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Discussion: Q3 Volume 39

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(@aidanka)
Posts: 54
Bronze Member
 

@rschibler Oh congratulations clapper  

 
Posted : April 4, 2022 12:22 pm
(@aidanka)
Posts: 54
Bronze Member
 

@wulfmoon Thanks

 
Posted : April 4, 2022 12:26 pm
Wulf Moon reacted
(@morgan-broadhead)
Posts: 444
Gold Member
 
Posted by: @aidanka

@ease I have another silly question. Have you seen stories where magic happens by the 3rd part of the story? If I give the magic right from the beginning it will be a spoiler. So, I don't know if it's worth to send this story for the contest.

Genre readers WANT to see all the cool magic happening from the very beginning of the story. That's why they opened the story to read it in the first place. If you hold out showing them what they want until the final act, you very well may end up with a lot of disappointed readers.

"You can either sit here and write, or you can sit here and do nothing. But you can’t sit here and do anything else."
— Neil Gaiman, Masterclass

Drop me a line at https://morganbroadhead.com
SFx1
HMx4
R/RWCx5

 
Posted : April 5, 2022 7:21 am
Wulf Moon, Dustin Adams, David Hankins and 2 people reacted
(@martin-l-shoemaker)
Posts: 2135
Platinum Plus Moderator
 
Posted by: @morgan-broadhead
Posted by: @aidanka

@ease I have another silly question. Have you seen stories where magic happens by the 3rd part of the story? If I give the magic right from the beginning it will be a spoiler. So, I don't know if it's worth to send this story for the contest.

Genre readers WANT to see all the cool magic happening from the very beginning of the story. That's why they opened the story to read it in the first place. If you hold out showing them what they want until the final act, you very well may end up with a lot of disappointed readers.

And genre editors have been burned too many times by non-genre submissions -- or by submissions where genre was lightly tacked on just to try to sneak the story past the editor. If Our Wise Slushmistress doesn't see the magic in the first page, she had better see some very excellent description, characterization, or action to persuade her to keep reading -- or at least to flip to the end and look for it.

That doesn't make her right and you wrong. Your slow-build story might be brilliant -- for a different market. Part of marketing your work is learning which markets are right for which styles. Somewhere there's a perfect market for your slow-build story, but this ain't it. Try a different story.

Also, being anonymous, the Contest is a strange market. You can't build a reputation here. They only way they know who you are is when you win, and then you cannot submit anymore. At other markets, though, a proven reputation can buy you some slack that a newer author just won't get. It may seem unfair, but it makes sense from their business perspective. If I send Analog a slow-build story, Trevor knows that there's a science fiction element coming, because I'm a proven genre writer there. And readers who know my name will extend me the same patience. A brand new author submitting the exact same story won't get that patience.

(Which doesn't guarantee me a sale, to be sure. I sent Trevor a story about boot camp on the Moon. He rejected it because he said the exact same story could have happened at any boot camp in history. So even though I had an unmistakable speculative element, the element was not essential to the story.)

http://nineandsixtyways.com/
Tools, Not Rules.
Martin L. Shoemaker
3rd Place Q1 V31
"Today I Am Paul", WSFA Small Press Award 2015, Nebula nomination 2015
Today I Am Carey from Baen
The Last Dance (#1 science fiction eBook on Amazon, October 2019) and The Last Campaign from 47North

 
Posted : April 5, 2022 2:08 pm
Wulf Moon, storysinger, Morgan and 2 people reacted
Doc Honour
(@ehonour)
Posts: 119
Silver Member
 
Posted by: @martin-l-shoemaker
Posted by: @angelslayah
Posted by: @storysinger

Now that I've learned to write short stories in one sitting...

You'll get there. It takes different techniques for different people, but the essential technique is to get the story out without stopping to think. You can always revise it after, but get it out.

I'm a bit late getting into this forum; been busy the last several weeks. But I went through to read the past posts, and I loved the discussion about writing the story at one sitting. With 16 stories under my belt, I don't think I've done that yet, but it's come close a couple of times.

