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 Writing.Com Newsletter Archives: Short Stories |
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To view an Short Stories newsletter, click an issue date: |
| #4874: | February 15, 2012  | Legerdemain   |
| Can You Hear Me Now? First, select what ears you'd like - then pick your nose. | ||
| #4868: | February 08, 2012 | ~j  |
| Fiction as Catharsis. How reality and fiction intersect for us as writers. | ||
| #4836: | February 01, 2012 | Shannon  |
| Modus Operandi How your character's passion motivates and inspires his actions | ||
| #4841: | January 25, 2012 | Kate~Rune Writing & Reading  |
| I hear a voice ~ but who's? Writing fiction in first person viewpoint actively relates what I or my character do, see, hear, perceive | ||
| #4832: | January 18, 2012 | Legerdemain |
| Can You Name That Tune? Does music inspire you? | ||
| #4821: | January 11, 2012 | ~j |
| Tying It All Together No string required! Finding ways to bring disparate elements into unity in short fiction. | ||
| #4797: | January 04, 2012 | Shannon |
| In the Beginning How your introductory paragraph can make or break your story | ||
| #4787: | December 27, 2011 | Shannon |
| He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother How our plight affects those who love us most | ||
| #4779: | December 20, 2011 | Legerdemain |
| A Semi-Resolution It's not dieting or getting more exercise, but it is about doing something for yourself next year. | ||
| #4770: | December 13, 2011 | ~j |
| Inspiration as an Exercise Sharing some thoughts I had after reading a book about art and creativity; using artistic reference and ideas. | ||
| #4748: | December 06, 2011 | Shannon |
| It Must Be a Full Moon How our own superstitious beliefs, distinguishing traits, and quirky mannerisms are reflected in our characters | ||
| #4728: | November 29, 2011 | Shannon |
| Something Old, Something New Every item has a story. All you have to do is listen. | ||
| #4736: | November 22, 2011 | Legerdemain |
| You're Toast! Are your NaNoWriMo characters getting a little too familiar? | ||
| #4722: | November 15, 2011 | ~j |
| Showing, Telling, and You Some great places to inject description, details, and dialogue to add bulk and content to your stories. | ||
| #4699: | November 08, 2011 | Shannon |
| The Midnight Disease Coined by Edgar Allen Poe, "The Midnight Disease" (A.K.A. hypergraphia) is an overwhelming compulsion to write | ||
| #4698: | November 02, 2011 | WhoMe???  |
| Back to the Basics Freytag's Pyramid back to the basics. | ||
| #4686: | October 26, 2011 | Legerdemain |
| Mixing It Up Not recipes, genres. An alien in bionic chaps? It's an idea... | ||
| #4676: | October 19, 2011 | ~j |
| Minimalism It's a style thing! Less can be more... | ||
| #4654: | October 12, 2011 | Shannon |
| Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Writer's block? Pick up your local newspaper | ||
| #4652: | October 05, 2011 | SoCalScribe is 9 today!  |
| What You Can Learn From Other Genres Different genres can provide you with different writing skills to improve your work. | ||
| #4632: | September 28, 2011 | Legerdemain |
| Making It Memorable Does your story stand out among other contest entries? No? You might need to add a cannibal. | ||
| #4625: | September 21, 2011 | ~j |
| Format and Function how restrictive formats can force you to work creatively to find a solution... through writing! | ||
| #4598: | September 14, 2011 | Shannon |
| "Call 911 cuz you just stopped my heart" How a family dinner and a packet of Splenda® inspired my creativity | ||
| #4605: | September 07, 2011 | SoCalScribe is 9 today! |
| Birthdays, Bar Mitzvahs & Black Friday How single day events can be ideal settings for a short story. | ||
| #4587: | August 31, 2011 | Legerdemain |
| I'm Nobody! Who are you? Emily was a nobody too. | ||
| #4580: | August 24, 2011 | ~j |
| Be a Contender Write stories that are competitive no matter where you submit them. | ||
| #4557: | August 17, 2011 | Shannon |
| Murder in the Grove An afternoon with J.A. Jance leaves a lasting impression | ||
| #4554: | August 10, 2011 | SoCalScribe is 9 today! |
| Streamlined Storytelling The importance of focusing on the main narrative in a short story. | ||
| #4539: | August 03, 2011 | Legerdemain |
| Being Upstaged The puppy had everyone's attention. Is that what you want? | ||
| #4523: | July 27, 2011 | ~j |
| Idols and Inspirations Musings on influences and ideas... where did that idea come from, anyway? | ||
| #4507: | July 20, 2011 | Shannon |
| I Ate Lunch With Rambo How an afternoon with author David Morrell changed my writing life forever | ||
| #4502: | July 13, 2011 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet  |
| Finding Inspiration Knowing when to write and when to stop | ||
| #4489: | July 06, 2011 | Legerdemain |
| Have You Read the Fine Print? A few tidbits about entering writing contests. | ||
| #4478: | June 29, 2011 | ~j |
| Content Condensation Tips on editing with word count in mind... | ||
| #4458: | June 22, 2011 | Shannon |
| Copyrights and Trademarks If someone else wrote it, photographed it, painted it, translated it, recorded it, or drew it, it's copyrighted | ||
| #4455: | June 15, 2011 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| Planning ahead... or not There isn't a right way to write a short story, but there are reasons to try something new. | ||
| #4442: | June 08, 2011 | Legerdemain |
| High-speed Duct Tape What doesn't it fix? | ||
| #4431: | June 01, 2011 | ~j |
| Plotting to a Conclusion Finding a means to an ending for your story... | ||
| #4409: | May 25, 2011 | Shannon |
| And the Winner Is ... How entering contests gets your name out there AND makes you a better writer | ||
| #4398: | May 18, 2011 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| Am I an Unreliable Narrator? First person does not always mean truthful. | ||
| #4393: | May 11, 2011 | Legerdemain |
| Perspective My view from the other side of the uterus. | ||
| #4378: | May 04, 2011 | ~j |
| More Dialogue on Dialogue A few tips and pointers for correcting wayward dialogue for short story authors and reviewers. | ||
| #4366: | April 27, 2011 | Shannon |
| Who'd've Strunk It? Though 90+ years have passed, "The Elements of Style" is STILL the definitive guide to clean, concise, crisp writing. | ||
| #4350: | April 20, 2011 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| This would make a GREAT novel Pitfalls of writing a novel based on your beloved short story. | ||
| #4341: | April 13, 2011 | Legerdemain |
| The Sound of Silence One would think silence is...well, silent. | ||
| #4330: | April 06, 2011 | ~j |
| Dialogue as a Story Medium Of all the dynamics which move a story forward, dialogue is the most direct. | ||
| #4307: | March 30, 2011 | Shannon |
| My Five Sense Worth How Sight, Smell, Hearing, Taste, and Touch Form Our Memories and Shape Our Lives | ||
| #4302: | March 23, 2011 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| Worlds of Wonder Through the eyes of a child, even when writing for adults. | ||
| #4287: | March 16, 2011 | Legerdemain |
| Where Can I Put the Dead Body? An answer to the age-old question - Can I Put the Dead Body in a Glad Trash Bag? | ||
| #4282: | March 09, 2011 | ~j |
| Character Components Building believable, compelling characters is tricky in a short story. Some tips to make the best use of a small space! | ||
| #4258: | March 02, 2011 | Shannon |
| Breakdowns and Breakthroughs How the most painful challenges are often the most rewarding | ||
| #4255: | February 23, 2011 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| A Sense of Place Describe a place with no visual clues to see how strong the emotional connection can be for your reader. | ||
| #4242: | February 16, 2011 | Legerdemain |
| Eons ago, in a dark cavern in the sea... How setting is important to your story. | ||
| #4230: | February 09, 2011 | ~j |
| Pieces of Something Greater Sometimes a vignette is just a vignette... | ||
| #4217: | February 02, 2011 | Shannon |
| Perception Is Reality or, "Who the heck ARE you, anyway?" | ||
| #4204: | January 26, 2011 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| The Ending Comes Before the Beginning Planning your story will ensure you're not just wandering about in the woods. | ||
| #4194: | January 19, 2011 | Legerdemain |
| What A Character! Where do you get your character ideas? | ||
| #4182: | January 12, 2011 | ~j |
| Resolutions of the "Ending" Kind... Some of my favorite writers have said the hardest part of writing is knowing when to end a story... | ||
| #4159: | January 05, 2011 | Shannon |
| Same Old Lang Syne A story about love, loss, regret, and new beginnings | ||
| #4158: | December 28, 2010 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| Benefit of Brevity There are burdens to the brevity of a short story, but there are benefits as well. | ||
| #4143: | December 21, 2010 | Legerdemain |
| Holiday Stress Turn holiday stress and family arguments into fodder for your stories. | ||
| #4128: | December 14, 2010 | ~j |
| The Direct Line While a short story can have its twists and turns, the ultimate story movement should be straightforward. | ||
| #4114: | December 07, 2010 | Shannon |
| Conspiracy Theory Just Because You're Paranoid Doesn't Mean They're Not Out To Get You | ||
| #4104: | November 30, 2010 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| Are we there yet? When to end. Knowing when to end your story is as important as knowing when to start it. | ||
| #4094: | November 23, 2010 | Legerdemain |
| Review Honesty Do you tell the truth in a tactful way when you review? | ||
| #4080: | November 16, 2010 | ~j |
| Make Me Care... About Your Character! The best stories are character driven, but character alone won't carry a story-- good characters need compelling plots! | ||
| #4062: | November 09, 2010 | Shannon |
| So, what did you think of my story? How to be brutally honest without being brutal. | ||
| #4056: | November 03, 2010 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| Writing Stories to be Read Aloud Writing for children can teach us how to be better writers for any age. | ||
| #4043: | October 27, 2010 | Legerdemain |
| Finding Time to Write What if you didn't enter NaNoWriMo but want to challenge yourself? | ||
| #4031: | October 20, 2010 | ~j |
| Holding the Line Short fiction relies on tension for consistency-- here are a few tips for maintaining the tension in your writing. | ||
| #4012: | October 13, 2010 | Shannon |
| "My Name Is Roger, and I'm an addict." How personal demons humanize your characters and endear them to your readers | ||
| #4003: | October 06, 2010 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| Those in Front of the Curtain Ignore your audience at your peril. | ||
| #3991: | September 29, 2010 | Legerdemain |
| Titles How would you refer to the Dalai Lama? Would you greet him, "hey, Holy Dude!"? | ||
| #3981: | September 22, 2010 | ~j |
| Push Button, Receive Message One reason many writers love the short story medium: it's an easy way to communicate an idea and get feedback on it. | ||
| #3929: | September 15, 2010 | Shannon |
| Never Forget How Kübler-Ross's Five Stages of Grief empowers us (and our characters) to understand and accept our own mortality | ||
| #3958: | September 08, 2010 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| Publishing Stories in the 21st Century Being a "published author" is a trickier concept than it once was. | ||
| #3947: | September 01, 2010 | Legerdemain |
| What did he say? Using the vernacular of a particular region or era can lend authenticity to your story. | ||
| #3935: | August 25, 2010 | Storm Machine  |
| Epiphany Characters and events work together to make a short story. | ||
| #3876: | August 18, 2010 | Shannon |
| This Little Piggy Went to Market How to market your stories and eliminate unnecessary rejections | ||
| #3905: | August 11, 2010 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| Too Much Backstory in the Front If you fill your first few paragraphs with backstory, you may empty out your audience | ||
| #3895: | August 04, 2010 | Legerdemain |
| Anatomy of a Lie How can you tell someone is lying? This article exposes liars. | ||
| #3874: | July 28, 2010 | Crys in Winter Wonderland  |
| I'm a Fiction Writer? Since When? It never hurts to try something new with your writing. | ||
| #3849: | July 21, 2010 | Shannon |
| That Which Does Not Kill Us How tragedy makes us stronger people ... and better writers | ||
| #3857: | July 14, 2010 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| Suspending Disbelief What readers will and won't believe. | ||
| #3841: | July 07, 2010 | Legerdemain |
| The Short Trip to Edit What do you do with the short contest entries in your porfolio? | ||
| #3829: | June 30, 2010 | Kate~Rune Writing & Reading |
| I hear voices ~ telling a story ~ whose? First person point of view doesn't have to be all about me ~ let's explore this versatile, often challenging, viewpoint. | ||
| #3770: | June 23, 2010 | Shannon |
| Mind Your P's and Q's How profiling your protagonist produces quality prose prone to leaving your competition quaking in their Quarks | ||
