11) Short Stories

Short stories.

Short stories are a growing trend among all authors, new and published alike. While old publishing methods arguably did not favor production of short stories, new publishing practices with the advent of the eBook market (Here's lookin' at you Kindle/Amazon) are enabling all writers to produce and distribute short works to a massive audience. Here are some benefits of short stories:

Earning Potential: With the ability to put out multiple short stories within a short length of time, and sell them at a price that most full length novels are being sold for. Shorts offer a great way to make quick income. Per word, a short story can make more money than a novel. Shorts also offer multiple selling options. You could sell: Short 1, Short 2, Short 3. Three options right? Well consider a 4th option which won't cost you anything but a few extra minutes, sell a collection of the first three shorts as a value bundle. More often than not a reader will pick up the first short, and if they like it purchase the collection instead of individually buying the other two -which works out great for you, if you stop to consider what is actually taking place.

Bridge Between Novels: Alright, so you wrote Novel 1, and are getting to work on Novel 2. Meanwhile your loyal fans and ravenous readers are chomping at the bit to get at more of your work. To see other aspects of your world, and to be taken on more adventures. You can use short stories to sate the hunger of your followers while you type away at Novel 2, whether its to include short side stories or introduce other characters.

Networking: Short stories offer a great way for you to network with other writers and readers. You can use it to hook new readers onto your work, or to develop writing skills. Plenty of websites like Figment, and Wattpad service thousands upon thousands of new writers and offer readers looking for the next big thing a source to scour. (Shameless plug: Check out our new wattpad where we will be sharing shorts/flashfiction randomly. http://www.wattpad.com/user/WordsmithsFoundry)

Now go forth, and forge your story!
-Matt

If you liked this post, and like the blog, help us grow! Like, comment, share, tell everyone you know about this great blog and be part of a growing writer community. Follow each of us on Twitter! (@MattTaylor1776 and @derekdyer_WF) and NOW on Wattpad! http://www.wattpad.com/user/WordsmithsFoundry

10) Male vs Female perspective!

Alright,

So either because I'm sadistic, or just up for a challenge, I decided to start writing a story with a female lead character. If you guys couldn't guess by my name, Matt, I am a male. I realized something... it's hard.

I had gotten a fair few pages written, and one of my friends who enjoys alpha reading for me decided to read what I had so far. She is also, a girl.

"Matt, this doesn't really seem like a girl speaking."

That was the first thing she said to me! I was like, huh? Then it dawned on me. If you and I both described a car, we would give a different description pointing out different aspects. For example, I may first notice the color:

"Damn, that red is really sexy."

While you may be like:

"Damn, that car has a lot of dents in it. The driver must be reckless."

The fact is, people notice and point out different things. This varies by age, occupation, and as you may have figured out -gender. A cop entering a room may first look for threats, potential hidings spots, escape routes. While carpenter Joe Citizen may recognize the style of cabinets, or how abused the wooden carved handrail is.

Girls, and guys, notice different things first. Whether its a person - "damn that girl has a nice rack" may be a guys first reaction. A girl may be like "that's a cute ear ring, or I wonder what perfume she is wearing -I think it's that *insert some name here* from Victoria Secret."

Or if it's a room

"Damn the fridge is too small, you can't fit beer in that!"

"What a lovely stove. Those blinds are sick, I need to get some of those."

However you write it, guys and girls will have different perspectives and notice different things. They will speak differently, treat others differently.

I'll keep it short today! If you have any input feel free to share! Like, comment, share this blog with your writing friends.

Now go forth, and forge your story!

-Matt

If you liked this post, and like the blog, help us grow! Like, comment, share, tell everyone you know about this great blog and be part of a growing writer community. Follow each of us on Twitter! (@MattTaylor1776 and @derekdyer_WF)

9) Character creation!: Creating memorable characters *Part 2/4* /*Writing Prompt*/

In the last article we covered the 16 basic character criteria to make your book feel complete. In case you missed it, you can find that information by clicking here. So we have our basic character functions, but you may be wondering "How can I make characters people will actually remember?"

In layman's terms, it is important to make each individual character unique (DUH!). In a novel or story that has a lot of characters this can help the reader distinguish each character from another. Either by their features, their mannerisms, or their beliefs, your characters need to stand out. For example:

Harry Potter: Green eyes, lightning shaped scar
Hermione Granger: Bushy hair, buck teeth
Rubeus Hagrid: Huge, large shaggy hair and beard, black eyes

These are all physical features described that will keep the reader knowing the aesthetic differences between characters. You are able to also distinguish between your characters with any criteria really, such as: scents, speech patterns, mannerisms, habits, facial expressions etc...