When it's been close, it's been because I got in "the Zone" (as software engineers call it) where my focus is so lasered that nothing else around me matters—and also, because the story enthralled me as much as I hope it does a reader. I wanted to know where it was going to go. Particularly those parts I hadn't planned up front.

Thanks for the thoughts from all on this.

Write so long as words keep flowing...
http://www.DocHonourBooks.com
FWA RPLA: 2021:Fx2; 2022:1st place Gold, 2023: 1st place Gold novel
V38 Q3:HM; Q4:HM
V39 Q1:HM; Q2:RWC; Q3:HM; Q4:DQ (oops)
V40 Q1:HM; Q2:RWC; Q3:SF(!); Q4:RWC
V41 Q1:RWC

 
Posted : April 6, 2022 2:47 pm
Doc Honour
(@ehonour)
Posts: 119
Silver Member
 
Posted by: @martin-l-shoemaker

Your slow-build story might be brilliant -- for a different market. Part of marketing your work is learning which markets are right for which styles. Somewhere there's a perfect market for your slow-build story, but this ain't it. Try a different story.

My Q2 submission was originally a slow-build story that got a Finalist in a different contest, but didn't win. I worked with a local author here, one-on-one, who was motivated to help me. The first thing he had me change was the opening. I'd written it as a calm day, with tension gradually building. He forced me (yes, twisting my arm and everything whoa ) to change it to a stormy day with all sorts of other tensions going on. Now, the first paragraph has the tension jumping out to grab. (And no, it doesn't start out with, "It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly, a shot rang out. A woman screamed..." rolleyes )

I'm glad I relied on his experience. When we were all done, he had me compare the final version with the original (Finalist-qualified) version. I was astonished at how much better the story is.

Write so long as words keep flowing...
http://www.DocHonourBooks.com
FWA RPLA: 2021:Fx2; 2022:1st place Gold, 2023: 1st place Gold novel
V38 Q3:HM; Q4:HM
V39 Q1:HM; Q2:RWC; Q3:HM; Q4:DQ (oops)
V40 Q1:HM; Q2:RWC; Q3:SF(!); Q4:RWC
V41 Q1:RWC

 
Posted : April 6, 2022 2:56 pm
czing
(@czing)
Posts: 287
Silver Member
 

Looks like submissions for Q3 aren't open yet (I ended up not submitting to Q2 which explains my being ready to submit so early in Q3). Guess I'll pop back next weekend and try again.

v36 Q1, Q3 - HM; Q4 - R
v37 Q1 - R; Q2 - SHM; Q4 - HM
v38 Q1 - HM; Q2 - SHM; Q3 - HM; Q4 - HM
v39 Q1 - SHM; Q3 - HM; Q4 -RWC
v40 Q1, Q2 - HM; Q3 - Pending

 
Posted : April 10, 2022 2:07 pm
Cherrie
(@clfors)
Posts: 306
Silver Star Member
 

@martin-l-shoemaker I really appreciate you pointing this out as I’ve begun submitting to pro markets but do not want to pro out if possible!

3x Finalist Illustrators
5x Semi finalist Illustrators
1x HM Illustrators
7x HM Writers
1x SHM Writers V39 Q3
https://clforsauthor.com
Author of the Primogenitor series: Progeny, Adaptation, Reunion Available on Amazon under CL Fors

 
Posted : April 12, 2022 5:44 pm
Wahlquistj reacted
Cherrie
(@clfors)
Posts: 306
Silver Star Member
 

I finished the first of 3 stories for this quarter and have started the second. The first is for another contest as is the second. But I already have the concept for my third which will be for this quarter of WOTF.(the latest deadline of the 3)

This is definitely more ambitious than I’ve been up until this point but I feel like it’s definitely accelerating my growth and confidence as a writer. 

3x Finalist Illustrators
5x Semi finalist Illustrators
1x HM Illustrators
7x HM Writers
1x SHM Writers V39 Q3
https://clforsauthor.com
Author of the Primogenitor series: Progeny, Adaptation, Reunion Available on Amazon under CL Fors

 
Posted : April 13, 2022 11:10 am
David Hankins
(@lost_bard)
Posts: 445
Gold Star Member
 

@clfors I like your drive! I’m also trying to get into other contests as well and it seems like a lot of them have their submission windows in spring. I’ve definitely found that writing to a deadline helps me focus, but that’s a lot of fresh stories to write. Best of luck!

