little depends that change is depends entirely upon the character and circumstances of the story. It's important to remember the character only changes as much as the writer shows.
So a little circumstance, like attending a wedding between friends, is going to change someone much less than trying to break up a couple because the protagonist is still in love with one of the happy couple. A funeral of a grandparent or great aunt/uncle will likewise not be as shocking as a younger character, especially a child.
So do your protagonists react with the same degree of importance as the event? If you have a big reveal at the end, there has to be sufficient emotional build-up before the ending. The writer must show more than just the events that lead up to the climax; the story must show the emotions that change the protagonist.
In my critique group about a week ago, a woman read a story to us. It was obvious the story was still about the events that happened to her, not fictionalized. While it technically isn't a story, she billed it as that. She burst into tears at the end. I understand that her friend died, but the actions of the character (if it's a story, it must be a character!) didn't lead me to believe he was that special until her tears reading it at the end. It's a delicate balance between overdone and just enough, but a list of events without emotion does not a story make. Let the emotion come through, and let the small changes happen after events. Characters react to events with their hearts and lead them onward. Even if they ultimately go back to how they were in the beginning, the experience changes the characters and leaves them with a bit of wisdom at the end.
Remember to give your characters time and emotional range to react to the events. |
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#1603158 by Not Available. |
|  | Monster (18+)
If you call someone a name often enough they may soon believe it
#259585 by Andrea  |
| | | Second Chance (E)
A young surgeon discovers the real reason his fiancee disappeared two years earlier
#661067 by Bobbi |
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#383128 by Not Available. |
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#394759 by Not Available. |
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Than Pence 
I love your comments about grammar. Too often, I review stories or poems on the site that take grammar for granted! And what's worse is that, sometimes, the author replies with something like, "I dont care about grammar just the story thanks for the read whatever"
I exaggerate, obviously, but it's not too much of a stretch. I try my best to point out where people can improve their grammar usage, but it feels like a slow-paced battle that's handled one writer at a time.
I live to serve, though, and will always be there to help people get their stories across as clearly and concisely as possible.
People actually say that?  Good luck and I hope more people take your comments to heart
Christine Cassello
That is a pet peeve I have too and it shows how little reading people do today. If you read a lot you develop a sense of what is or is not correct in terms of grammar even if you don't know what to call it. Also, it helps with spelling. I word will just not look right if it is misspelled.
Unfortunately, not everyone can see the errors, especially in their own work. I know I can find anyone's typos but my own...
A.J. Barretts
I'm always struggling with my grammar. Thanks for the suggestions of where I can go to improve it!
Good luck for improvement. It's a slow, but worthy, pursuit.
RobertXtreme
THANK you very much for those URLs about grammar! We must improve every day.
Pepper
As a reviewer, my biggest pet-peeve is not capitalizing the pronoun I. I know it's a bad habit picked up from texting, but it screams the writer doesn't care enough to proofread. I find myself thinking, "Why should I care enough to do the proofreading for him?"
Ah, that does make one wonder. It's possible for the writer to make a point with not capitalizing the I, but for the most part, capitalization is best.
Joshiahis
This was a funny, yet informative, newsletter. I could understand the mispelled words just fine, by the way. Deos taht mkae em a werido?
Not a weirdo. Just talented?
Doug Rainbow
Good newsletter. Syntax is a too much neglected subset of grammar. It has to do with such things as word order and clarity of expression. "John sat quietly next to Jim, his hand resting in his lap." Whose hand in whose lap? Syntax.
Nice example!
Mara ♣ McBain 
Interesting NL and something most of us can improve on. Thank you for the information on "Invalid Item" . I hadn't heard of it, but have sent a request to join their mailing list! 
I hope you enjoy the Newsletter.
Free_Rip
Good newsletter- I think I end up telling people to fix up some little grammar or spelling mistake in their title or description every third or so review I do. I don't care (or even really know) about the complex grammar rules that have big, official-sounding names and need a professor just to identify when they're broken. However, bad use of more basic grammar ruins a story for me; as soon as I notice a fair bit, it breaks the flow because I think about it and then I'm on the lookout for more... it turns into a cycle that ends up with me barely noticing any more than the grammar. I'm probably the extreme here, but its still the easiest part of writing to learn as the rules are fixed, like math, and errors can be fixed with time and effort even if you're not in the 'writing mood'. That's not to say I don't have some errors in my own writing, but I do try! 
I think we all make mistakes in grammar. Proofreading isn't too difficult, and you're right- the rules can all be learned. |
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