A New Story

Nope....not a novel. I am still sticking to decision of finishing edits on this book. They are going, well slow. But that's mostly due to day job. I'm much busier in day job now, longer hours, hardly any break time etc. so that has impact on my evenings too. But edits are going. There is progress, so I am glad about that.

Anyway, this new story....well, it's a short story.

Now the more attention-paying people amongst you might remember that I am not really a short story person. I like some, but not a lot. I have written some, but not a lot. And they are certainly not my focus. But I just wanted to write something, and it's sort of related to my novel, because it's set in the same world - though during much earlier time in the world's history. This is just to flex some writing muscle really. 

The plan is to have a writing frenzy of sorts for the first draft, which I want to be around 10K to 15K. And I want to finish the first draft in a matter of days, or at the most a week - which with the bank holiday weekend is possible. 

So time to get writing. Cheer me on folks....I will put up a word counter on the side. 

All About Editing - Nik Perring

Do you love editing, or hate it, or somewhere in the middle?

Good question, Dolly. It’s such a massive part of the writing process that I don’t think I could still be a writer and hate it. It just wouldn't work. For me, editing is all about making the story better, and that has to be a good thing. What I do hate (and I don’t mind admitting it!) is when, no matter how much editing I do, I can’t make a story work – that’s frustrating. (But again, writing things that aren't any good are a part of the process too…)

Do you edit as you go? Or do you start only after the first draft?

After the first draft, usually. All my first drafts are written in notebooks so editing those as I went would be messy and difficult (crossing out rubbish words/sentences/paragraphs/pages aside) . The editing starts when that handwritten draft is typed up – typing it up gives me a half-edit as I’ll change things as I type.

Do you have a definite method for editing? If so, would you like to share something from it?

While my writing method is quite rigid and works for me, I’m always wary of telling people what they should do; writing is such a personal thing and I think that people should find what works best for them.

But for me…

1.       Write the story longhand.

2.       Type it up (editing as I go).

3.       Print it out and edit on the page.

4.       Repeat until I’m happy it can’t be improved on.

5.       Read aloud, and edit that.

6.       Record what I’ve read and listen to it back, again, editing as I go.

Any tips you've learned from your experience?

As I say, I think people have got to find what works the best for them.

Editing though, is a huge part of the writing process – you’ll, unless you’re very, very good, spend more time tweaking and rewriting than you will actually getting that first draft down. And there’s so much to watch out for. The story has to be good and well told, the dialogue and characters believable, and the spelling and grammar and punctuation correct – but there’s also the rhythm of the sentences and words that needs to be right – never under estimate the power a comma can have to change something.

Anything else you would like to add - pet peeves, things that make you want to pull your hair out (editing related), joys and wonders of the process?
I think the joy of editing comes when you turn something good into something great. That’s where the magic is and where the real satisfaction lies.

The trick with editing, I find, is to be thorough. And in order to be thorough I think it’s important to take your time. The aim should be to make the story as good as it can be, and not to work to a deadline. There’s no point in rushing, and no need to either.

I guess my pet peeve would be (and this is wearing my teacher’s and editor’s hat) seeing a story I know that can be great but the author has been too keen to say that they’ve finished it. While it’s true you can edit something too much, I think a good chunk of people don’t do quite enough. I suppose then, the real trick with editing is keeping at it even when you don’t want to. That, and knowing when you’ve done enough!

BIO

Nik Perring is a writer, teacher of writing, and editor from the UK. His short stories have been published widely in places including SmokeLong Quarterly, 3 :AM and Word Riot. They’ve also been read at events and on radio, printed on fliers and used as part of a high school distance learning course in the US.

Nik’s collection of short stories, NOT SO PERFECT is published by Roast Books and is out now. Nik blogs here (http://nikperring.blogspot.com) and his website’s here (www.nperring.com). He offers short story help here http://thestorycorrective.com/

