Episodic writing
We’ve had a slow start to our March competition after the late rush in February, which gives me the chance to reflect on an element of writing that comes through time and time again in the entries.
Short stories can be many different things but many writers approach them rather like a novel in the way they structure them.
By that I mean that their short stories are a series of small chapters, maybe only a few lines but representing a development in the story.
This requires really effective writing because, whereas in a novel you might have eight or nine pages to recount an incident, that luxury simply does not exist in a short story.
If you take our competition, our limit for a story is 2,000 words. Sounds a lot but not if you let your episodes run too long.
So, how do you achieve such tight writing? Well, it might be that you describe a location in a line rather than a paragraph, produce only sparing details of your character or recount a conversation in four snatches of dialogue rather than a page.
Many winning short story authors in competitions around the world have been those who achieved such effective writing.
All of this is not to say that when you write a novel, you can waffle on to your heart‚s content. Indeed, the disciplines of short story writing can be invaluable when you tackle a novel. Whatever you write, every word must do its job. it’s a good mantra to live by.
John Dean March 6, 2008