  Short Stories
This week: Pushing Past the Prompt 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 and to those who want to know more about the art of telling big stories in small spaces.
This month:
Pushing Past the Prompt
What happens when the contest is over, anyway? You have all this material left over that could be refined... |
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Contests, contests, contests.
They're an integral part of the way Writing.Com members interact on here-- we host our own contests, we participate in other members' contests, and write for these contests. But what happens when the contest is over? The story gets shoved into a folder (usually it's titled something to the effect of "Contest Entries") and then nothing else really ever gets done with it. I feel like this is one of the downsides of the contest systems here on the site: there's tons of incentive and plenty of inspiration to write stories for these contests, but not a lot of incentive to perfect them once the contest is done. We all do it; those of us who enter contests on here, anyway. Especially if it's one of the dailies.
Part of the reason these stories often end up being abandoned is that the stories many of these contests generate don't function outside of the parameters of the challenge in the contests. Some of this is because many of our site members like for individuals to create new material based on unique prompts. It's great for the imagination... but not so great when the only context that makes the story make sense is a linked page that may or may not have the relevant information in the header.
What then, can we do with these types of stories?
For starters: ditch the prompt that got you there, if it can't take you any further. If the story has merits outside of the contest it was written for, don't feel obligated to keep the commitment to the original prompt. The prompt got you to take the plunge and write the story, but often there's more to a story than we first envision when we set out to write.
Once a contest is finished and the winners are announced, treat the story you came up with as a springboard for something even more finessed. Don't be afraid to change your concept around or use bits and pieces from multiple stories to pull together a more finished piece. Save the parts you really love-- that piece of description about the tree in the sunlight was a hit!-- without saving the rest of it-- it's a shame you had to write about a pink hippopotamus for that day's prompt, for example.
Push the story a step further: What happens before or after the story on the page right now? I think this is my biggest pet peeve with the prompted contests-- often there's a lot more meat on the bone than what we can fit into a 1000-word short story. Take the time after the contest is done to revisit that content and see if you can't exand on it a little to craft a more complete tale.
Whatever you do, don't just leave it here to rot, if you can help it. If you took the time to write the thing the first time out, surely you can find the time to rewrite it and perfect it-- whether that's days, weeks, months, or years away is up to your writing situation. The bottom line is to stay motivated to write, which is easier to do when you set goals and tasks. Renovating an old story might not take a long time, but it's just as satisfying as finishing a whole new one, most of the time. 
Until next month,
Take care and Write on!
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Feedback from last month's editorial: "Character Tics"
Scowel  writes:
It's never a difficulty to impart something of value. Genuineness is always desirable as it is apparent: mostly I try to provoke some kind of reaction, and a negative reaction, to me, also = SUCCESS!; because, it's total HONESTY! My solicitation is answered completely and I am somewhat more the beneficiary having both touched and received this profundity, reciprocation of another human-being's abundance. Respect is always a necessity, but never: approval. ... Thank you!
Well, I definitely find that being truly honest with someone does require respect, indeed.
horseman writes:
I just saw the movie "Silver Linings Playbook." While it is something of a formula movie, I loved the way they handled the character tics, especially Robert De Nero's OCD. It gave the movie a rarely seen depth of character.
Yeah? I haven't had a chance to see it yet, but I've heard a lot of opinions about the way that film portrays mental illness and character tics, as it were.
Mark Allen Mc Lemore writes:
Great Newsletter, and just in time for May, which happens to be National Mental Health Awareness Month. Yes, a touchy subject indeed, but one that needs to be addressed. I mean, think about all the things going on in reality that are stranger than the fiction. People being influence and lied too by higher groups to do their bidding, kids taking up weapons against other kids, look in a newspaper, there are many characters there, maybe we can rewrite history!
Thanks, Jay, for this thought inspiring newsletter.
Thank you for the feedback! I think there are a lot of layers to the way things are right now, and a little more compassion might be easier to find if we had more reminders in the media we consume.
Marci Missing Everyone writes:
The editorial on how to create flash fiction was awesome. I was having a really hard time coming up with ideas around prompts, but article taught me so much. So, I am going to try the method for a few tries at The Writers Cramp and Daily Flash Fiction challenges. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Duchess Laughing Lemurs writes:
Thanks for sharing BScholl's "A Note on Flash Stories." I enjoy entering stories into the Daily Flash Fiction contest, but it can sometimes be a struggle to get an entire story in 300 words. BScholl's article had wonderful advice.
I really enjoyed that editorial myself and I felt like it was so concise that it did the topic more justice than I could.
Feedback from "Learning How to be Critiqued"
Grace♥Leo health issues writes:
Jay I thought this was a great newsletter. I have had my head bit off by the writers I reviewed. I just let it roll and move on. But it does frustrate when you spend maybe an hour reading and reviewing something and they bark at you. That takes more time to get over. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on reviewing.
Well, there's definitely a fine line when it comes to reviewing. Some folks have different expectations. It's always important to frame opinions as opinions-- though I think it's really important to do that without spending your whole 250-character minimum on an allcaps Comic Sans disclaimer, too. It's a delicate balance. 
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Short Stories: May 29, 2013 Issue [#5700]
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