  Short Stories
This week: Edited by: Legerdemain  
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The purpose of this newsletter is to help the Writing.com short story author hone their craft and improve their skills. Along with that I would like to inform, advocate, and create new, fresh ideas for the short story author. Write me if you have an idea you would like presented.
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 Where am I?
*SNAP* I'm writing this month about a comment from a review I've received. I don't describe enough! I took a look at my story and it was true...so I pulled out an old college text and did a little research to help myself and thought I would pass it along. It's about descriptive writing.
*SNAP* Good descriptive writing is like a photograph: it presents a clear picture of an object, a person or a scene. Great description goes further. It appeals to the five senses. It's filled with clear details that help create a dominant impression. It has a focus!
*SNAP* Have a plan. When you describe something, you give details about it and arrange those details in a way that makes sense. Several kinds of plans can be used. For example, you can describe an object by starting with its most important feature and then describing other features of lesser importance.
Another method is spatial order, arranging the objects to be described in some systematic sequence in space. In describing a room, for instance, you could start at the left side and work your way to the right. My point is you need a plan or design! You will lose your readers with a mess of unrelated details.
Specific details are just as important. Your reader must be able to see the object being described. This means your description must be concrete. You have to supply your reader with specific images instead of vague or general statements.
*SNAP* Now get out your thesaurus! Don't have one? Too lazy to go get it from the bookshelf? Fine! Click your "Author Tools" drop down list and click "Ideanary". Nice tool, hm? Did you know that was there? Don't you just love Writing.com?
One way to make your writing better and specific is to use precise diction. Use words that are sharp and clear. Instead of writing that a character "coughed", use a more exact word like "gasped", "hacked", or even "wheezed". The kind of author you are is shown by your word choice and the details you select.
*SNAP* Take a look at your writing. Are you presenting the best possible descriptions in your story? Are you too lazy to look up superlative words? Do you use the same nouns, adjectives and adverbs again and again? I encourage you to look at your work again, see if it needs a freshening up. 
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#1012360 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: It bides its time, waiting, waiting, ever waiting for a chance. Every night, the prey walks past its hiding spot, never near enough, always tantalizingly out of reach. But it can wait. It is patient.
Excerpt: Saturday afternoon has never been my favorite time of the week. It’s when it suddenly dawns on me that I’m facing the Monday morning deadline for my column. If your name is Steinbeck or King or Bradbury, etc. you might think that my weekly column in the local newspaper doesn’t merit much thought, but to me it does. By Saturday afternoon I have begun to panic.
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#612579 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: Byron Pennypacker stepped down from the train carrying a large black suitcase in each hand. He set them on the wooden planks of the train station and stirred up a cloud of gritty dust as he slapped at his dark suit and silver brocade vest with his derby hat. The smoke from the locomotive made his eyes tear.
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This item number is not valid.
#511757 by Not Available. |
Excerpt: It all begins with a drop of water.
From the drop comes everything and nothing, yes and no, happiness and despair.
It is not complexity but simplicity that confuses us, as the race of men; we yearn to learn the complete and absolute explanation of everything.
But at what price?
| |  | So It Goes (13+)
A very short story about life and death. Please rate if you read it.
#966150 by DJ  |
Excerpt: “Praise be to God,” he said, “and Glory, as well.”
I did not like the tone in his voice when he said things like this. It was all too condescending.
“Ok. Whatever you say.”
He looked at me with his nose turned up, like one would a vagabond, or an immigrant. “I’ll continue to pray for you.”
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This month's question: How do you add zip to your descriptive writing?
Last month's question: What method do you use to tie up loose ends in your plot?
SkyHawk - Into The Music replies:
To avoid loose ends in a plot, I try to make sure that all the plot elements first have a reason for being there, and have a way of inter-meshing with other plot elements. As you suggested in your news letter, an outline of some sort goes a long way to avoid those entangling loose ends. Conversely, though, I say, "don't get too bound by your outline," don't allow it to limit what you can create. In the two novels I am writing (I've actually split my project into two books, I have so many ideas and plot elements), I have general outlines that I work with, and go into greater details when working on specific areas. By the same token, if I'm writing and get a new idea, I'll often run with it and see what happens. If it doesn't work right, or goes in too wrong of a direction, there's always the "delete/backspace" key (or I can cut-and-paste to another file and save it for a different project). I find that a good day of writing is often balance between planned and free-form.
Great comments SkyHawk - Into The Music !
April Sunday comments:
Nice work. Like this one about Aunt Betty, the arch type character who disappears without a trace. Poof!
Thanks Teffy!
esprit replies:
Legerdemain. 'Tying up loose ends.' Another important element we, as reviewers, sometimes forget to look for. This was another interesting and helpful letter!
Thank you!
billwilcox instructs:
How to tie up loose ends--
First ya gotta learn something called 'The Writer's Knot'. Now pay attention. You grab your main character in one hand and twist him around a secondary character, making sure you got all you want out of him first, and then bend him around until he reveals a hidden secret, and then tie off neatly. With practice, you can learn to do this in just a couple of months. It's as easy as using a wire twist! But that's another method I'll have to go into next time.
LOL! Thanks Bill!
Rixfarmgirl  replies:
Great Newsletter. Enjoyed the Aunt Betty essay. You are absolutely correct. I am one of those nitpickers who wants all the details, not just the ones you remember to tell me.
I think it makes a better story.
donnabateson comments:
I really enjoyed reading the newsletter and you have given me some good tips when writing an outline on my secondary characters
thank you
Donna
Thank you Donna!
scribbler replies:
You know, many people have all of these different methods to wrapping up a story but I personally like the tried and true memory based one. Think to yourself, "Did I forget anyone?" If you really are connected to your story you will remember, I mean you did write it right? Or have a friend read it and see if you missed anyone. Dont be fancy, get the job done.
Sometimes that method works. Having another person read it can be helpful.
mimi answers:
I agree with you about the 'Aunt Betty' Syndrome-I have had similar experiences while reading a story, and am so sidetracked trying to find out what happened to 'Aunt Betty' that I had trouble following the story-when I write, this situation is not normally a problem since the characters seem to jump into my head and know what they are doing and where they are going, and I'm just along for the ride. I always get some of my family to read my stories first, and they are extremely talented at finding any mistakes I make-then I re-read from start to finish and edit accordingly. Not sure what this method is called, but it seems to work for me-love the newsletter-keep up the great work!!
Many mistakes can be alleviated during the edit process. 
Chriswriter replies:
I go back, reread, and note down every person I've used (Joe, Harry, Aunt Mavis, guy on corner), and make sure I know AND wrote what happened to them, even if it's just: guy on corner, makes comment, crosses street, keeps walking. I also try not to use throw-away characters, a.k.a. spear carriers, if at all possible.
Great method Chriswriter .
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Short Stories: September 21, 2005 Issue [#624]
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