When first introducing a character to your readers,(or if your character hasn't appeared for quite some time)you should express a few of these features so the reader can automatically plug this criteria in their heads so that the next time they appear they know who they are! Minor characters usually only need a couple of these features while major characters should have a pretty long list. However, major characters should have their features sprinkled in throughout the story as to learn more about them as you spend more time with them.

But with all this being said, isn't the characters name enough? The short answer is no. Readers want to get to know their characters major and minor. Your story will feel a lot more complete the more detail you are able to spit at the reader. While we're on the topic of names I better give you some sound advice. Try to steer away from giving a handful of characters the same name. There is no need for a Robert, Bob, Roberto and Rob! This will only make who's who more confusing even if you set your features for each one to be entirely different. AND BE CONSISTENT! DO NOT refer to a character as both Robert and Bob! You're readers will be left scratching their heads.

Now go forth and forge your story!

-Derek

/*Writing Prompt*/
Using your characters from last weeks article give them some unique features and write a few scenes introducing them to your readers.

If you liked this post, and like the blog, help us grow! Like, comment, share, tell everyone you know about this great blog and be part of a growing writer community. Follow each of us on Twitter! (@MattTaylor1776 and @derekdyer_WF)

8) Editing and Revisions

Hello all,

I'm sitting here in the local coffee shop, going over a revision of my story I just received back from the editing service I purchased. I had slipped up though, and accidentally sent the first draft of my story in for the second round of editing... in effect getting two different editors opinions on my first draft, instead of getting a second more refining edit off the first submission.

Now, at first I was pretty mad with myself, "how could I be so stupid and send in the wrong file?". In reality it probably is a very common mistake. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't get a second shot at sending in the intended file without having to pay for another round of editing. But, on the bright side, I can now see what the two editors spotted, or didn't spot. If both of them pointed out an issue, then it's probably something that needs to be fixed. If only one person pointed something out, then maybe it's not that big of a deal.

The point is, for you, when you undergo your editing and revisions, you will no doubt hear many opinions from all of the different alpha/beta readers you utilize. Pay attention to what gets pointed out the most, and fix it, if it needs to be fixed. The key thing to remember is that what you are writing is your story. Don't let your editors hijack your work, if they don't like something one character did, it isn't your job to change the story to please them.

For example, my first editor didn't understand why one of the characters in my short story did a certain action. The second editor, never even left a comment or question on the incident. Some people will get what you say, others wont. Remember you can never please everyone all the time, and it will look worse if you try to bow to everyone's wishes. Not to mention, you will probably feel bad about not staying true to your story.

Get the best editing you can, polish your work as much as you can, and don't rush. Rushing opens you up to mistake, and mistakes can -no, will- make you look like an amateur, especially if you are self publishing through Kindle or another eBook outlet.

So, in closing, to reiterate what I said above - write for yourself, and that special someone. Editors are people, all with their own opinions, some people will like the way you say things, others wont. Your job is to stay true to your story, your characters, and your convictions. Do that.

Now go forth, and forge your story!

-Matt

If you liked this post, and like the blog, help us grow! Like, comment, share, tell everyone you know about this great blog and be part of a growing writer community. Follow each of us on Twitter! (@MattTaylor1776 and @derekdyer_WF)

7) Character Creation: Quirks and Hobbies

Alright, so one thing that I hear talked about a lot, is character creation and making characters that seem well rounded and not flat.

One interesting thing I have learned to do through the various books I have read on the topic, as well as the pod casts and videos I have watched is to give all of my characters interesting quirks or hobbies.

By giving a character a hobby, coin collecting for instance, you add a new dimension to that character. They aren't just existing with only the current happenings of the story to define them, but have something they care about besides the problems in the plot that add more depth. One I have used is dirt collecting. In my fantasy novels, the first mate of the ship -who is a dwarf- collects a little vial of dirt whenever he travels to a new location.

Now to you and me, dirt may seem boring or pointless. But it makes that character seem a bit more real. Why do they collect the dirt? Who knows, he just likes to do it. But I can relate to collecting and so can plenty of others. In real life I like to collect the squished pennies from the penny crushers whenever I travel somewhere new. It gives me something to look back on and remember fun trips I have gone on. My dwarf happens to keep all of his dirt vials in his cabin, on a rack, so maybe he likes to sit down and think about past adventures. Plus, dwarfs and earth (maybe a bit too cliche), am I right?

