 Short Stories: November 13, 2012 Issue [#5369] |
  Short Stories
This week: Down the Middle Edited by: Jay's debut novel is out now!  
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So we know from previous letters that we need a hook and an ending worth the wait. So what does one do with the rest of the story? I feel the weakest part of my own writing tends to be the middle points of the story, and I am sure I am not the only person who struggles with the difficult balance between what to reveal and what to conceal, specifically in short fiction. It can be challenging to juggle rising action and conflict with character development.
The best solution to this, of course, is to blend all of these elements. Since brevity is the preferred secondary goal, the primary goal is to find ways to get your protagonist to grow through challenge by overlapping the story elements. Situations that provide narrative conflict should also enhance your reader's understanding of the protagonist-- I think that's a very obvious goal. How do we get there, though? I was recently at work on a story where I really wasn't sure how to do this. I'm not sure I was successful with the story itself, but I think the core of the situation, the idea that every detail can have some pertinence to the story, is something that merits another look.
Another thing to watch for in midstory lag is the temptation to over-explain the situation at hand or to get mired in detail that is pretty but not functional. The problem with this is on multiple levels; on the one hand, the work still has to pull the reader along-- stopping short to explain things can't be good for your story pacing. I'm not advocating leaving your reader in the dark, either, but the same string of breadcrumbs we call the "hook" of the story should still be tugging right along by midstory. Perhaps you've resolved a few of the initial questions, but those answered questions should be met with new questions that should lead the reader through the rest of the narrative.
Another thing to consider is how the disparate elements of your story come together to form a cohesive unit. Don't be afraid to prune away the parts that worked to get the story started but have turned out to be ineffective. It's common to want to keep the elements that perhaps inspired a story in the story itself, but be open to shedding those elements if they become no longer mission critical.
In any case, these are merely a few common problems with the mid-story that I have happened upon in my recent travels with my own work. I'm working to become a better writer, and this is definitely a place where I struggle. They say self-identification and being able to see your own mistakes is part of learning, right?  I'm sure there are a few you can think of-- how do you get through the mid-story slump?
Until next time,
Take care and Write on!
~j
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Feedback from last month's NL: "The Last Word"
blunderbuss writes:
Thank you for your newletter on The Last Word. I found this quite liberating! I usually know exactly where a story starts and also the ending. But because I know the ending, I tend to rush it. Also, I have read so many times - when it's over, finish it, don't drag on. Now I am finding that where I am happy with some of my stories, it's the ending! I realise that it is not satisfying enough, not rounded off sufficiently. I could take it that one step further. So maybe it works two ways and depends on the story and how it pans out before you can be quite sure about that ending. Which is (roughly and not expressed so well) what you have been saying.
There's a lot to be said for being able to actually process what you pick up in your own words, though. Well said, Diane.
Cassie Kat  writes:
Endings are an essential part of any story, and they hold even more weight in a short story (versus, say, a novel) because they are so compact and, well, short . Anyway, I wanted to thank you, J, for your helpful advice in this newsletter: I struggle with coming up with the endings to my short stories (though I'd like to think I've gotten better with practice!), but I plan to use your suggestions the next time I am stuck on how to end a piece!
 ! Glad to hear I could help. 
Ajay writes:
writing end of a workpiece is like converging different dyanamic characters to a logical conclusion.I would say much depends on how one styles it.-Ajay
I would say much in general depends on how one styles it.
DRSmith writes:
An interesting newsie as we see so few actually dealing with how important a good closing segment is for strengthening a story. If cleverly orchestrated, a brilliant ending not only lets the reader down gently, but as you say, leaves them fully satisfied with only thoughts of the story's impact left to enjoy... and not give rise to let downs, induce unanswered questions, challenge the logic or probabilities, and so on. Very good and timely piece.
Thanks much! I agree with your sentiments as well. (Though I'm okay with being left to probe unanswered questions in my own time, as I think a good part of what short fiction does, or should do, is not color in every blank created in the story itself.)
Jeff  writes:
I really enjoyed your NL this week, J. I'm a quick-fix writer myself; I love a good flash fiction short story that I can crank out in one sitting. I'm trying to teach myself to be more patient and plan out longer, more deliberate works... but boy is it hard to resist that urge to rush into wrapping everything up in a few hundred words so I can finally type those two oh-so-satisfying words: "THE END"
For me that's part of why planning things through to an ending seems to help me, at least sometimes. If I have an objective in mind, I have to craft both the way to get to that objective, and the way to obstruct that objective.
Zeke writes:
I really like ending twists, so planning the ending for me is essential.
Zeke
Yeah, I can't think of a way to get there in a twist ending without knowing what the twist is going to be, unless you happen upon it entirely by accident. Which can happen, but it's hard to do without some advance knowledge.
Quick-Quill  writes:
You are so right, We concentrate on first lines, but how we end the story is just as important. Tying loose ends is great but if you add the bow with the strings it is a beautiful thing. That extra effort is rewarded when the reader hands it to a friend and says, "You gotta read this!"
Thanks very much for the feedback, and I agree completely-- a lot of times if you've got a game plan, it's easier to end with a little more swish.
readsalot writes:
I don't think I agree with you. I don't see why you would write the ending before the middle. That would be like reading the ending before the middle, nobody would do it. I think if you work your way up to the middle and then do the ending that would make your writing more flowing and all in one.
You're welcome to disagree, but I would suggest not knocking something 'til you've tried it? I noticed that you mention in other feedback to this newsletter that you're new to writing short stories. The writing of the story has very little to do with the reading of the story other than that in order to read it, it must be written. The order in which it is written doesn't enter into it. Now, the order in which it's presented on the page is another question entirely. 
Voodoo Shampoo writes:
an open ending can also have it's charm! lots of it!
I agree completely and actually often prefer them in short stories, for my own work. An "open" ending is not really quite the same as an unplanned ending-- in fact, I would argue that the best executions of an open ending are done with the intention of leaving the ending open, ie, planned.
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