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Post by maryelizabeth on Jun 16, 2013 1:32:04 GMT -5
I did a terrible thing today. I sent in a story that in the beginning I was so proud of but in the end it died a horrible death of mediocrity in order to fill the submission requirements of 9000 words and get it in by midnight. I pushed the darn thing writing on only three hours of sleep each night in the fear of the 'why don't you ever finish any of the stories you start' from family and friends. Uggh! How does everyone stay so focused when writing short stories without them turning into mini-novels or giving up completely?  |
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Post by micah on Jul 18, 2013 20:40:06 GMT -5
Everything I write turns in to a mini-novel. I end up having to cut out all kinds of stuff in order to meet word limit requirements. I have just come to accept that some of the stuff I write is going to end up being cut out. Most of the time this makes for a better story. The rest of the time I console myself with the knowledge that I still have the original (the Director's Cut, if you will).
As for staying focused, I don't. I usually have a couple of short stories in play and two longer projects that I am working on at all times. For example, tonight I plan to finish a story that I haven't looked at since April. It was going strong, then it kind of petered out. Fortunately I now see where I took a wrong turn with it. Knowing the market I want to submit it to helps too.
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Post by Jim Leach on Jul 23, 2013 21:29:25 GMT -5
I've got the opposite problem, sort of, in that my stories usually end up far shorter than when they start--which isn't quite as paradoxical as it initially sounds (grin) I learned to edit my work by quite literally cutting the word count in half... which is not ideal for places that pay by each word, but usually results in a focused, quickly paced tale. Of course, if I outlined first I might not have to be so brutal with the red pen. I've only been able to allow myself to write longer pieces for the past couple years.
I also have a folder of stories that are "simmering." I'll write on 'em for awhile, get them as far as I can then toss them back in the pot for a bit.
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