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Wednesday 22 February 2017

It's a Short Story Thing


While going through my word count totals during the last few years, I noticed something missing: short stories.

I'd written several novellas and a bunch of novels, but short stories seemed to be missing from my yearly totals. And I'm not sure why. I've always enjoyed reading and writing short stories. There's just something about this self-contained format that captivates me. 

When a short story is written right, it can pack quite the punch and stay with the reader long after the last word.

Many times, I've written some that led me to write novel-sized stories. Several have even led into a series or two. And since I like them so much, not writing any new ones just makes no sense.

Late last year, I did manage to write a few shorties. And while I was happy with how these three turned out, it wasn't enough.

So this year I decided to set a challenge for myself:


This goal is not an easy one to achieve, and I'm pretty sure there'll be some months where I totally fail to produce a story. I mean, if I'm writing a novel first draft, or am deep into a revision, it's going to be hard. But it's definitely something worth aiming for.

I miss writing shorter pieces, and I've been stumbling on so many inspirational pics lately that as soon as I look at them a new idea takes shape inside my mind. Not to mention that concentrating on smaller pieces will help me focus on something other (and more important) than the big mess my publishing life has become.

Well, now that my goal is out there, here's my current progress:
  • January: wrote the first draft of a fantasy-esque, fairy tale story about three very diffrent girls, told in three parts. (7,277w)
  • February: wrote the first draft of a horror-ish love story set in the underworld. (4,773w) 
As you can see, the first draft side of things is going pretty good. I've managed to write two short stories so far this year. But it's just as important to revise & finalise. As well as figuring out whether to sub them or not...

My main focus at the moment is to let my imagination run wild and keep spinning weird and wonderful tales.

To be honest, while I'm determined to try the one/month goal, I'll be happy with any/all the stories I manage to write. :)

Wish me luck!

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