Death and the Taxman, my WotF V39 winning story is now a novel available for pre-order! (Click Here >). The Taxman is Coming on Tax Day (Apr 15th) 2024!

Subscribe to The Lost Bard's Letter at www.davidhankins.com and receive an exclusive story!

New Releases:
"Milo Piper's Breakout Single that Ended the Rat War" in LTUE's Troubadours and Space Princesses anthology.
"Felix and the Flamingo" in Escape Pod.
"The Ghosts of Hart's Gambit" in Renaissance Press's There's No Place anthology.
"The Devil's Foot Locker" in Amazing Stories

 
Posted : April 15, 2022 5:45 am
Cherrie and storysinger reacted
czing
(@czing)
Posts: 287
Silver Member
 

Do we know when the submissions for Q3 will open? 

v36 Q1, Q3 - HM; Q4 - R
v37 Q1 - R; Q2 - SHM; Q4 - HM
v38 Q1 - HM; Q2 - SHM; Q3 - HM; Q4 - HM
v39 Q1 - SHM; Q3 - HM; Q4 -RWC
v40 Q1, Q2 - HM; Q3 - Pending

 
Posted : April 15, 2022 7:42 am
Dragonchef reacted
Dragonchef
(@dragonchef)
Posts: 385
Silver Star Member
 

@czing  - Should have been open since the closing of Q2, but apparently it isn't. I have sent an email to Jason informing him of this.

3 HMs
6 SHMs
Umpteen Rs
Still hoping and working toward better -
One of these days, Alice . . . POW! We're going to the moon!

 
Posted : April 15, 2022 7:50 am
DoctorJest
(@doctorjest)
Posts: 835
Platinum Member
 

I'm pretty sure Jason was already aware of this, as he commented about it just before Gala week, but there's definitely a lot that goes on during and around the Gala. And I have no idea just how fiddly the innards are for initiating a new quarter in this system.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be a click a button thing, so I'm just cruising around in my happy holding pattern. I have my Q3 entry ready to go, too, but it won't rot while I wait.

DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex

 
Posted : April 15, 2022 11:41 am
Yelena and storysinger reacted
storysinger
(@storysinger)
Posts: 1500
Platinum Plus
 

I would be inclined to think after the two most intense months of the year were concluded, everyone that worked to present the gala is ready for some downtime. zzzzzz I think it should be required to turn the phone off and go away for a few days. woohoo Of course that's coming from the viewpoint of someone that can walk a quarter mile and wiggle my toes in the sand. bananarama  

I'm certain the administrators will get everything running smoothly again. word  

Today's science fiction is tomorrow's reality-D.R.Sweeney
HM x5
Published Poetry
2012 Stars in Our Hearts
Silver Ships

 
Posted : April 15, 2022 1:14 pm
Jason Toth
(@jason)
Posts: 528
Gold Star Member Admin
 

Hello everyone! I should have the submission portal back up and running today. Sorry for the delay I have been tied up with the big gala event, but resurfacing now and on this.

 
Posted : April 15, 2022 2:17 pm
Jason Toth
(@jason)
Posts: 528
Gold Star Member Admin
 

Okay, 4 hours later of intense brain work, I have the portal up and running! I am ready for someone to give it a go!

 

 
Posted : April 15, 2022 6:25 pm
DoctorJest
(@doctorjest)
Posts: 835
Platinum Member
 

Well, I've given it a whirl...

DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex

 
Posted : April 15, 2022 6:42 pm
Jason Toth
(@jason)
Posts: 528
Gold Star Member Admin
 

Looks good!!! You are in for 39C (Volume 39 3rd Quarter). Good luck!

