How To Get Started?

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Taylor Harbin

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Hope this is the right place. I've been contemplating a slight shift in the focus of my writing, taking a break from SFF and trying my hand at literary/contemporary shorts. I've never seriously written these before and the few times I DID try it was early in my life and they came out as trash. So, besides reading modern stuff, what are some things I can do to help me get started? I can invent stories about robots and aliens and wizards, but when it comes to writing about stuff in the real world, I wind up blank.
 

P-Baker

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"Contempory" is a big word. You'll need to narrow it down a little and decide what you personally find interesting. If you were to compile a laundry list of things that interest you, you'll be pointed in the right direction and will know where to look for inspritation. For instance, do you want to write gritty realism or a light or humorous story? Do you want to use your history background at all? Are you interested in city or state government problems? Pure character development? Everyday people or the rich and powerful?

Of course, there's no need to drop the technical aspects of sci-fi. Given how technology pervades modern life, you can work up a plot including household robots like vacuum cleaners, self-driving cars etc. The great thing about short stories is they only need one idea.

And last but not least, reading stories that were contemporary at their time of writing may also help. That is, pick up an anthology assembled a few decades ago and you may get ideas for how to set some of those stories in today's world.
 

dragonfliet

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Don't force it. Write about things that interest you. Why take a break from SFF? There is no need. If you find stories that you like, and want to write something like it, try simple imitation (it's always a start in any genre). Or if you just have some other idea in your head, do that. There are no rules, so do what you want.
 

elizabeth13

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Most of my inspiration comes from looking at my friends or acquitances and saying "but how would x act if they were placed in situation y?" From there, I brainstorm what happens and build out the character, so that the end result bears no resemblance to the original thought.
 

Chris P

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Elizabeth pretty much said what I was going to say: take those "what if?" and "I shoulda said..." moments into stories.

It also might help to think of "contemporary" as a setting and "literary" as a style rather than as genres. For me, that opens things to write about what I want using contemporary settings in a literary style.

But as with any writing, read read read. Fortunately, "contemporary" stories do quite well in the top journals, and there are ooodles of anthologies each year with the best of the best. The 2015 edition of the Best American Short Stories is particularly good, the Pushcart Prize anthologies are consistently top notch, and the Best American Non-Required Reading anthologies are wondefully quirky.
 

CJMockingbird

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It's okay to take a break from the usual. I look at it as a way to improve my writing by challenging myself. Sure, it's probably gonna suck especially if it's a genre I hate (for me, it's historical and flat-out romance) but I would look at it like this I guess? It's almost all I write outside a few fantasy ones so..
I start with characters. What situation are they in? Usually I have an ending in mind. I wanna see (usually) how two characters I've invented will interact. Sometimes I just wanna make social commentary. I like to write dark/gritty with some romance/humor thrown in (a glimmer of hope, usually) and so I get a character I've made and ask myself "How can I totally mess them up and how are they gonna handle it? How does my MC's actions effect everyone around him?)

Hope that helps ^^
 

gettingby

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The only way to write literary short fiction is to read a lot of it and really get a feel for what is being published today. That's how I started. I read as many journals and magazines as I could and I still do that. Life can allow you to come up with great ideas, but reading lots of short fiction is really the only thing I can think of for someone looking to start writing literary short fiction. There are a million examples out there of how to do it. I recommend reading the Pushcart anthology. That will give you a real good sense of literary scene. I know you said you are looking for advice other than reading, but nothing is going to compare. If you want to do this, you have to invest in reading what's already out there.
 

Taylor Harbin

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I know this is belated, but thanks for the replies. I was working on a new fantasy story when a huge personal blow fell, and now I'm filled with great mourning (no, there hasn't been a death, just a lost friendship). I want to exorcise the demon with no idea how besides ranting in my diary, so I guess I have a new reason to write.
 
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