F – Flash Fiction: Discovering How To Be Brief

“A novel is just a story that hasn’t yet discovered a way to be brief.” – George Saunders

If there is one thing I’ve learned over my years of writing – in classes, for fun, for “work” – it is that I am quite verbose.  Give me an essay to write in 3 to 5 pages, sure you might get 6, but there will only be one or two sentences on that last page.  As you may have noticed if you’ve looked at my archives, I struggle to keep it brief even here.  I’ve always said of myself, “a novel is easy, short stories – challenging, poetry – daunting, and haiku is right out!”  So when I first learned about flash fiction, I thought, “Now that’s a format that could actually drive me insane”.

For those that are not familiar with the term, flash fiction is a style of short story that tells a complete story  in 1000 words or less.  And it’s not easy.

But, as you may have noticed, I love to challenge myself, so naturally I tried my hand at it.  The initial draft took about… Oh, I’d say 45 minutes to an hour to write.  It was so easy; it just flowed right out of my pen, and on to the paper in about 1500 or so words.  For the next 2 to 3 hours I was editing – not my favorite part of the process – and feeling like I was simply gutting my story.

But in the end, I managed to get it down to 667 words.  (I think that was including a three word title.)  For someone like me, this is a great accomplishment, and still one of my best works. (Now, if only one of these magazine editors or competition judges would agree!)

 

 

A to Z – Challenge Accepted

Some readers may be aware of the A to Z blogging challenge. For those that are not, it was started apparently on a whim in 2010. It grows in participants every year, and is an opportunity for the blogging community to come together and learn of one another’s work.

I decided to participate in this when I heard about it, and have spent the last several weeks compiling topics to share during the month of April. I’m excited to post nearly everyday, starting on April 1, and hope that I will be able to keep up with posting more often once the challenge is over.

Of course, all posts will still be writing related with a couple of challenges thrown in for fun. Topics have been difficult to find for each letter of the alphabet (who knew J would be so hard?), and you may feel that some are reaching a bit. But all in all, I think this month is going to be fun, and hopefully, informative and interesting for my readers.

Thanks as always to any who visit here, and I look forward to reading the work of other A to Z participants!

Dr. Seuss Can Do It. Can You?

Anyone out there interested in writing for children?   I’ve always wanted to, but I find I’m not very good at it.  I never have been, even when I was a child.  So, here’s a writing exercise and challenge for all of us.

Write a story – ideally for children, but it doesn’t have to be – between 500 – 600 words, using only the Dolch Word List.  (If you’re like me, the limited word count is challenge enough.)

When I’ve finished the challenge myself, (and if my results are at all decent) I’ll post the story here.

Have fun, and good luck.  I know I’ll need it!

A little exercise to get you started

Okay, so I’m a bit weird.  Sometimes, when I’m suffering a little block, I try to find a good challenge or exercise to get the “juices flowing” so to speak, but so often the “writing prompts” that I find online can be stodgy.  Most of them consist of “Write a story beginning…”  Sure, that’s fine and all, but it forces the writer into subscribing to a ready-made story to which s/he has no real connection.  So, every now and then, I get an idea of my own, and sometimes they are more successful then I could have hoped.  This one, I came up with on my own, and had a lot of fun with.

Set aside a little over an hour, and grab a kitchen timer.  Come up with 12 story ideas – they can be simple, vague ideas like a guy and girl meet on a beach.  Set your timer and free-write for five minutes on each idea.  You can start anywhere in the story.  My easiest writing came when I started in the middle, with a climactic or turning point event in the idea I had come up with.  Truth be told, when I did this exercise, I didn’t find it very hard to write any of them – it is just five minutes, after all – but you’ll probably have a favorite among them when you finish.  Whatever seems most fleshed out, easiest to write, or, in my case, the one I didn’t want to stop writing when the timer stopped, could be your next big WIP.  My current WIP came from this exercise.

Good luck, and happy writing!

Beginning again… Again

“Back in the saddle again.  [mehmehmeh] a friend is a friend.”

Yea, I don’t know the words to that song, but what I do know is I’m making an effort to write – meaningfully, interestingly, and, above all, for myself!  I’m writing everyday, in a journal of sorts for the most part, and most of it is about writing.  (If there’s anyone wondering where that title came from…)  So why not publish it here.  These are my Writings on Writing, after all.  And, I’ve found, there are plenty of subsequent topics.

What I Read, for instance.  Reading is a huge part of writing.  Reading the Classics gives us reference points, and allusion, and gives us something to aspire to – hopefully.  Reading our Contemporaries gives us a look at the competition.  What’s already being done, and how can I do it differently or better?

Movies I watch.  I think movies are just as important as books, because they are storytelling.  Just through a different medium.  Movies are generally more fast-paced, but these days, many books – especially the thriller, spy, young adult, and adventure genres – are emulating, as best they can, some elements of movies.  I read a lot of books that are very visual, almost as if the author is trying to give producers, screenwriters, directors, and cinematographers as much as s/he can to go on.  But when it comes down to it, movies are just another way to tell stories, and storytelling is a craft that can be studied, practiced, and perfected.

My Challenges and Exercises.  I have a habit of giving myself brief exercises or challenges in my writing.  I think they’re fun, and they give me a way to keep up my daily words when I’m blocked for what to write.  At present, I am working on a huge challenge – writing a screenplay.  Or more accurately, adapting a screenplay.  Just for fun.  (Yes, these are the kinds of things that are fun in my world.)  And I have started, tentatively, a new novel.  So, I guess that’s two big challenges.  And in two new genres. In addition to that, I am Reading more books about how to write various styles, genres, etc., and the ever helpful writers of these books often include exercises to help inspire and engage their readers.

So, anyway, I have a lot of things to write, and a lot of things to write about.  The truth is I have missed writing, and worst it has effected me very negatively.  My typing speed has suffered.  My language skills are suffering, and my heart.  It just hurts.  It’s true, writing does me good.  I feel accomplished when I finish – like I’ve done something, rather than just sit on my thumbs like so many days/nights.  I’m excited, and will try to keep the momentum going.  It helps that I have an actual desk, and home office again.  This is important to me, and I have to act like it is important.  I’m never going to get anywhere if I don’t try.