Short Stories

For all of my optimism about my novel, I haven't gotten past the third chapter. Right now my progress is at a standstill. Was I a bit too ambitious? Maybe. I have put my novel in a white envelope where all of my unfinished work goes. They say that if you are unsure about your writing, the best thing to do is let it sit for a while and come back later. In the future when I review my work, hopefully I will be struck by some wave of inspiration.

I feel a bit guilty for neglecting my blog during the past month, but I have been consumed with writing my would be-novel. Now, to stay productive, I decided to begin with short stories as baby steps. Short fiction is an entirely different type of creative writing than the novel. They are shorter, obviously, which makes them easier to write in one way, but harder in another. There is very little room to write backgrounds for characters beyond what is absolutely necessary for the story itself. As much as possible has to be revealed through the actions of the characters. It's a difficult task for a new writer like me. Practice, practice, practice...but isn't that the point?

I finished my first short story last week and am very proud of it. I think of it as Twilight Zone-style science fiction. What I like about writing scifi is that you can go in pretty much any direction in terms of storyline. The genre also works well with social commentary, something I admired Twilight Zone for. I like my stories to be food for thought. I think the show's creator and primary writer, Rod Serling, was a genius. It took guts to stand behind his work and fight censorship. His writing continues to inspire me.

I started writing my next story today and I think it will be better than the first one. Although I strive to put quality over quantity, my goal is to complete four stories by December. Having a goal keeps me working.

I included an interview with Rod Serling when he had just begun Twilight Zone, before it was a huge success. I like his strong-willed attitude toward his work. I would recommend watching it.