Thursday, August 12, 2010

Writing Short Stories

Writing short stories is hard. I have to know these people and understand what their life is like. I have to decide what part of their story you will want to hear. I have to figure out how much of what they did matters to the story or to you.

And then, I hate the part where things get bad for them. I know there is going to be a problem. Life is just full of them, and the people in my stories are no different from you and me: They have problems too, and the story is better when the problems are bad. I really hate to put them in that dangerous or disgusting situation.

But that is what story-telling is all about. Even the Bible stories I loved as a child had the problem, the risk, the danger, the sacrifice. Even my life and also the lives of my story characters have the problems. The part I don't like about writing stories is that I have to focus on the problem. I have to make the problem bad. I like my characters and I don't like to see them do dumb things or get hit by a car. But that is the nature of telling a story.

2 comments:

Becky said...

I'm following your advice and have come to visit.
It's really really hard to write short stories. I base my characters on real people. Not entirely or they would never speak to me again. I steal this one's eyebrows that one's temper and the other one's way of talking. That way I come up with a believable character. Plot is more difficult. I'm still figuring that one out.
Good luck with your writing.
I'm going to check in here every so often.
Thank you for your lovely comment!

Becky
http://studentat30.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Good beginning. Hang in there.