Did you get the auto email confirmation too? Not sure how long that takes to go, but I do see you are all good in the system.

clapper

 
Posted : April 15, 2022 6:53 pm
Cherrie, Disgruntled Peony, pdblake and 2 people reacted
DoctorJest
(@doctorjest)
Posts: 835
Platinum Member
 
Posted by: @jason

Looks good!!! You are in for 39C (Volume 39 3rd Quarter). Good luck!

Did you get the auto email confirmation too? Not sure how long that takes to go, but I do see you are all good in the system.

clapper

I did! It came through within a minute.

DQ:0 / R:0 / RWC:0 / HM:15 / SHM:7 / SF:1 / F:1
Published prior WotF entries: PodCastle, HFQ, Abyss & Apex

 
Posted : April 15, 2022 6:58 pm
Cherrie, Disgruntled Peony, pdblake and 4 people reacted
pdblake
(@pdblake)
Posts: 463
Gold Member
 

@jason I'm in, thanks.

R:6 RWC:1 HM:9 SHM:3
My Blog

 
Posted : April 16, 2022 4:24 am
RETreasure
(@rschibler)
Posts: 957
Platinum Member
 

I'm in! 

V34: R,HM,R
V35: HM,R,R,HM
V36: R,HM,HM,SHM
V37: HM,SF,SHM,SHM
V38: (P)F, SHM, F, F
V39: SHM, SHM, HM, SHM
Published Finalist Volume 38
Pro’d out Q4V39
www.rebeccaetreasure.com

Managing Editor, Apex Magazine

 
Posted : April 16, 2022 8:41 am
storysinger, Jason Toth, pdblake and 1 people reacted
Disgruntled Peony
(@disgruntledpeony)
Posts: 1283
Platinum Member
 
Posted by: @pdblake
Posted by: @aidanka

I want to start writing for Q3 today. I just wonder if historical fantasy stories ever won? I can't remember any historical stories in the volumes that I've read in the past.

There was one that was a jack the ripper/cthulhu kind of thing set on the Titanic. Can't remember the title or volume but it was a good story. 

There's at least two from Volume 38--Becky and I each wrote one. grinning Still working toward catching up on reading for the current volume as a whole, but I'll get there eventually. (Also, the story mentioned above was from Volume 35. "The Damned Voyage," by Alan Morris.)

If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn't expecting it. ~ H.G. Wells
If a person offend you, and you are in doubt as to whether it was intentional or not, do not resort to extreme measures; simply watch your chance and hit him with a brick. ~ Mark Twain
R, SF, SHM, SHM, SHM, F, R, HM, SHM, R, HM, R, F, SHM, SHM, SHM, SF, SHM, 1st Place (Q2 V38)
Ticknor Tales
Twitter
4th and Starlight: e-book | paperback

 
Posted : April 23, 2022 10:13 am
James (Ease) reacted
Disgruntled Peony
(@disgruntledpeony)
Posts: 1283
Platinum Member
 
Posted by: @aidanka

@ease I have another silly question. Have you seen stories where magic happens by the 3rd part of the story? If I give the magic right from the beginning it will be a spoiler. So, I don't know if it's worth to send this story for the contest.

You definitely want some sort of spec element in the first 4 pages if you're submitting to WotF. One of the things Dave commented on with my first semi-finalist was that the story was too slow getting to the spec elements.

If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn't expecting it. ~ H.G. Wells
If a person offend you, and you are in doubt as to whether it was intentional or not, do not resort to extreme measures; simply watch your chance and hit him with a brick. ~ Mark Twain
R, SF, SHM, SHM, SHM, F, R, HM, SHM, R, HM, R, F, SHM, SHM, SHM, SF, SHM, 1st Place (Q2 V38)
Ticknor Tales
Twitter
4th and Starlight: e-book | paperback

 
Posted : April 23, 2022 10:14 am
Doc Honour
(@ehonour)
Posts: 119
Silver Member
 
Posted by: @disgruntledpeony
Posted by: @aidanka

@ease I have another silly question. Have you seen stories where magic happens by the 3rd part of the story? If I give the magic right from the beginning it will be a spoiler. So, I don't know if it's worth to send this story for the contest.