Short Stories Vs. Flash Fiction

I dislike writing short stories, yet I enjoy flash fiction. This preference is in accord with my extremist personality of “all or nothing.” To explain it more logically: Flash fiction is usually no more than a scene. It is a moment captured in time, less than 1000 words, often less than 500. With all my flash fiction pieces, I have started either for a challenge or with a prompt. It’s been fun. Regardless of whether it’s publishing worthy or not, it doesn’t take very long to write it once you get going. In contrast to that, short stories say between 1500 – 3000 words (though they could be much longer) require minimum 2 characters, fleshed out enough to carry the story. It requires beginning, middle and closure with a satifying ending. It requires much more effort and time. And for me, it’s always been difficult to come up with short stories, because they are what I call “middle ground”. They aren’t short enough like flash fiction to create as a snippet, and they are not long enough like a book to delve deeper into plot and characters. They are in the middle – and I resent putting in a lot of time for what turns out to be a 1500 words long story, often without much hope for publishing because markets are so limited and so rigid about their guidelines or for lousy pay (if any). Flash fiction, even unpublished or simply published for free, in my opinion is worth the effort, because it is more like a creative exercise. It teaches you to tell a story in a few words. It acts as a creative jump-start to get the juices flowing, and the commitment of time is so short that I don’t feel resentful if I don’t think it’s good enough to be published. With short stories, the frustration of coming up with suitable ideas for suitable legnths, the investment of time in creating characters and plots, and then creating a story, editing it – it’s just all too much. And as I have found again and again, not worth my time, because more often than not, the process gives me no joy, and the final product while often all right, still isn’t the kind of thing I get immensely excited about. Whereas flash fiction pieces, however short, usually contain far more satisfying stories for me. How do you feel about the two? Is there any particular reason why you like more one than the other?

Paradise of Ghosts - AW Blog Chain

Paradise of Ghosts

Every morning I stand in the garden, looking across at the point where the sky swoops down to embrace the sea, which leaps up to meet the sky half-way; a quick, frenzied embrace and then they are apart again. The Eternal Yearning, Jake named it. Two entities that are never quite together, yet can't bear to separate. I look at it now, day after day, and wonder what it feels like. Sad maybe, but with each seperation there is also hope to be reunited again. I wake up at nights, seeking that hope. I yearn for the touch and the smell that once used to be familiar, but is slipping away, leaving me bereft. I haven't forgotten him. I haven't stopped hurting for wanting him. But his scent no longer lingers on my body. The memory of his skin against mine no longer fills me with an all-consuming fire, but is rather a whisper that merely caresses me before fading away. I look at the horizon, at the Eternal Yearning, and suddenly it is all too much to bear. Here, in this paradise that we built together, I am all alone because Jake decided seeking the answers to make his paintings more real was more important than being content. He wanted to feel the pulse of life, unravel the rainbow of its colours. Our peaceful blanket of white - not even a colour, but a safe haven - wasn't enough. Now, there is no white for him. Just another non-colour. No light. Just darkness beneath the earth; his body left in that colourless place by one of the shades of grey he had gone off to explore in the slums of London. His painting of the slums, of the hungry eyes peering at me, remains unfinished. I often think of throwing it away, but something stops me. Perhaps because that half-finished painting, of the world that destroyed me, belongs here now. In my new world, made of no colours. Just shadows and ghosts for me to chase, but nothing of substance to hold onto. I turn away from the Eternal Yearning. Without substance, there is no hope, and without hope, what am I but another shadow in this paradise of ghosts. *** This was the flash fiction piece for September's AW Blog Chain. My three words for LilliCray are: Diana Dreaming Castle List of the Participants: Fokker Aeroplanbau Forbidden Snowflake RavenCorinnCarluk Lostwanderer5 LilliCray Aimeelaine Claire Crossdale bsolah Angyl78 FreshHell Lady Cat ealexis Crayonz Razibahmed Proach Tara McClendon MGraybosch shethinkstoomuch

July 2009 - Short Story Challenge

So it seems that collectively, we did better in June than in May. Hopefully, we will all keep that up and do even better in July. Personally for me, hopefully I will finish a story sometime before the last day of the month. And Adam, you should try before last hour of the month :P So come on everyone, let's carry on with the short story challenge. Here are a couple of themes if anyone is lacking in inspiration:

• a couple goes to the beach for a day out, and the man runs into an ex-wife who ran off after ten years
• a story around two brothers of very different temperament who have just lost their mother

June 2009 - Short Story Challenge

So how are you doing with the June challenge? With barely two weeks left to me in the month, I am still at the idea stage. So let's what I can do in the next couple of days. But at least the idea is there. I have more hopes for July challenge. How is your progress?

May Short Story Challenge - Are You Done?

May is almost at an end. Our very first Short Story Challenge month. Have you finished your story? I just finished mine, and didn't send it to an editor, but did send it to a tutor. My story is women's fiction about three sisters. Come on guys, post your progress, frustrations, achievements.

