Time for another ISWG post. I just got back from a lovely massage and am all nice and relaxed...except for the continuous need for a box of Kleenex thanks to allergy season. But, rather than dwell on my dripping nose, how about I grump about my apparent inability to write flash.
For years I have tried to be succinct, to cover a story from beginning to end in under a thousand words, to work in details and make it feel whole. Yet, my most recent attempt has returned to me with several rejections with lovely comments (all comments truly are lovely and very much appreciated even when I might grump about them here) to the tune of: I like the idea/characters/plot, but it feels like it needs more story.
If it needs more story, then its no longer in the flash category then is it?
So either I need to resign myself to the fact that I'm meant to stick with the short story lengths I'm good at, or I need to keep banging my head on the keyboard until I can make this work. Perhaps I should just accept that I don't write stories where no one dies, everyone gets their happily ever after or flash fiction. It's good to know one's limits, right?
Hi Jean - the main thing is .. you are writing - just enjoy it. Allergy season nearly over ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHilary is right, you are a writer and you're writing. I can't write flash fiction either. It's not keeping me awake at night. Too many other things are. LOL. I get it, Jean. You've challenged yourself and don't feel as if you're winning. Maybe a rest from this project for a week, then look at it again? Thanks for visiting IWSG today.
ReplyDeleteWriters write--that's really all there is to it. We write the way that works best for us. I much prefer short stories and novellas to longer works though I have written much longer novels. The story tells us how long it wants to be, I suspect.
ReplyDeleteThere's no need to give yourself a concussion from the keyboard! We all ways of working that are best for us, and it sounds like you're doing excellently in those other areas. Maybe you could come back to the feedback and try to take something from it in a few weeks. Sometimes, with flash fiction, you can use a few words to hint at some much deeper story without resorting to an info dump.
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