I?ve been writing short stories on and off since I was in high school, and try as I might, I?ve never really felt comfortable with the format. Because space is so limited, you just have to get right to the stuff. There?s no room for build up, no room for flights of fancy. Say what you gotta say and get out. Which is fine by me, except that I?m novelist at heart. It?s a format that seems to suit me best.
I bring this up because a few months ago I dusted off some old short stories that I had I?ve been writing short stories on and off since I was in high school, and try as I might, I?ve never really felt comfortable with the format. Because space is so limited, you just have to get right to the stuff. There?s no room for build up, no room for flights of fancy. Say what you gotta say and get out. Which is fine by me, except that I?m novelist at heart. It?s a format that seems to suit me best.
I bring this up because a few months ago I dusted off some old short stories that I had been working on?but never finished. But it?s been a while since I finished Finders Keepers, and I?m not quite ready to start the follow-up?which will kick off in July?so to keep my skills sharp I wanted to give these unfinished pieces another go.
And still … not much progress to report. With a novel I?m better able to see the beginning, middle and end. With short stories, the framing tends to elude me. I?ve now had three writers look at one piece I wrote, and they all agree that there?s a good story in there somewhere, but that I need to trim the fat and just get to it.
My plan is to give it one more go before I start my next book, otherwise, back in the drawer it goes until I need another break.
I really want to nail this story because it?s worth telling. I just need to figure out how to do it.