Short Story Challenge - Challenging

I never lack ideas, so it should have been easy. Unfortunately, I was supposed to write about something particular. I had to write a short story about "green issue." Now, I am all for saving the environment, but it's not the issue I would want to read or write fiction about. I know people write fiction for many reasons, but I have a simple reason.

Fiction = Fun

Green Issues = Not Fun

But I tried. I wasted over a week coming up with different ideas. But none of them were strong enough to turn into a story, and I think it's more because I don't want to write it that I just don't feel strongly enough about those ideas. So finally got sick of it, and emailed my tutor to ask if I can write about something else.

So I shall be starting my challenge work from scratch.

How are you guys progressing?

Short Story Challenge - Further Details

I am delighted to say that the interest shown has far exceeded my expectations. But with interest, there are also some questions. So I will explain my view of the challenge here:

• It will be a monthly challenge. Beginning on 1st day of every month and ending on the last. You are encouraged to start on the 1st, but if you are super-fast story writer, you can start any time.
• The purpose is to have one story completed, revised, editted and ideally submitted by the end of the month.
• Submission - you don't have to post your story here, or on any blog or online. The submission refers to actual paying publications.
• The purpose behind the monthly challenge is that if we write and submit one story per month, we increase our chances of having fiction published greatly. Regardless of what other writing you do or don't do, you know that every month you will have one thing to send to an editor.
• To participate and encourage - post comments on the beginning of the month in the challenge post (I will put one up every month), say you have started, give some details if you like. You can mention your progress, encourage others. If you finish it let us know.
• For those who would like to be encouraged on their own blog, just put a challenge post on your own blog, and leave the link in my comments section so anyone who wishes to come and encourage you, can easily find you.

P.S: Those who have recently signed up, I will add your names to the participants list shortly.

Ripped to Shreds (I am so happy)

Yes...I do mean it. My short story has been ripped to shreds, and I am thrilled.

Ok, that was the hook...now let's start from the beginning.

I signed up for Jacqui Bennett Mini Course. It basically means, Jacqui critics 4 short stories under 2500 words. To begin, I had to send her any story. Mine was 2600 words, but I did ask permission first. It was returned, not with negative comments as such (in fact she said it did have some originality and good ending), but with "proper" editing. If one word could be used where I used to, that was a red mark. If there was a description where it wasn't needed, it was cut.

Just looking at my short story with all the editing comments has made me realise how much severe editing I need to do. I must admit, I am one of those people who doesn't hang around too long after finishing a story. I do hurry up the sending, when I shouldn't. Let it be a lesson.

For the second assignment I have to write a story based on a scenario I have been given. This is where I have a problem. I am supposed to target one of the regular magazines, which I call "womanly" magazines. They are fine, of course. Their stories are fine too. But they all require happy happy stories, and I just can't think of many good happy/fluffy short story ideas. I tend to come up with the ones that end unhappily. Oh well, it's called a challenge for a reason.

I don't know whether Story 3 and 4 are supposed to be assigned or free, but I look forward to it...sort of...

Waiting, Waiting, and Waiting Some More...

Not me, it’s my characters that are waiting. Impatiently, I might add, while I get my act together and give them something to do. I am trying to plot a short story for one of my Writers Bureau Assignment, and also plot a Novella. For both of them, I have got main characters, I have got the setting. I even have some conflict, and vague ideas about the beginning. What I do not have is a plot. It is rather frustrating, because I can see these characters sitting there, getting antsy to get some action. None of them are very patient, and none of them like waiting. Occasionally, I have times like this, where things just take their time to fall into place. The best way that works for me is to sit down with a pen and a notepad, and start writing. I start writing what I know, and then keep repeating it in a different way. Once the process gets going, bits and bobs of information start coming in. If I manage to have a good brain storming session then I end the session with much more information than what I started out with. Sometimes the whole plot just comes to me randomly, but at other times, like now, the plot just doesn’t stick. There is no good or bad about either case, because when the plot comes easily, there is usually something else that becomes a pain. In any case, if it goes smoothly, brainstorming is a wonderful process. But if it doesn’t, then it becomes incredibly frustrating. Because I just want things to HAPPEN. So today is the day for making things happen for at least one set of characters. I am devoting entire day (not the evening) to only thinking about them. Ok, sometime, I may have to think about work that I am doing, but for the most part, I think I can keep these people in the background and find something for them to do. So get ready my little darlings, because your days of peaceful lounging are numbered.