You definitely want some sort of spec element in the first 4 pages if you're submitting to WotF. One of the things Dave commented on with my first semi-finalist was that the story was too slow getting to the spec elements.

In another thought, I've also learned that there needs to be some foreshadowing of any magic in the ending. Otherwise, the magic comes across as the author "cheating" to make the story come out. Sometimes, it can be tough to do the foreshadowing without spoiling, but there's always some way to do so.

Write so long as words keep flowing...
http://www.DocHonourBooks.com
FWA RPLA: 2021:Fx2; 2022:1st place Gold, 2023: 1st place Gold novel
V38 Q3:HM; Q4:HM
V39 Q1:HM; Q2:RWC; Q3:HM; Q4:DQ (oops)
V40 Q1:HM; Q2:RWC; Q3:SF(!); Q4:RWC
V41 Q1:RWC

 
Posted : April 23, 2022 6:34 pm
Cherrie
(@clfors)
Posts: 306
Silver Star Member
 

@lost_bard thanks! Have you picked some to enter? It does seem like there are quite a few with this same spring entry window! I got the one in and have my second in editing. I am really excited to start my WOTF quarter 3 entry now. I have to say it gives a boost in confidence to finish several stories consecutively in short time. I’ve been wanting to prove to myself I can do that for a while now and first quarter certainly wasn’t the one for it. I’m in a good groove now and it seems the more I finish the easier it is to start another. How goes your quarter 3?

3x Finalist Illustrators
5x Semi finalist Illustrators
1x HM Illustrators
7x HM Writers
1x SHM Writers V39 Q3
https://clforsauthor.com
Author of the Primogenitor series: Progeny, Adaptation, Reunion Available on Amazon under CL Fors

 
Posted : April 27, 2022 11:12 pm
David Hankins
(@lost_bard)
Posts: 445
Gold Star Member
 

@clfors I’ve submitted to the Mike Resnick and the Baen Fantasy awards as well as a small flash fiction contest. There are a few others I’ve had my eye on, but am not sure if I’ll have time to write that many fresh stories before their windows close. I have an outline for my Q3, but haven’t dug into it yet.

Death and the Taxman, my WotF V39 winning story is now a novel available for pre-order! (Click Here >). The Taxman is Coming on Tax Day (Apr 15th) 2024!

Subscribe to The Lost Bard's Letter at www.davidhankins.com and receive an exclusive story!

New Releases:
"Milo Piper's Breakout Single that Ended the Rat War" in LTUE's Troubadours and Space Princesses anthology.
"Felix and the Flamingo" in Escape Pod.
"The Ghosts of Hart's Gambit" in Renaissance Press's There's No Place anthology.
"The Devil's Foot Locker" in Amazing Stories

 
Posted : April 28, 2022 4:01 am
angelslayah
(@angelslayah)
Posts: 233
Silver Member
 

Q3: I'm thinking I might write something just for WOTF, which I aint done before. I'm trying to grok the reverse-engineered formula some seem to have internalized -maybe you can help me out?
I've got:

Fist page(s): A character, in a speculative setting, with a problem
Ending: Make good on the promise of the beginning

The middle looks a bit tougher to parse. Any guesses?

Screen Shot 2022 05 05 at 9.57.40 AM

 

@DonMarkmaker

 
Posted : May 6, 2022 11:52 am
(@morgan-broadhead)
Posts: 444
Gold Member
 

@angelslayah 

Hi Mark,

Stories for the WOTF contest follow the standard 3 act structure, hitting all the beats for the beginning, middle, and end. Except that, for this contest, those acts are all amped up on Red Bull and steroids. Beyond that, just normal stories.

Good luck!

"You can either sit here and write, or you can sit here and do nothing. But you can’t sit here and do anything else."
— Neil Gaiman, Masterclass

Drop me a line at https://morganbroadhead.com
SFx1
HMx4
R/RWCx5

 
Posted : May 6, 2022 1:06 pm
(@martin-l-shoemaker)
Posts: 2135
Platinum Plus Moderator
 

@angelslayah Three try-fail cycles are always good; but sometimes to keep the story short, people will start after the first try-fail and just refer to it.

