A Novelist Writes a Short Story by Marilyn Levinson

I just finished writing my short story! You might think this isn't exciting news coming from someone who has written over twenty novels, but believe me, it is. Writing a short story is quite different from writing a novel, and not just because of the difference in length. The plot is singular and more focused and should, I believe, end on a surprising note.

Like many fiction writers, I started out writing short stories. To be honest, they were never very short, which is probably why I ended up becoming a novelist. But I'd never written a mystery short story before! The idea of writing one first came to mind some years ago when I was sitting around the hotel lobby at a Malice conference. Barb Goffman was there, and the subject came around to writing short stories. "Write one," she said. "One day," I said.

The idea must have taken hold a year or two ago because I found myself reading short stories as well as listening to panels and webinars about the craft of writing them. And then, lo and behold, friends who were editing an anthology asked me to write a story. I said I would because I loved the theme. 

Once I got started, I found I couldn't stop writing. This isn't something I experience when I'm writing my novels. My usual routine is I write a sentence, stop to research something that has come up in the plot, and write a few more sentences. Then, before I can move on, I need to check to see what I've written about the character earlier in the manuscript or in a previous book. But writing my short story, I was compelled to continue writing, though I did stop a few times to do research along the way. Even though I hadn't decided how I was going to handle the ending, it all simply came together in a satisfactory way.

Why was this happening?

One major reason I think this may have occurred is when I'm writing a mystery novel, I'm working from the perspective of my sleuth. Of course I know who the murderer(s) is/are, but my sleuth certainly doesn't, and I need to have her account for every clue and piece of information she gathers that lead her to revealing the killer. 

But many short stories, mine included, are written from the murderer's point of view. Perhaps the protagonist doesn't mean to become a murderer, but he or she was wronged or tricked or deceived and the story is about his or her payback. What fun it was to set the scene of my unsuspecting protagonist, then have her take her revenge on those who wronged her! It was freeing to write such a story, which might account for how quickly it was finished.

Since short story writing is a new form for me, I asked my good friend and short story guru, Kaye George, to read it and tell me if it passed muster. She gave it her blessing. Now all I have to do is shorten it and come up with a title.

Have any of you ventured into writing other forms of fiction?

 

Not Every Day's a Writing Day by Marilyn Levinson

While new writers are encouraged to set up a work schedule and stick to it if they intend to finish a writing project, those of us who write under contract often work under the opposite conditions. We've a manuscript to hand in by a certain date, which often means we hold ourselves obliged to write seven days a week.

Like all good intentions, writing every day sounds noble but proves to be unrealistic. We are people before we are writers, and our lives involve other people and obligations that require time and attention. Life offers up problems and snags, some of them unforeseen.

As I grow older, I find that my daily chores and errands require more time than they used to. As does wading through my email every morning. Add to that the occasional doctor visit or the occasional visit with friends and family members, and before I  know it the day has turned into evening and I'm in no shape to concentrate on my work in progress.

Working daily on one's manuscript (or manuscripts, as the case may be) helps set a routine that moves the process along more smoothly. But while I set out each day, knowing the scene or scenes I'm about to turn into text, I often find myself stopping to research a topic. It might be as minor as checking out lunch menus of a certain type of restaurant, or as complicated as how a town council functions. These can always be incorporated in my writing day.

However, writing a manuscript is not always a linear experience. There have been times when I've found myself having to take my storyline in a somewhat different direction. This requires me to stop writing immediately and return to page one to start making the essential changes that move the new plot along. Only then can I return to writing new pages and completing my manuscript.

We aren't writing robots but human beings with many needs and wants. Sometimes we require a break from work, simply to do something pleasurable like taking a stroll through an arboretum or having a lunch date with a friend. I find this type of mini vacation refreshes my soul and helps put my creative energy back in gear so I'm eager to return to writing.