 Short Stories: March 23, 2011 Issue [#4302] |
  Short Stories
This week: Worlds of Wonder Edited by: Ben Langhinrichs  
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Greetings! I am one of the editors for the Short Stories Newsletter, and I hope to share some of my thoughts on writing short stories, and perhaps about writing in general. I suggest you treat these not as pearls of wisdom dropped from on high, but rather musings of a fellow writer, written to inspire, provoke or stimulate your personal muse. I welcome your thoughts, feedback and suggestions.
~ Ben Langhinrichs |
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Worlds of Wonder
There are many perspectives from which you can base your story. Many of us, especially as we start out, write from the point of view of someone our own age, and often of our own race and with similar interests. After all, we know how we think, so why shouldn't our main character be like us, except maybe braver, cooler, smarter and sexier?
Obviously, that is a great way to write, but remember, you weren't always twenty (or thirty or forty or fifty or none of your damn business, young man). Once you were ten, and even earlier, five. If you cast your mind back, you may remember how you thought at those ages. Your life may have been wonderful or miserable (the Dursleys aren't the only horrible family), but chances are good that if you are here on Writing.com, you looked out through books on Worlds of Wonder.
My worlds may have been different than yours, although I bet there are some overlaps. The worlds of Narnia, Oz, old-time London, Mississippi in the 1800s - all mingled to give me a view of things that were magical and amazing, whether or not there were witches and wizards or not. What stood apart in those worlds was a sense of wonder at what could be, what might be, what we wish could be.
So, consider writing a story from the perspective of a child. It doesn't even have to be a story for children, but spend at least some of the time seeing the world as it could be, might be. It can even be fun to make a horror story where the child doesn't understand what is going on, but whether it is horror or fantasy or mystery, see the world through eyes much younger than your own. It can provide a different perspective for you as well.
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Feedback from readers
The newsletter these readers were responding to is
"A Sense of Place" by Ben Langhinrichs
Describe a place with no visual clues to see how strong the emotional connection can be for your reader. (Short Stories Newsletter - February 23, 2011)
Lothmorwel  Thank you for this exercise. I am forever trying to work out how to write better. I sit with a piece of my work and a good bok and try and pick out the differences, but the book just flows so well that I can't concentrate on picking out the grammar and stuff! There's not a magic solution, the difference between bad and good is substle but hard to pinpoint. I'll use your suggestion and see what happens.
LJPC - the tortoise Hi Ben!
This was a great newsletter explaining the reason behind the "show don't tell" principle. Most readers enjoy getting lost in the world created by the author. Our own lives fade as we put ourselves in the place of the hero/heroine. This is easier to do with explicit details focusing on all the senses. Excellent points, Ben! 
-- Laura
Will Dee A Sense of Place - Editor I agree with you on this one. I do not write many short stories but I do try to add this into my poetry. I get so much more from the poem if I add human sense. I also try to show more then tell - it is a habit i am trying to change.
Jessette  5 senses of person always used whenever she/he is, we used to have an opinion when we are in any area of our place. But the most practice of senses is seeing, this is the 1st use for discussion of what we see...
atwhatcost "A man sits on a bench and wrinkles his nose at the stale smell of urine."
Sometimes more is needed. My mind took me to right under our City Hall, the upscale business section of the city, waiting for a subway train.
NickiD89  Nothing draws me into a scene, side-by-side with the characters, than the author calling on my sense of smell. Great NL, Ben, as always!
jackmelentolos offers Invalid Item with the comment: This is seriously awesome -- I love, love, love, love, LOVE what you have to say about description and placing the setting; too often the author will go on a long tirade (including myself) about the setting and never really say much, and its difficult to really grasp the setting when there is far too much there!
The piece attached I wrote without using much visual description to give the reader a sense of blindness. At least that was the intent, if you could give it a read through and tell me if I acheived that goal I would greatly appreciate that. =)
Write for Love, Write for Life,
Jack Melentolos
BIG BAD WOLF is Merry  offers Eggnog and Werewolves Part 1 with the comment: There is always a story.
KSutton working on 6th book  offers Invalid Item with the comment: Hello, I read your newsletter every week. I find it informative and enlightening. I would like to submit one of my short stories. I am hoping to publish this in a group of Native American short stories. I have two I would like to present. This is the first and I will present the second in another email. Thanks Kitty
KSutton working on 6th book offers Invalid Item with the comment: Hello, I enjoy your newsletter every week. I submitted a short story a moment ago. This is the second submission. I am hoping to publish this in a group of Native American short stories. Thanks Kitty
force2 offers Invalid Item with the comment: Related to your topic, A Sense of Place.
A response to an earlier newsletter, "The Ending Comes Before the Beginning" by Ben Langhinrichs
Planning your story will ensure you're not just wandering about in the woods. (Short Stories Newsletter - January 26, 2011)
Lothmorwel Good words, I agree! I LOVE sarting random wanderings, seeing what the characters do of their own accord, but these 'random snippets' (as they are called in a sub-folder on my computer!) don't get anywhere, they are waiting for further instruction from me. I am trying to write a novel but it's taking me years of planning, hesitation, writing 'random snippets' and faffing and I'm not really getting anywhere. The main reason for this is I don't know what happens at the end. I think more people should be more realistic about their intentions and where their sories are going. It's hard but makes you work at being a better writer rather than just idling along.
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