 Short Stories: December 10, 2014 Issue [#6705] |
  Short Stories
This week: In It Alone, Together Edited by: Jay's debut novel is out now!  
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In It Alone, Together
Do you have friends or colleagues you can talk to about your writing, in real life or online? |
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So, I was out at my internet-family's holiday party this weekend; a bunch of old friends who get together a few times a month, gathered in this case for drinks and conversation ahead of the busy holiday season. It was a lovely night full of the kind of genteel lunacy I can rely upon from this particular group of friends; midnight bourbon tastings, bread with honey butter, gentleman's-wagers on speculative plot points of next year's Star Wars movie...
One of my friends from this particular group has been a first reader for a nonfiction agency and another is a writer who is in a similar place in the writing process as I am, though a different field; still mostly rejection letters, but the promising kind with personal notes on them. We often end up talking shop when the three of us get together; it's good to get some outside viewpoints on the way others have tackled the same problems.
I asked my friend with the accumulation of near-miss personal rejections if he was workshopping any of the pieces he'd mentioned, and he visibly recoiled.
"Workshopping? No, definitely not."
"Right, but you're gathering feedback from somewhere before you fling these things off into the ether?"
"Well, yeah, I have some people who look at it."
"That's what I mean, though. It goes through a process. You have people who look at your work and send comments on it?"
"Oh, yeah, I have several early readers who all have really different opinions and I figure out from those which way I want to take something."
"Okay, that's what I was asking, but used a different way of wording it."
"Fair enough!"
We both laughed about it after we figured it out, but it made me think for a bit about the support systems that we need -- or certainly ought -- to have as writers. It's no fun for your friends to have to carry all the weight at once, I feel-- I try to avoid putting all the pressure on any one friend or group when it comes to needing a shoulder, a hand-- or a review...
I feel lucky in that there are a number of different groups where I can find support and camaraderie as a writer. I feel like I have some friends with whom I can be friendly, optimistic, and helpful, and others with whom I can be cynical and miserable, and still others with whom I know I can get sugar-free (and pain-free) honest opinions on my writing.
And that's really important.
I think a lot of writers really underestimate the value of building a network of writers with whom to unwind, talk shop, and more-- sure, it's part of the package as a member of Writing.Com, but it can be challenging to find where you can fit in-- and I guarantee that if you want to work at it, there is always a place you can fit in on here.
I feel like it's really a critical part of craft to find people with whom you can talk about it! I hope that you are on your way to finding some-- or have found some already!
Until next month,
Take care and Write on!
~jay
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Responses from "An Editor's Eye" :
flamer  writes:
And we're left with a cliffhanger...
I'm sitting here wondering what the story was about and what happened in the ending that resulted in: "felt like someone had knocked all the books off my bookshelf, I was so mad." Let's face it, we want to how to avoid making an editor angry. Ok... I confess, I'm just curious by nature. So, please tell us.
Editing isn't easy - especially when it's your own work for various reasons. You know what you meant to say and can't "see" beyond the "meant" to what's really there. Your language skills are lacking, but hopefully you realize that. The story sounds more exciting to you than others. As the author, you know the background, but fail to share that with your readers - sometimes you also don't stop the sharing to get on with the story.
Thanks for sharing!
I actually can't disclose what happened in the story, because who knows-- the author might be reading this right now! Let me think of a way to paraphrase:
Suppose you're reading a story where there's maybe not a lot of action, but there's a suspenseful thing meant to pull you through the story-- say, a little girl's kitten ran away from home and instead of going out to hunt for it, she's waiting for it to come home by sitting on her front porch and talking about how pretty it is for most of the story... and then, in the last paragraph, the kitten comes home as if nothing happened at all and there's no drama or catharsis. It wasn't exactly that lame, but it was pretty... meaningless... because the character didn't grow or change through the lack of the kitten, and then the kitten was returned to its owner through a random act of fate rather than something that would catalyze development. just, bam, everything's back to status quo. It made me so mad because it was literally a waste of my time, aside from the pretty writing! It wasn't as bad a story as I'm describing here, but it was literally just a description of someone waiting for something and then they get it, THE END. Yawn. Especially when it COULD have been more than that!
Karen Crider  writes:
I love to edit, to take a piece of writing and twirl it around for effect. I love the cut and splice, the birth and death of ideas; the delete, the insert, the save; and the best part is not sending it out; the best part is the excitement that follows the words, like dessert after a delicious meal; like the contentment of being full. I know later on, I will be hungry again, and that words are the only thing that satisfies that hunger.
What a poetic way to look at it!
Sweethonesty writes:
Thank you much for your input on the writing of a short story. I am working on a family story and you have made me re-evaluate it. I would love to have your review one day. Thanks again. Sweethonesty
I'm always glad to hear when someone is inspired to revisit an idea after one of my newsletters!
Shannon  writes:
Aw, thank you so much for including my story, "Willow, the Green Witch of Gloucester" in this month's featured selections. I'm honored. 
Aw, it was my pleasure!
JACE  writes:
Good words to remember, Miss Jay. Perhaps some of them might get through my thick head.  Thanks for sharing.
Oh, c'mon now, don't make me get out the die grinder and the pneumatic drill. 
dwarf2012 writes:
Thanks for the great newsletter. I have 'almost' been published with three of my stories being held by the editors as so close to be accepted. On was Read Short Fiction magazine whose editors sent me a three page long reason why they didn't accept it. I kept that email and treasure it. Thanks for all the work you do as an editor and here on WDC.
 aw, thanks, Tessa! I know what it's like to be on that "almost" track as well and it is so frustrating but I think it is so worth it if you persevere.
blunderbuss writes:
Hi Jay! Thank you for the newsletter and for including my story in your Editor's Picks.
I was interested in DR Smith's response to your last newsletter, which triggered something for me there.
I am one of those writers who cannot just write it all down and then do an edit at the end. I have to go away after a few paragraphs and come back and make it RIGHT. That isn't the end either - I edit the whole thing after leaving it for a while, and every time I read a story after that (for whatever reason), it's always going to get a few tweaks. I don't think I've completely destroyed anything yet, but I am aware that I veer towards that side.
This current newsletter has made me think of something else - balance and style. You highlight those stories which may tail off in the middle, for example. I know that I adjust my style to the content (well, hopefully, most of the time), but I am going to look at balance more now. (And try to nitpick a little less!)
I know what you mean. I think over time I've taught myself to try to get through more of a draft before I begin picking at it, but early paragraphs for me are the same way no matter what I do with it. I think it's just part of my routine to make an effort to establish tone-- once I'm over that first hurdle I can usually cut through a draft just fine. Do what you need to do to create the work you want!
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