The Art of the Short Story

I've been writing short stories pretty frantically for a few months now, and I'm beginning to notice a few trends in my process:

• Start at the End: I'm finding that when the "eureka!" moment hits for a story, it centers around how the story will end. Not necessarily a cliffhanger but an important moment of psychological transition or development for the character.
• Center on a Compelling Image: For "Animal Control" this was a pair of white X's in the center of an asphalt road. For "Sympathetic Magic" it was ancient cave paintings. For "Student Body" it was a small white woman dressed in a black face costume. For the one I'm working on now it's a little boy dressed in a white dress. There's something about that compelling image that has to be sustained in the reader's consciousness - from beginning, to middle, to end - so that when the reader finally encounters the imagery it resonates. Carry a notebook with you everywhere and write down images or thoughts as you work, exercise, even watch TV ... trust me, you will forget them later if you don't capture them now.
  
• Create an Outline: I started a new job recently and I'm finding that drafting an outline before I begin writing a story saves me a ton of of time. I can sit down in the coffee shop and be very productive, even if I'm not really in the mood to write, by cherry picking one of the most fun scenes - no matter where it falls chronologically in the story.
  
• Experiment with POV: Over the last six weeks I've written stories in first person, third person limited and the dreaded second person POVs. Switching POVs helps you find out which is more fun and can help you stumble upon your voice.
• Get Objective Feedback: Preferably from a professional editor but if this isn't possible then join a critique group. Never listen to your spouse ... they love you too much to tell you what you need to hear.

That's all for the merry month of May, I'm back to "The Frog Prince," which centers around a senior citizen's dance in west Texas.

Run With It

I used to be a pretty good athlete, decades ago. In high school I was the Oklahoma state champion in the pole vault 2 years running, and took second place another year. Over the years, I've kept in shape by approaching workouts like eating, or sleeping: something that has to be done almost every day, no matter how small or insignificant the workout might seem.

After the holidays, getting back into the gym can feel demoralizing. Whereas before the break you might have been running 3, 4, even 5 miles a day on the treadmill, after all of the eggnog, turkey and chocolate from Xmas you're lucky to get 1 or 2 in. I used to beat myself up about a bad day at the gym, which would make me want to go there less and less, until I realized that the important thing is not "how hard" you work out when you're there, but just that you motivate to get yourself there in the first place.

Writing is very similar. Some nights I pound out 1,000 words in nothing flat and feel great - others I goof around in my notebook writing down vague ideas that may never turn into anything at all. The important part is not "how much" you're getting onto the page, the important part is just showing up at your desk in the first place, ready to think about writing, ready to actually write, ready to edit, ready for whatever happens.

Someone told me once about a playwright who would write for at least an hour, every day (I can't remember his name). One day he sat down to write and wrote "The ..." - then paced in his office for 60 minutes, finally finishing the sentence "... hell with it." But at least he was there, ready for the lightning bolt, should it strike. Ready to run with it if the ideas were flowing.

*Update* 05/31/2009

In a surprising development, my writing regimen is cutting into my running regimen. I'll need a new belt soon at this rate.

Name Game

I'm currently working on three different short stories, and have just completed the first draft of another, and am realizing that titles are difficult for me to get a handle on.

When the idea for the story I've just finished originally came to me, I called it "Homecoming," simply because the story starts at a football game and is about a costume competition leading up the Homecoming football game in a small town. After that, it changed to "Skin In The Game" as the theme of the story developed over time. A few days before finishing it, I changed the title to "Student Body," as it's all about physical vanity and how an unhealthy attachment to that can drive others away from a person over time.

The others I'm working on are still being drafted, and have the following titles to date:

• "Human Resources" - though I've toyed with calling it "Equal Opportunity Employer"
• "Step Into Darkness" - which I may end up calling "Embracing the Void"
• "The Contextual Importance of Eye Contact" (this one's done but too short and dark for me to submit anywhere at this point - I need to let it sit for awhile)
• "Eat What You Kill"

You tell me (the five or six of you who visit this site each week, that is) - how do you come up with the titles for your stories or novels?