Sadly, short is better. My natural length is novelette, and those are harder sells. But write the length that’s right.

Dave published lots of tips. We don’t know if Jody’s preferences will line up, but I suspect there will be significant overlap. I’m on my phone, so searching for them is difficult. This one, the first I found, is pretty basic. I think you’re beyond this, so I’ll keep searching.

https://galaxypress.com/dave-farlands-10-points-to-avoid/

 

http://nineandsixtyways.com/
Tools, Not Rules.
Martin L. Shoemaker
3rd Place Q1 V31
"Today I Am Paul", WSFA Small Press Award 2015, Nebula nomination 2015
Today I Am Carey from Baen
The Last Dance (#1 science fiction eBook on Amazon, October 2019) and The Last Campaign from 47North

 
Posted : May 6, 2022 1:38 pm
Disgruntled Peony
(@disgruntledpeony)
Posts: 1283
Platinum Member
 
Posted by: @angelslayah

Q3: I'm thinking I might write something just for WOTF, which I aint done before. I'm trying to grok the reverse-engineered formula some seem to have internalized -maybe you can help me out?
I've got:

Fist page(s): A character, in a speculative setting, with a problem
Ending: Make good on the promise of the beginning

The middle looks a bit tougher to parse. Any guesses?

Screen Shot 2022 05 05 at 9.57.40 AM

 

Here are my notes from David Farland's class on short fiction from Superstars 2020. Hope they help!

#

When I was at Superstars, I attended David Farland’s Craft Day class, “How to Write the Perfect Short Story”. Dave announced, right out of the gate, that the title of the course was deceptive. There is no perfect short story, because perfection is subjective. In the end, it’s all a matter of taste--so you want to make your story as tasty as possible.

 

Simply describing an event isn’t enough to hold a story on its own. It’s important for the story to build and change as it goes along--you need try/fail cycles (three at minimum). The plot of a story is essentially a plot of hormones being released into the body. Humans are performing emotional exercise as they read, so you need that up and down cycle in order to shake things up. If you only exercise by doing arm curls, you’re going to have really strong arms--and not much else.

 

If you’re aiming for a profound effect on the reader, you’ll need a character, in a setting, with a conflict. The character can be anything (man, woman, sentient humanoid, animal, etcetera)--it’s essentially a surrogate for the reader.

 

Setting is very important if you want to create a story with a lasting impression. There’s no story that can be told any time, anywhere. Stories change over time, and so do the audiences for them. You don’t have to have just one setting--a typical novel will have between seventy and one hundred of them. The world expands with every scene. (It’s important to think visually about your setting. Think about sound, too.)

 

Characters grow out of setting, so watch out for anachronisms. Political systems and economies also grow out of settings. (Dave noted that in a lot of stories people with magical powers get looked down on, but in real life they might be considered valuable. It’s all about context.) Your world creates your characters and different characters will hold different values; it’s important to ensure their reactions make sense. It’s also important to consider that characters from different worlds will face very different problems than we do in this day and age.

 

Lots of things go into the conflict of the story, including character and setting. Feel free to explore new/interesting conflicts that don’t show up in a modern society. Dave specifically looks for a combination of engaging characters, interesting worlds, and unique conflicts. Also, an important point of note: Dave does NOT appreciate unlikeable protagonists such as racists or sexists.

 

A strong hook is important. You can often tell an award-winning story from the first line. When looking to hook your reader, you want something that will intrigue them and encourage them to read along. You can use hooks of place, hooks of character, or hooks of conflict; an emotional moment can also catch the reader’s interest.

 

After the hook, you need to transport the reader. You want to make sure your character, setting, and conflict are all clear within the first two pages. Dave rejects a story if these aren’t clear by the end of page four. The reader should know the main problem of the story by the time they get 10% of the way in. (Also, keep in mind that for a short story, prologues and chapter numbers are iffy. While they aren’t an automatic R, Dave definitely considers them a strike against the story.)

 

The first try/fail cycle is often negotiation. In fiction, that never seems to work. In reality, people are talkers; in fiction, they’re actors.

