For example, don't include entire conversations of dialogue just what you need. Many thanks in advance for any help you can offer! However, making my next short story much shorter is doable. I like writing sci-fi and speculative fiction (and would like to do some fantasy), so world-building takes up quite a bit of my word count.Īnyway, cutting down the short stories I've already written isn't something I'd like to do because I feel like I'd be losing a lot of the stories, characters, and worlds I've built. Even if I were to just release them on Kindle for 99p / free, I'm not sure if people would be interested, since they're quite long for short stories, but not long enough for novellas. Most of the competitions and submission calls I've seen are looking for much shorter stories, though - usually around 1,000 to 3,000 words. Again, beta readers couldn't comment on anything that they felt could be cut out while still keeping the story 'complete'. The one I'm halfway through is already at the 5,000 mark. The other two are approximately 8,000 and 9,500 words. One is just shy of the 4,000 word mark, though a beta reader remarked that it felt underdeveloped. I've written three so far, and am halfway through a fourth. The trouble I'm running into is keeping my short stories, well.short. I decided recently that I wanted to write some short stories because:Ī) I can submit them to magazines / compilations / contests for (small) payment / exposure / resume fluff ī) I have submitted the synopsis and opening of my novel to a competition for unpublished authors (and can't submit it anywhere else until I hear back from that competition) so am treading water a little bit there Ĭ) After spending a year writing a novel (I'm a teacher, so have a time-consuming job, and I front a heavy metal band - a time-consuming hobby), I wanted to do something where the endgame was a lot shorter. Those of you who often write short stories (1,000-4,000 words) - how do you go about your process? How do you ensure that your story is engaging and thorough, while still sticking to a tight word limit? How do you plan?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |