by Joe Bunting |
There is no book-writing formula.
I love Stephen King’s On Writing—it’s half brilliant portrayal of an accomplished writer’s origin story, half writer’s tool kit. But one thing with which I’ve always taken exception is his suggestion that there’s only one proper way to complete a novel.
King compares writing to an archaeological dig: he sees stories as found objects, excavated from the literary ‘earth’, and he believes the writer’s job is to extricate the object—without breaking off any bits in the process, or leaving any parts behind.
And so King doesn’t outline—he starts off with an unusual combination of ideas, and lets his writer’s instincts carry him from there.
by Joe Bunting |
I’ve talked to so many writers who want to know how they can begin a career in creative writing. They ask me:
+ How do you get published.
+ How do you stay disciplined enough to write a whole book?
+ How do you build a platform for your fiction?
Like most writers, I thought writing short stories was a stupid way to build a career in creative writing. Instead, I wanted to write novels. The prestige and the money are in novels, I thought. Why would I write short stories?
But then something happened. After failing to finish another novel, I started writing a short story. Soon, it was finished and sent off to a literary magazine. For the first time in years, I had finished a creative writing project.
by Joe Bunting |
In the run up to the launch of Let’s Write a Short Story, I’ve been talking to a lot of writers about writing, publishing, and yes, rejection.
One writer read the following passage from the book:
“Submitting is like sitting naked in the subway,” said one reader. Another said, “I’ve never submitted anything. And after I hit submit, I wanted to hide under my blankets. I still do.”
Submitting is hard.
“That’s exactly how I feel!” the writer told me.
Every writer faces the possibility, nay the probability, of rejection. So what can you do about it? How can you avoid having your short stories rejected by a literary magazine?
Here are four tips…
by Joe Bunting |
Well, the time has come to once again pick a winner of this month’s writing competition.
Before we announce the winner though, I need to take a moment to recognize the hard work of my fellow judges: Patricia Hunter, Tara Boyce, Debra Atwood, Kristi Boyce, and Bob Vander Lugt, all previous winners of our writing contest.
I say this every time because every time it’s true: If you haven’t read their Show Off winning stories, you’re missing out. They’re wonderful.
Now, to the winner.
by Joe Bunting |
Some people write stories where nothing much happens. The main character sits around thinking of things that happened in the past. The hero doesn’t do anything heroic.
The only thing that matters in your story is what the characters do. What they think, feel, or see is just the whipped cream, peanuts, and cherry on top. The ice cream, the core of your story is what they do.