| #3804: | June 16, 2010 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| Abraham Lincoln's Doctor's Dog Writing about a hodgepodge of popular topics will not make your short story popular. | ||
| #3791: | June 09, 2010 | Legerdemain |
| Something Unusual Using something unusual to break tension or change the tempo of a story. | ||
| #3772: | June 02, 2010 | Kate~Rune Writing & Reading |
| Show and Tell~every story has a story A story within the story ~ add depth with effective flashbacks or some creative framing to engage your readers | ||
| #3703: | May 26, 2010 | Shannon |
| Tell Me a Tale to Remember How reading the good, the bad, and the ugly makes you a better writer | ||
| #3743: | May 19, 2010 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| What if Harry had been a Girl? Checking your characters, setting and plot by indirect proof. | ||
| #3727: | May 12, 2010 | Legerdemain |
| Finding your Muse in the Museum Surfing museum websites when you can't visit them physically can be just as rewarding. | ||
| #3711: | May 05, 2010 | Storm Machine |
| #3679: | April 28, 2010 | Shannon |
| #3688: | April 21, 2010 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| Go Ahead, Put the Cart Before the Horse Sometimes research leads us down strange paths. Don't be afraid to follow your leads. | ||
| #3672: | April 14, 2010 | Legerdemain |
| #3658: | April 07, 2010 | Storm Machine |
| #3603: | March 31, 2010 | Shannon |
| #3635: | March 24, 2010 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| Proper Manuscript Format Following the guidelines is a must if you want your work published. | ||
| #3614: | March 17, 2010 | Legerdemain |
| #3597: | March 10, 2010 | Storm Machine |
| #3543: | March 03, 2010 | Shannon |
| #3577: | February 24, 2010 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| #3556: | February 17, 2010 | Legerdemain |
| #3548: | February 10, 2010 | RobiMediaExcellenceAwardWinner  |
| #3497: | February 03, 2010 | Shannon |
| #3525: | January 27, 2010 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| #3510: | January 20, 2010 | Legerdemain |
| #3502: | January 13, 2010 | Storm Machine |
| #3444: | January 06, 2010 | Shannon |
| #3466: | December 30, 2009 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| #3458: | December 23, 2009 | Legerdemain |
| #3438: | December 16, 2009 | Smiling Sonali WDC Power #1!  |
| #3396: | December 09, 2009 | Shannon |
| #3423: | December 02, 2009 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| #3402: | November 25, 2009 | Legerdemain |
| #3383: | November 18, 2009 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| #3351: | November 11, 2009 | Shannon |
| #3370: | November 04, 2009 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| #3352: | October 28, 2009 | Legerdemain |
| #3342: | October 21, 2009 | Shannon |
| #3284: | October 14, 2009 | Shannon |
| #3321: | October 07, 2009 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| #3300: | September 30, 2009 | Legerdemain |
| #3283: | September 23, 2009 | esprit |
| Encourage, Push, and Prod I believe talent needs to be encouraged, pushed, nurtured and prodded in order to grow. | ||
| #3246: | September 16, 2009 | Shannon |
| #3268: | September 09, 2009 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| #3248: | September 02, 2009 | Legerdemain |
| #3235: | August 26, 2009 | Shannon |
| #3184: | August 19, 2009 | Shannon |
| #3214: | August 12, 2009 | Ben Langhinrichs-quiet |
| #3160: | August 05, 2009 | Legerdemain |
| #3187: | July 29, 2009 | esprit |
| Overwriting is a Good Thing Your creativity is working, don't stifle it by forcing perfection too soon. Focus on the story, not the editing. | ||
| #3131: | July 22, 2009 | Shannon |
| #3138: | July 15, 2009 | esprit |
| Writing Tips From The Experts We all know writing well is not easy, so tips are always welcome. | ||
| #3153: | July 08, 2009 | Legerdemain |
| #3140: | July 01, 2009 | Adriana Noir  |
| #3082: | June 24, 2009 | Shannon |
| #3115: | June 17, 2009 | Kimchi  |
| The Rhetoric of Repetition Repetition isn't always bad. As a rhetorical device it can foreshadow the plot or underscore important information. | ||
| #3098: | June 10, 2009 | Legerdemain |
| #3083: | June 03, 2009 | Just an Ordinary Jyo |
| #3045: | May 27, 2009 | Shannon |
| #3063: | May 20, 2009 | Kimchi |
| Emotional Rescue Flat, emotionless prose? Try one of these techniques and you may find the passion was there all along. | ||
| #3052: | May 13, 2009 | Legerdemain |
| #3032: | May 06, 2009 | Shannon |