Besides that, you can use their hobbies to introduce new plot complications, or solutions. Maybe the dirt collector really knows his stuff, so if there's an issue where soil must be identified he can help out and still be believable. Maybe his collection goes missing - bam! new task for the characters to do. Time to catch the dirt-napper.

Anyway, that's just a quick little thought I had on the topic. Wanted to share it with you all, nothing earth shattering or revolutionary, but useful.

If you liked anything in this post, and enjoy the blog, go comment, share, and spread the word about our little community! We'd love to hear from you, follow us on Twitter! (@MattTaylor1776 @derekdyer_WF)

No go forth, and forge your story!

Matt

6) Midweek Madness! NaNoWriMo ALERT! /*Writing Prompt*/

As some of you may know, November is the National Novel Writing Month, or, NaNoWriMo!

The website is here: http://nanowrimo.org/ (go check it out.) (seriously...) (do it.)

The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words or more before November ends. This year, we here at Wordsmith's Foundry, will be taking up the challenge! (I will definitely, I'm pretty sure Derek will be too... go comment on his stuff and tell him he best be doin' it. Wow I sound bossy today.)

The website is cool because it will show you writing groups in your region, give you a progress tracker, and when you finish you get a little pat on the back and a rah rah rah email (something cheery and encouraging, like a, YOU DID IT!)

I recommend that as November approaches, you start world building, or any outlining, now. By getting all of that out of the way, you will make the job of actually throwing 50k words onto paper a hell of a lot easier.

If you are interested, you can join us in this challenge. Visit the website for more details. If you like this post and this blog, comment below, and share. Let's nail NaNoWriMo, get your friends involved, your dog, your hamster, your mailman, everyone.

Now go forth beloved readers, and forge your story!

Matt

(Follow Derek and I on twitter! @MattTaylor1776 @derekdyer_WF)

/*Writing Prompt*/

Start world building for your NaNoWriMo project!

5) Character creation!: Creating memorable characters *Part 1/4* /*Writing Prompt*/

Ahhhh character creation. Quite possibly my personal favorite stage in writing. There are a lot of different characters out there, and possibly almost all of the major archetypes appearing in one novel. Unfortunately, as writers, we have no character creation sheet that you may find in D&D or Pathfinder. BUT! This is a good thing. It keeps us from filling in all the same basic data for all of our characters, (major and minor) and the end result is a cast of characters that are completely unique! So how exactly do we create memorable characters? In this article, we will explore the first of four main criteria commonly used to create characters.

When arriving at the character creation stage, you should have some idea (or possibly already some writing done for newly introduced characters) as to what your story goal is. Your story goal is important! It is what is going to drive your story from beginning to end. And guess what? It is also the main organizing element for character creation!

Your characters should meet the needs of your dramatic functions. Usually this is something that is vital to the plot of your story playing out. There are a couple of ways of doing this. You can start your novel by first creating a group of characters (or players for the theater savvy) and try to imagine them in particular situations or when confronted by problems. Then you just have to force them to interact. This method usually will end up creating your plot and as some would argue, would result in extremely original characters.The other main method of attack is to choose a topic or theme you may want to explore. For example, one may choose rebellion against a religious monarchy as a theme and choose characters with opposing viewpoints and opposing goals. Whichever way you choose to attack it, you may want to consider each characters function and resolve their motivations early on (in your head, not your story) to possibly save time in revisions later. Especially when writing a very dense and complicated story.

Dramatica Theory recognizes 16 basic character functions. To make your novel feel complete you should include a character who...

1.) Pursues the goal and ...
2.) one who avoids the goal.
3.) one who helps someone's efforts and ...
4.) one who hinders someones effors.
5.) one who tries to get someone to consider a course of action and ...
6.) one who tries to get someone to reconsider a course of action.
7.) one who seeks a course or explanation that feels emotionally fulfilling and ...
8.)one who seeks a course or explanation that is logically satisfying.
9.) one who exhibits self control and...
10.) one who appears uncontrolled
11.) one who makes an appeal to conscience and ...
12.) one who makes an appeal to temptation.
13.) one who supports any effort and ...
14.) one who opposes any effort.
15.) one who expresses faith or rather confidence in something being true despite lack of proof and ...
16.) one who expresses disbelief.

Make a consideration of these 16 basic character functions, and you may soon have your own special set of characters! And don't get too attached to them, killing them can be interesting.... muahaha! Now go forth and forge your story!

-Derek

/*Writing Prompt*/

Consider the first four of the basic character functions and create characters to fill those four roles. Write as many scenes as you wish to exercise these new characters!

Was this information helpful? Don't forget to like, comment and share! Let's open up the discussion in the comments section!

