  Short Stories
This week: Holding the Line Edited by: Jay's debut novel is out now!  
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This Short Stories newsletter is dedicated to readers and writers of short fiction, discussing what we write and why we write it. 
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Hi everyone! I'm Jay's debut novel is out now! and I'm your Short Stories Editor this week!
I usually don't have the patience to write more than 5000 words at once, but every once in a while, I like to push myself over the crazy-edge.
In anticipation of next month (National Novel Writing Month, known to sane people as "November") I have been re-reading an old favorite writing book of mine: The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them) by Jack M Bickham.
Some of Mr. Bickham's advice comes off a bit stilted as it has been necessarily generalized for a wide range of authors, but he has a lot of interesting and helpful things to say about plotting-- and he says them with force. Among his best advice is what he has to say about pacing and tension.
***
Interestingly, on a few of the writing discussion forums that I frequent, I have noticed a number of authors asking, "What makes good writing so suspenseful?" and "How can I increase the tension in my writing?"
In my experience as a reader, I find that tension comes from a combination of factors and they will vary with every story, but essentially, it boils down to this:
The hero wants something. We'll call this Outcome A.
His adversary (or an adversarial force) wants something else-- Outcome B.
Both outcome A and outcome B are possible at the opening of the scene, but it will be increasingly unclear as the scene goes on that outcome A is still possible.
Bickham calls this the scene question: The reader inverts the desired outcome into a question automatically, simply by the act of reading. The question becomes, "Will outcome A happen?" The reader keeps reading to find out the answer to this question.
The tension comes from showing enough of the action leading in both directions to keep the attention of the reader. The reader generally needs to be convinced that he wants Outcome A just as much as the hero, and that he does NOT want Outcome B under any circumstances. It doesn't take much convincing, it just needs to be consistent with the objectives set out by the author fairly early on in the story. The reader needs to be invested in the plight and the easiest way to do this is to come up with plausible scenarios that the reader can get pulled into-- but that's a whole other newsletter... 
In longer works, the outcome may be that neither expected outcome is reached, or that the possibility of outcome A is pushed farther along into the plot. In short fiction, this is dependent on scene structure; in flash fiction, the scene question is frequently the entire conflict. In a long-form short story, say 5000 words, there may be many smaller scene questions which add up to a story goal -- essentially the same concept as the scene question, but over the sum of the action, usually with a broader meaning.
In general, the most tension is maintained when the hero does not get what he wants. Either Outcome B occurs, or Outcome A is delayed.
Another alternative is that neither outcome is reached, of course, or that achieving Outcome A turns out not to be what the hero expects, or turns out to be a disadvantage, making the story goal harder to reach.
You will want to make the most of these kinds of opportunities, to maximize the tension for your readers.
In your travels on the site, watch for the pacing and tension in the stories you read. What is the scene question? How did the author manipulate the scene question to the best of his or her ability to hold your attention and compel you to ask, what happens next?
Until Next Month,
Jay's debut novel is out now!
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From "Push Button, Receive Message"
Last Month's Question:
What is your Favorite Writing Exercise?
billwilcox writes:
 My favorite writing exercise is 'pencil pull-ups'. I pick it up, I put it down, I pick it up again. I also love 'keyboard-finger-ballet'. I can never understand what I wrote but I just love to watch them fingers dance.
 I can always count on you, Bill!!
atwhatcost says:
Easily the freewrite. I don't have to worry about punctuation, spelling, grammar, or proofing. If need be, it's useful to get out all those cluttered thoughts out of my brain that impede my need to write. And, if that's not the problem, it's good for brainstorming ideas for other writing or to untangle a plot problem I'm having with a story I'm trying to write. Worse comes to worse, I can use it to share something interesting or opine on any subject with other writers.
The only problem I have is there is no freewrite group on WDC. I also like to find out how others use this to help their writing, so I love reading others' freewrites, as much as I like writing one.
Hmmmm, that might be an idea...!
A.T.B: It'sWhatWeDo  writes:
My favorite writing exercise? Definitely building 250-word sentences...it's boot camp for punctuation, vocabulary, and above all - patience. Still, readers often resort to death threats if one actually sneaks a sentence like that into one's writing...or maybe it's just me. =) Thanks for standing up for the short story! Some of the best writing I've seen has been 5-30 pages. I think the general trend at the moment is "getting your money's worth" at the bookstore, even if it means fiction is a bit bloated as a result of the 1500 page "sagas" and what-not. But that's a whole 'nother newsletter, hehe. Thanks and nicely done!
250 words? That's a flash fiction story in a sentence!  Crazy...
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  says:
My favorite way to write is to write what is in my head, and try to get every little detail out.
Well, yeah, that's one way to do it!
tspresley writes:
I would have to say my favorite writing exercise is when a writing prompt is given. This forces me to work outside my norm and to broaden my horizons.
I agree! I think I do best when pressed out of my comfort zone.
MKEidson says:
My favorite writing exercise is to go back to some story I've written before, find some passage that isn't completely satisfactory to me, and rewrite it in a more satisfying way. I like this kind of exercise because it's not only an exercise, but it's work accomplished on a project, too!
Definitely two birds with one stone. 
sarahreed says:
My favorite writing exercise is to find a prompt that sparks an idea and then just write until I'm done. It really gets my creative juices flowing. I may never use it or post it online, but sometimes it may turn into something really moving.
You never know what can happen with a good freewrite!
Tick
I'm from that group who thinks short stories are one of the most difficult things to write. I'm probably too wordy. But I do admire the short story writer and like you, enjoy collections of them. ...
Write On! Great Newsletter.
Thanks! I think the short story is a great medium.
Zeke offers this:
I do like writing short stories. I have found that quite often they lead to more with the same characters. So, I have packaged them together in anthologies.
Good suggestion!
Destiny says:
Thanks for the newsletter, though I mostly write poetry, I have a dozen or so unfinished short stories. I always try, but never seem to get them finished. I love any writing exercise, but find it easier to write with a picture prompt. I have also done some prose and a few songs. Thanks again for the letter, I read most of the news letters and I have learned a lot from them, keep it coming. Kind regards...
Glad you liked it! 
This Month's Question:
What have you done to improve tension in your own writing? |
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Short Stories: October 20, 2010 Issue [#4031]
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