TECH: Write a Short Story?

[mbarker]

 Original Posting March 5, 2019

Over here

https://thewritepractice.com/how-to-write-a-short-story/

They suggest seven steps to write a short story. Hum, this is the basic discovery writing (write by the seat of your pants) method, I think. Still, it's a nice outline of the steps you might want to use to grind out a story, any story.... Here you go:

1. Write the basic story in one sitting. (Just write something!)
2. Find the protagonist. Who is the main character? Who hurts, who learns, who...
3. Write the perfect first line. Crunch!
4. Make a scene list. What are the steps, events, places... what happens?
5. Do any research that's needed
6. Revise! Clean it up, and...
7. Publish! Or for our 6x6 fun and games, SUBmit it to the list!

Rinse, lather, and repeat!
Write? YES!

TECH: No ideas? Oh... we can fix that!

[mbarker]

 Original Posting March 6, 2019

On another list, someone mentioned that they have the technical ability to put a story together, but they couldn't possibly write a story a week because they didn't have ideas.

After I picked myself up from the floor, I got to thinking. Okay, let's suppose you just don't have an idea for a story. So, where could you find something?

1. Listen to a song! That's right, rock-n-roll, country-n-western, one of those that you like. Now, almost every song has a story hidden inside. Not very hidden in most cases. So, take that story, and write it! Turn those short descriptions into living, breathing characters, build the setting up, and turn those events into scenes! Go for it! Heck, put us in the ship with Francis Scott Key, looking for a flag waving... yes, it's an oldie, but it's still a goodie!

2. Take a joke. Please! If you ask Google about jokes, you get about 689,000,000 results, and that's just the hits. Go to any of those sites, and you'll find plenty of jokes. Now, you can use that joke as your story framework, expanding it. You can use it as a kind of theme, running behind or through your story. Anyway you like it, use that joke.

3. Look at a picture? Try google images. Pick a word, any word, or a phrase and see what turns up! See if one of those pictures sparks something for you. Might be the start of your story, a scene in the middle, or perhaps even the climactic ending, but... write a little story about that picture (or two or three?)

4. Reader's Digest Stories? Sure, why not? Someone here on the list used to take... I think it was the last line, or maybe the first line, from a Reader's Digest story, and use that as the seed for a short story. https://www.rd.com/true-stories/ might get you started, or perhaps https://www.rd.com/jokes/funny-stories/ or https://www.rd.com/funny-stuff/

5. Plumb your own memory or life? Sure... what was an exciting event in your life? What was an upsetting event in your life? Pick some event in your life, far past, recent, whatever. Now, think about it. What might have happened? Go ahead, imagine some variations, play games with that incident. Who else might have gotten involved? What would happen if... Wow! That could be a pretty interesting story.

6. What's your favorite movie? How about one you remember pretty well? Now, pick a scene or event in that movie. And... put yourself into it. Yep, imagine you are riding in an X-Wing fighter, and the spooky voice says, "Trust the Force!" in your earphones... what happens? Oh, wow... Okay, don't like that? Well, take that movie and consider a twist. Imagine the story from the point of view of a bit player? Tell us the story from that point of view...

There. Six possible fonts of ideas for your stories. I'll admit, I think the first five work better for me, but use whichever one you like.

Oh, wait! I forgot comic strips, comics, cartoons... take those stories, and write those up! Yes, those can be fun!

Just write!

TECH: Lester Dent Pulp Fiction Plot?

[mbarker]

 Original Posting March 7, 2019

(The pulp era was known for churning out stories, right? How'd they do it? Well, here's one description!)

Also known as the Lester Dent Formula and other names. Heck, go over here

https://writemorepulp.club/generator/

and click Generate! Poof! A complete plot, ready to roll. Sure, it's a potboiler, pulp, but... Go for it.

Or, go over here

http://www.paper-dragon.com/1939/dent.html

Where they summarize Lester Dent's method in words.

Start with
1. A different murder method! (means!)
2. A different thing for the villain to be seeking! (motivation!)
3. A different locale! (Setting!)
4. A menace which hangs like a cloud over the hero! (dumdadumdum...DUM!)

Lester said he liked to start with at least a couple of these, three was better, and all four was great.

Divide your wordcount (6000 words?) into 4 parts. In each part, put...

Part One!
1. Introduce the hero and hit him with a fistful of trouble. Hint at mystery, menace, problem... something for the hero to take care of!
2. Let the hero try to handle the fistful of trouble.
3. Introduce all the other characters. Bring them on in action.
4. Hero's actions should land him in actual physical conflict near the end of this part.
5. Near the end, put a surprise twist in the plot!
Suspense? Menace? Logical progression?

Part Two!
1. More problems for the hero!
2. Hero struggles... leading up to
3. Another physical conflict
4. Another plot twist
Suspense? Menace growing? Hero in trouble? Logical!

Part Three!
1. MORE trouble for the hero!
2. Hero is working on it, and gets villain into
3. A physical conflict!
4. Toss in another surprising plot twist, with the hero in trouble!
Suspense? Menace getting black? Hero in big trouble? Logical?

Part Four...
1. Guess what? MORE Trouble for the hero!
2. Hero is just about buried in trouble...
3. Hero breaks out, using skill, training, and muscle!
4. Remaining mysteries clear up during final conflict!
5. Final twist, big surprise, and
6. Snapper, punch line ending it all...
Suspense! Menace! Everything explained? Logical? Strong punchline that gives reader warm feeling?

There you have it. Go read Lester Dent's version for more details, but... Mostly, it's trouble, struggle, fight, and a twist. Four times!

http://blog.karenwoodward.org/2013/11/lester-dents-short-story-master-formula.html

also takes it apart and looks at the pieces...

Ding dong, the writing's done... well, no, but we have ways to make you write!

TECH: Super Structure: A Kick in the Shins (part 12) (400 words)

[mbarker]

 Original Posting March 8, 2019

All right! We've gone through the Doorway of No Return #1, crossed out of Act I into Act II.

Act II? The middle, where most of the action takes place, setting up Act III, the resolution, climax, final confrontation, and so forth. So, our hero sets forth blithely along the path, off to do great things, and...

Gets a kick in the shins?

Yep.

James tells us that we need a kick in the shins! "An obstacle, the first real test in the death stakes of Act II." Some new trouble, the first challenge headed for that major confrontation in the future.

Don't wait too long. Go through the Doorway of No Return #1, and… Where's the problem? Give us that kick in the shins. Complication, emotional jolt, something to deepen the emotional and internal stakes. An outer obstacle? Trouble, but… You probably still want the big question to be a little bit mysterious.

Now, why do we want this here? Well, James reminds us that we are building tension and conflict. This is just the first hit of Act II. It's leading to bigger and better obstacles. But it does kick off the complications and action of this part.

How do you come up with it? Well, James suggests that whether you are a plotter or a discovery writer, when you are ready to figure this out, stop and do some brainstorming. What obstacles, what opposition, what characters can get in the way of the lead? They've gone to the doorway, and are heading onward. What can go wrong? Come up with 15 or 20 ideas. Yes, include the wild ones! Then, pick out the best. Which ones really make you excited? Put them in order, from bad to worst. That bad one? That's probably your Kick in the Shins.

James reminds us that trouble or conflict is really at the core of story. Every scene needs a little. This one helps make sure that we know the hero isn't going to get everything easily. So… Kick them right in the shins!

Now, the kick in the shins comes fairly early in Act II. We're headed towards The Mirror Moment next, but… There's some space in between. Go ahead, add in your complications and scenes. First, wake-up your readers with that kick in the shins, and then keep going!

On the way to the mirror…