 

The second try/fail cycle involves a bigger effort, which doesn’t work as well as expected--and in fact often makes things worse. This is where you can broaden the problem (for example, when introducing the second body in a murder mystery) or deepen the problem (every character has problems that affect them more deeply--inner conflict is important).

 

The third try/fail cycle is where the character realizes they need to change in order to resolve the problem. This is where the B-line conflict (emotional growth) becomes the solution to the A-line conflict. If the character doesn’t change, they die or descend lower in the arc.

 

Then you have your resolution. This is where the character succeeds or fails and experiences the repercussions of their actions.

 

Hooks can be hard to define until after you finish the story, so it’s good to go back through and strengthen those after you finish your initial draft. K/A/V cycles can help with this (emotional grounding, followed by description). A dialogue opening is okay, but visual hooks will usually have a more powerful and varied impact.The hook is usually intellectual--it grabs the attention of the reader and holds their attention for about two pages. At this point, you want your description to engage the reader at a deeper level, instituting an alpha state of consciousness as opposed to the more common beta state. If you’ve done it right, you’ll engage the reader within the first paragraph and get them to psychically invest in the characters, thereby hypnotizing the reader.

 

Conflict needs to hold consequences. You need to either care about the character or the problem. 85% of stories have life and death conflicts; but Dave likes good stories that DON’T have life or death conflicts, but they’re rare. Dave also likes good comedies, but comedy is particularly hard to write well (again, it comes down to a matter of taste, and taste is subjective).

 

When you’re looking to raise the stakes with conflict, consider: What is the worst thing that could happen if the character doesn’t resolve this conflict? (Death should NEVER be the worst option.) You don’t have to get to the worst point, but that should be the specter that haunts the character and the reader.

 

During the first try/fail cycle, the protagonist usually tries to solve the problem on their own. During the second and third cycles, the protagonist’s resources are strapped--they need help to accomplish their goal, which can lead to bigger conflicts. They should try creative solutions--and creative solutions can ALWAYS go wrong. Think of the worst possible complications to their attempted solutions. Make things get worse. Try to outdo yourself--make it surprising. (A lot of stories have a reversal during the third try/fail cycle; it looks like the protagonist will fail, and then you flip it.)

 

The story will feel shallow if a character has only one problem. Potential extra problems include, but are certainly not limited to: money problems, health problems, and relationship problems. You typically need five to seven conflicts for every viewpoint character you have in order to keep the pace riveting. But be careful--if you pile on TOO MANY problems, it feels artificial.

 

In most stories, you can’t solve every problem (although you can do it in a comedy). You want to really think about your ending and make sure you show the reader how it ends and why it ends that way. Having a voice of authority state something can drive the point home, although it’s important for this to seem sincere. It’s the authority figure that changes their mind about your character. Not all stories have to have a validation; horror stories, for example, often INVALIDATE.

 

Your story needs to be whatever length it needs to be; a story structured in this format is often at least sixteen to thirty pages. You can’t write a story that’s just like another story and get published--you need to do something different and surprising. Dave wants us to impress and surprise him (in his words, “I only take geniuses”).

 

The person who comes up with the most emotionally charged ending wins. K.D. Wentworth liked the tragic and beautiful ending. The problem is, if you tried that with every story, it wouldn’t work. Dave prefers complex endings. You may have multiple endings to deal with; if you try to make each of them complex, it creates a cascading waterfall effect that brings out more and more tears. Look at the story as an emotional symphony--it’s bigger than the words you put into it. The right emotional impact will haunt the reader.

 

It’s important to write the best short story you can. You don’t make a lot of money off short stories, so you can’t do it for a living. The real value of writing a short story is that it gives you exposure and the chance for awards, which expands your readership. (It should also be noted that each novel you write will probably be either a short story in form or a series of interlocking short stories. This means it’s important as a career tool to learn how to write a great short story.) 

If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn't expecting it. ~ H.G. Wells
If a person offend you, and you are in doubt as to whether it was intentional or not, do not resort to extreme measures; simply watch your chance and hit him with a brick. ~ Mark Twain
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Posted : May 8, 2022 10:49 am
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