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Short Stories: January 16, 2019 Issue [#9325]




 This week: Your Cup of Tea
  Edited by: NaNoNette Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Dear readers and writers of short stories, I am NaNoNette Author Icon and I will be your guest editor for this issue.


Word from our sponsor

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Letter from the editor

Your Cup of Tea


How long does it take you to sip a cup of tea?


The question: How long is a short story? gets asked over and over by many writers.

As with everything, there have been those who would give you hard numbers. And you can have those if it helps you.
Short stories range from 1,000 to 30,000 words.

But numbers are so clinical. They don't make you feel anything. They don't entertain. Except those of you who have a special penchant for numbers. Maybe writing can be your therapy?

What you should ask yourself is how long does it take to enjoy your short story.

*Pipe* Edgar Allan Poe says you should be able to smoke a cigar while reading a short story. Unfortunately, cigars have fallen out of fashion with most of us. I, for one, am not able to tell you how long it would take me to smoke a cigar. And I don't plan to ever find out.

There are many more modern ways to figure out how long a short story should be.
Ask yourself:

*TeaR* How long does it take to sip a cup of tea?
*TrainG* How long does it take the train to drive from my station to work?
*Plane* How many hours does my flight from my home city take to my vacation destination?
*Sun* How long do I want to tan at the beach?
*Bed2* How long do I read in bed until I doze off?

The truth about the length of a short story is that it should be long (or short) enough to entertain for a limited amount of time. In that limited amount of time, you should introduce your world, your characters, your plot, and give a satisfying conclusion. Or torture your readers with an open ending. Cliffhangers don't count. That's not a short story. It's a serial. Different animal altogether. *Monster11*



Editor's Picks

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2179416 by Not Available.

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Summer Solstice: A New Beginning Open in new Window. (13+)
Jenna had one goal in mind and it would begin June 21st.
#2179455 by Cubby Author IconMail Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2179460 by Not Available.

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No Trespassing Open in new Window. (18+)
Don't get caught in this land!
#2179522 by Mastiff Author IconMail Icon

 
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THE PATERNAL STAG Open in new Window. (E)
Samantha and the stag becomes friends and later she finds out something about the stag...
#2179551 by M M KHAN Author IconMail Icon

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The Winning Color Open in new Window. (ASR)
A defeated Queen attempts to bring a victory to her troops
#2179314 by Emily Author IconMail Icon

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The Accident Open in new Window. (ASR)
A story about love transcending life and death.
#2179293 by Choconut Author IconMail Icon

FORUM
WEIRD TALES CONTEST  Open in new Window. (18+)
A Contest Inspired by the Old Pulp Fiction Covers of Weird Tales Magazine
#2083492 by Beacon's Anchor Author IconMail Icon

FORUM
Elizabeth's Poetry & Short Story Contest Open in new Window. (13+)
Open for November POETRY submissions.
#2113830 by ElizabethHayes-DaughterofIAM Author IconMail Icon

FORUM
Show, Don't Tell Contest Open in new Window. (18+)
Show Don't Tell Contest Message Forum
#2162666 by Max Griffin 🏳️‍🌈 Author IconMail Icon

 
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Word from Writing.Com

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Ask & Answer

I received the following replies to my last Short Stories newsletter "Titles" Open in new Window.

dragonwoman Author Icon wrote: I guess I'm lucky, often I get a title before I get a story!

That's got to be helpful with your story as you know what to write about.

BlueJay Author Icon wrote: Thanks for the good advice about titles and for including my story in the Editor's Picks.

You're welcome.

Quest-YELLOW-Thanks Schnujo Author Icon wrote: Hello! You have spotted the junkiest side of me while writing! I seem to miss the implication of 'catchy' every time I try. None of my stories or poems attract attention through their titles. For example I am tagging one of my worst titled story ever, but at the same time, I liked writing it. "Invalid Item" Open in new Window.

Roots isn't that bad. It can mean a few things. It does make me want to find out what type of root you're talking about. Then, it'll be up to your story to keep me reading. I probably won't read a short story about the square root of 5. But then again, maybe I would ...

*Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet* Don't Be Shy! Write Into This Newsletter! *Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet*

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