Guest Post: Lisa Gail Green Shares Tips on Writing Short Stories

Hoping to flex your writing skills this month for NaNoWriMo, but intimidated by the prospect of churning out an entire novel? Why not challenge yourself with a short story instead?

Author Lisa Gail Green, whose short stories have been published in all three Journeys of Wonder anthologies, and whose paranormal fantasy novel, THE BINDING STONE, debuted this year, is here to tell you how.

Take it away, Lisa, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for inviting me to your blog, Sarah! *Puts feet up on sofa* You’re wondering what it’s like writing short fiction versus a novel length manuscript? The short answer is – not too much.

• You still have to use a full (albeit probably simple) story arc.
• You still have to revise like crazy until it’s as perfect as you can get it.
• You’re still responsible for developing your character as well. No shortcuts just because it’s only a thousand words long. 

What’s different in a short story?

•         You can’t have more than a few characters. Too many take too much space and you won’t be able to do them justice. It’s best to stick to your main character and one or two extra characters that he/she interacts with. Then you have room to work with.
•         You have to get to the point. You can’t spend pages going on about the décor. You really have to pick and choose when it comes to description and use what is important to your character and the story. Don’t forget to filter through your character’s POV.
•          No place for subplots. Can you do it? Well… yes. BUT it’s really, really tricky and I don’t recommend it when you’re starting out. Practice first like with anything else. And any subplot you use should definitely be intertwined with your main storyline.

Now here’s the trick though. All of these elements can be used to tighten your novel. That’s right; short stories are good for writers. They’re another way to stretch your writing muscles and a great exercise. Plus, if you get one or two publication credits by getting a short story or two accepted somewhere then that can go in your bio and can bolster your self-esteem. It’s a win-win situation.

Take a look at the similarities with all that in mind: 

• You get to practice making your characters count. In a novel you have to eliminate and combine non-essentials just like in a short story. And no one should be one-dimensional. 
• You should ALWAYS filter through character and eliminate superfluous description, etc. 
• Your subplots should reflect the theme at the very least and if you can somehow bring them together with the main plot – even better.

The structure of both short stories and novels are the same, though short stories can be difficult in that they limit your space. But that’s the best reason I can think of to encourage everyone to write them.

What I Learned From NaNo, and an Interview with Miranda Kenneally

Well hello there. It's been a few weeks! Here's what I learned in the month of November, which I spent revising my latest YA novel:

1. All first drafts are terrible.
2. This doesn't mean they will always be terrible.
3. Research is my friend.
4. Except when it isn't. (Too much can paralyze you.)
5. Knowing I have potential readers standing by was a powerful motivator. I don't want to let them down when the time comes to (gasp, horror) show this puppy to someone else.
6. When writing and revising is going well, there's nothing better.

Admit it, you bloodthirsty sharks: what you really want to know is, did I pass or fail National Novel Writing Month?

I'm going to give a non-answer, and there's nothing you can do about it. (Also, I didn't set out to write a novel, I set out to revise one, but, as they say on those Money Market shows, let's crunch the numbers.)

As I write this post, it's the evening of 11/30, the last day of the month, and I still have 25 pages (out of 250) to edit. So! 90% done, or an A-, but NaNo hard-liners will stamp FAIL on my forehead. However, I'd like to point out that I added nearly 7,000 words' worth of new material that I'm pretty proud of, and around the half-way mark of the month, I stopped hyperventilating / berating myself and started truly enjoying the process, which was a wonderful surprise.

My ultimate goal for the holiday season is to have a solid draft of this manuscript finished before the end of the year so I can get critiques in mid-December and January. On that front I believe I've succeeded. And now the real revisions can begin :)

Over at the Lucky 13s blog, I've posted my first interview for our Apocalypse Now series, in which we chat with 2012 debut authors about their Young Adult and Middle Grade books.

My pal and agency-mate, Miranda Kenneally, has a wonderful contemporary YA book, CATCHING JORDAN, out today. I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this exciting debut over the summer at the RWA Conference.

Miranda discusses her writing methods and other cool stuff right here. Happy Book Release Day!

NaNo Revision Mission

While many writers are click-clacking away for National Novel Writing Month, I'm spending my November in what my pal Sarvenaz Tash has dubbed NaNoRevMo: National Novel Revision Month. Joining me in this experiment courageous endeavor is fellow agency-mate Kat Brauer.

I spent January through August writing a new Young Adult novel, and then set it aside to edit BRUISED for Amulet Books. Now it's time to whip my new book into shape.

My grand plans got off to an inauspicious start when I printed the entire manuscript without setting page numbers first. Wheeeeeee!

With a full-time job, a baby on the way, and massive revisions ahead of me, I'm taking the next three weeks off from blogging. I'll still post to The Lucky 13s, though, and you can see my revision progress on Twitter. Follow me and I'll follow you back. I'm a follower.

Who else is committing to writing a novel or revising a new draft this November?

Happy writing, Happy Thanksgiving, and May the Caffeine Be With You.

See you back here December 1st!