| #3019: | April 29, 2009 | Kate~Rune Writing & Reading |
| #3014: | April 22, 2009 | Kimchi |
| Weather or Not? The one thing you can count on is weather changing. Change is action, and action is never boring. | ||
| #3000: | April 15, 2009 | Legerdemain |
| #2950: | April 08, 2009 | esprit |
| How Do I Develop My Own Style? Style is developed, good or bad, in direct ratio to how much time is spent learning the craft of writing. | ||
| #2962: | April 01, 2009 | Joy  |
| #2968: | March 25, 2009 | Kimchi |
| Character is King To create "real" characters we must go beyond appearance, to personality, and even further, into psychological makeup. | ||
| #2943: | March 18, 2009 | Legerdemain |
| #2925: | March 11, 2009 | Vivian Zabel - publisher  |
| #2915: | March 04, 2009 | iKïyå§ama  |
| #2912: | February 25, 2009 | Kimchi |
| Dialogue in Action Much harder than it looks, realistic dialogue emulates speech but is not an exact copy of the way we talk. | ||
| #2892: | February 18, 2009 | Legerdemain |
| #2883: | February 11, 2009 | Vivian Zabel - publisher |
| #2869: | February 04, 2009 | Nikola  |
| #2860: | January 28, 2009 | Kimchi |
| A Great Start A great opening line unrolls a "Welcome" mat, a door ajar into fire lit walls, a warm rush of apples and cinnamon. | ||
| #2838: | January 21, 2009 | Legerdemain |
| #2829: | January 14, 2009 | Vivian Zabel - publisher |
| #2815: | January 07, 2009 | Kate~Rune Writing & Reading |
| #2805: | December 31, 2008 | Kimchi |
| A Few of my Favorite Things Use your life. Sanitize it, satirize it, fictionalize it. Teacher and muse lie within your own experiences. | ||
| #2773: | December 24, 2008 | Legerdemain |
| #2770: | December 17, 2008 | Vivian Zabel - publisher |
| #2761: | December 10, 2008 | Past Member 'larryp' |
| #2752: | December 03, 2008 | Kimchi |
| Sense and Sensibility Set the Scene Setting is the background that holds not only what you show the reader, but also a heap of implied information. | ||
| #2734: | November 26, 2008 | Legerdemain |
| #2724: | November 19, 2008 | Vivian Zabel - publisher |
| #2710: | November 12, 2008 | Kate~Rune Writing & Reading |
| #2697: | November 05, 2008 | Kimchi |
| Classic Rock Symbols work subconsciously: the most enduring hold three interpretations: universal, cultural, and personal. | ||
| #2684: | October 29, 2008 | Legerdemain |
| #2669: | October 22, 2008 | Vivian Zabel - publisher |
| #2661: | October 15, 2008 | Kate~Rune Writing & Reading |
| #2648: | October 08, 2008 | Kimchi |
| Like an Onion Like a cake (or an onion), a short story has layers: plot, setting, characters, conflict-and the creamy icing--theme. | ||
| #2635: | October 01, 2008 | Legerdemain |
| #2622: | September 24, 2008 | Vivian Zabel - publisher |
| #2614: | September 17, 2008 | Kate~Rune Writing & Reading |
| #2600: | September 10, 2008 | esprit |
| Writer, Know Thyself. For one heady moment you know you're brilliant and then, with just as much clarity, you know what you do is awful. | ||
| #2585: | September 03, 2008 | Legerdemain |
| #2563: | August 27, 2008 | Vivian Zabel - publisher |
| #2565: | August 20, 2008 | Kate~Rune Writing & Reading |
| #2554: | August 13, 2008 | Kate~Rune Writing & Reading |
| #2509: | August 06, 2008 | Legerdemain |
| #2531: | July 30, 2008 | Vivian Zabel - publisher |
| #2523: | July 23, 2008 | Joy |
| #2503: | July 16, 2008 | Demon Squirrel of Doom!  |
| #2485: | July 09, 2008 | Legerdemain |
| #2476: | July 02, 2008 | Vivian Zabel - publisher |
| #2399: | June 18, 2008 | iKïyå§ama |
| #2438: | June 11, 2008 | Legerdemain |
| #2424: | June 04, 2008 | Vivian Zabel - publisher |
| #2408: | May 21, 2008 | Demon Squirrel of Doom! |
| #2387: | May 14, 2008 | Legerdemain |
| #2374: | May 07, 2008 | Vivian Zabel - publisher |
| #2373: | April 30, 2008 | Joy |
| #2346: | April 23, 2008 | iKïyå§ama |
| #2336: | April 16, 2008 | Legerdemain |
| #2320: | April 09, 2008 | Vivian Zabel - publisher |
| #2304: | March 26, 2008 | RobiMediaExcellenceAwardWinner |
| #2283: | March 19, 2008 | Legerdemain |
| #2272: | March 12, 2008 | Vivian Zabel - publisher |
| #2250: | February 27, 2008 | Demon Squirrel of Doom! |
| #2229: | February 20, 2008 | Legerdemain |
| #2218: | February 13, 2008 | Vivian Zabel - publisher |
| #2215: | February 06, 2008 | Demon Squirrel of Doom! |
| #2198: | January 30, 2008 | Robert Waltz  |
| #2183: | January 23, 2008 | Legerdemain |
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