What types of short stories do you write? Litfic, crime or romance? Open endings, twists or neatly tied up? Short-shorties or several thousand words?
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Confession stories and litfic (talk about both ends of the spectrum!), usually between 3000-10,000 words. No neat endings, even for the confession stories (I find conventional happily-ever-afters unsatisfying).
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Crime and mystery fiction, science fiction, a couple of romance shorts.
My mystery fiction is nearly all twist endings. I write a lot of flash (less than 1,000 words, sometimes less than 500) and turn out novella-length science fiction (20,000 - 25,000 words) every year or so. Average shorts run about 1,500 - 2,500 words.
My mystery fiction is nearly all twist endings. I write a lot of flash (less than 1,000 words, sometimes less than 500) and turn out novella-length science fiction (20,000 - 25,000 words) every year or so. Average shorts run about 1,500 - 2,500 words.
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Siddow said:
LOL! I snorted Coke all over my keyboard - you should have a "beverage alert" on this post! Too funny!
I've had best luck placing horror and mystery/suspense, but also write romance, humor, and mainstream short stories. Most average 1200-2000 words, but I've done some flash and a few longer pieces (still topping out at about 4000, though).
Love a good twist ending, but they aren't essential.
Love a good twist ending, but they aren't essential.
I write contemp/lit fic..and sometimes Sci-Fi if I'm in the right mood. I'm all about a twist at the end. ALL my younger work was depressing and the MC usually killed him/herself at then end so I am so burnt out on the sad endings that I now write mostly happy endings. I can get pretty heavy and preachy with my writing so I kind of like ending my stories on an up note.
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I'm still working on the concept of "short". I can't even seem to write short blog entries, I get so wordy! Every time I think I'm making a short (typically SF/Fantasy or Crime/Mystery) it ends around 120k ... and that ain't no short!
So I'm hoping to explore shorts (get outta the gutter!) this winter and see if I can accomplish it
So I'm hoping to explore shorts (get outta the gutter!) this winter and see if I can accomplish it
Humorous twist-in-the-tale stories for the weeklies. Horror/ghost/crime/humour for the monthly fiction mag.
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Mostly I toss dead cats into sanctuaries during solemn occasions....or a strick of dynamite if no cat is handy.
Depends on my mood.
Horror, crime novels, romance, suspense. Stories anywhere from 250 words (that one is one of my favorite pieces of all time) to my 80,000 word novel that's currently looking for a home (and I will be looking harder, after a few revisions).
Horror, crime novels, romance, suspense. Stories anywhere from 250 words (that one is one of my favorite pieces of all time) to my 80,000 word novel that's currently looking for a home (and I will be looking harder, after a few revisions).
Mostly genre fiction: usually crime, horror, or erotica
Right now I'm on a flash fiction kick. Sometimes I write mainstream short fiction, but I haven't been able to publish any of mine yet. Still trying.
Right now I'm on a flash fiction kick. Sometimes I write mainstream short fiction, but I haven't been able to publish any of mine yet. Still trying.
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I write short stories that form a story arc. Like episodes in a television show. The short stories form chapters that, in turn, form a volume of a series.
Lit fiction. Magic realism. Shortish, but coulndt do flash fiction, a skill I much admire. Generally 1500 - 4000 words.
Kate Thornton said:
Tut, tut. Having a glass of wine with your writing is one thing, but snorting coke? Tut, tut.
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I usually aim to write lit/fic, but I often end up with genre stories. Outside lit/fic I've written crime and mystery stories, usually with a twist.
[FONT="]I guess I have a sort of comic-book/alter-ego approach. I’ve got a pretty good-sized bank of litfic (very serious and all that) because it was the only way to make it through grad school. But then I take a spin in the phone booth and come out writing horror pulp, which I love and which, incidentally, has been a lot easier to sell.
In the academic world, I’ve been repeatedly accused of being too “neat” with my endings. However, the same level of neatness can seem slightly unresolved in horror fiction, so I guess it’s all about context. Unless there’s a specific word-count imposed by a particular market, my stories all tend to come out at somewhere around 5K, regardless of genre. [/FONT]
In the academic world, I’ve been repeatedly accused of being too “neat” with my endings. However, the same level of neatness can seem slightly unresolved in horror fiction, so I guess it’s all about context. Unless there’s a specific word-count imposed by a particular market, my stories all tend to come out at somewhere around 5K, regardless of genre. [/FONT]
I am asked this question a lot so I have a stock answer:
'Shoes, ships, sealing wax, cabbages and kings, Why the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs have wings..."
'Shoes, ships, sealing wax, cabbages and kings, Why the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs have wings..."
What do you write?
Humor, Reflections on Current events through a spiritual lens, Parenting/child stories and poetry.
Writing tools: Music, children, chocolate and a steady diet of good books.
Not in that order. Haven't snorted soda but have had ice cream brain freeze on occasion
Humor, Reflections on Current events through a spiritual lens, Parenting/child stories and poetry.
Writing tools: Music, children, chocolate and a steady diet of good books.
Not in that order. Haven't snorted soda but have had ice cream brain freeze on occasion
Vague, cabalistic fantasy-scifi-horror. Novelettes, Novellas . . . can't do less than 15000 words . . . ?
Every length but poetry, mostly dark scifi/fantasy, supernatural romance, horror, dark surreal and I like horrotica and ho-umor. Dark humor is nice...
I blog and do "about writing" essays. I just finished a short "Tens Tips on Approaching Real Life Police for Advice on your Novel". I did a guest blog for Apex Digest and plan to do more, and some reviews for a few small magazines.
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