*Guest Article* 4) Outline writing versus dynamic writing: A brief introduction /*Writing Prompt*/

Is good writing discovered or created? A simple question, perhaps, but one worthy of our time and consideration. I am of the belief that consciousness and intent are what separate the act of merely scribing words onto a page from true literary creation, “true writing” so to speak. Thus, it follows that to know yourself as a writer is to know your own process. How do you create a story? You would be surprised how often this quandary is so quickly glazed over. Today, we will explore just one of the many dimensions of story creation: outline writing versus discovery writing. While this is hardly the end-all-be-all of creation methodology, it will serve as a good base for figuring out how that word factory in your noggin operates, and by extension, help you know yourself as a writer better. In broad terms, everything can be broken down into what is planned versus what is inspired. First, we will take a look at outline writing. If nothing else, anyone who has gone to grade school has some experience with outline writing. It is the standard method that every K-12 school teaches as part of their English curriculum, and it applies to just about every writing process from kindergarten to corporate office. Essentially it involves planning out the course of your writing from beginning to middle to end, point by point. It is a static and calculated process that is thought out and set up, so when it eventually reaches the page there are no surprises. You know exactly what you are saying, how you are going to say it, and how it will be presented. It is the classic model of “intro-body-body-body-conclusion” that is generally used to teach paragraph and essay writing. You may have also seen it as it pertains to plot, in which it reads more as “exposition-rising action-climax-falling action-resolution.” The visual model you have probably seen before looks something like this:

In contrast, discovery writing is more dynamic and spontaneous. Some degree of prior planning can be involved, such as laying out the overarching topic or theme, but the main body of this style of creation is not thoroughly thought out like outline writing is. Rather, it is determined as it is being written; improvised, if you will. The specific points and structure of the writing is not pre-planned; the writing is allowed to take its own course and relies more on the on-the-spot thinking and creativity of the writer. It is a case of “the piece writing itself,” whereupon the writer acts merely as a vessel or physical expression of the idea unfolding and developing in the heat of the moment or within the spark of inspiration.

You can think of this process as those 5-minute “quickwrite/freewrite” exercises that most middle-school to college-level courses forced you to do when class started. So which one is more preferable? It’s a matter of taste, really. Do you operate better when you draw out a plan and figure out what you want to say before committing pen to page? Do you like brainstorming and researching and gathering information? If so, then outline writing is for you. Do you find that thinking on the fly and throwing yourself into the thick of things yields the best results for you? Do you like running with ideas and seeing where they go without confining yourself to a set form and or pre-determined content? If so, then discovery writing is more your forte. Of course, we’re merely scratching the surface with these two styles of writing. There is more, much more, we can learn about outline and discovery writing; we’ve merely introduced ourselves to each, and have taken the first of many steps towards becoming more informed. For now, the only thing you should concern yourself with is, in general, which category do you think you lean more towards? Maybe one, or both? Maybe different aspects of each?

Work those beautiful minds of yours! Go forth and forge your story!
Please feel free to comment below, and follow/share! Justin

Twitter: @LaTorreStory //
Website: LaTorreStory.blogspot.com

 ***Writing prompt***

Pick a point of view you don’t normally use in your writing, such as first-person limited or second person, and write a brief but complete scene using that point of view.

3) CreateSpace: Editing Service

I have not mentioned it on this blog, but I currently have one of my short stories being edited by CreateSpace! This fancy little website below:

https://www.createspace.com/

It is an Amazon company, which is kind of comforting knowing they belong to such a giant. Makes me feel better about knowing it isn't just some hole-in-the-wall editing service. (Nothing against those, you just never know who the editors are). With CreateSpace, you can rest assured that the editors used have spent time in the industry, with a minimum of 5 years required to become a CreateSpace editor.

Once you have your manuscript uploaded, they will send it to an editor that specializes in your genre, which is outstanding!

Here is a personal example that really stuck out to me; in my manuscript I used the term "frakk" to replace swearing, it sounded pretty SciFi to me, so I figured it was good! What I didn't know, was that Battlestar Galactica, uses "Frak" as a swear word. My editor, who may not have caught it if she wasn't a SciFi fan, pointed out it may come off as seeming like I stole the term, or was trying to rip it off with the added "k".

I haven't figured out if I want to replace the word with an actual curse, or come up with another swear. She recommended I consider just using the same word BSG uses, since it is commonly used in society and other SciFi pieces.

I have been very pleased with this service, they are very attentive. I purchased the "Editing Package Plus" which includes two rounds of line editing focussing on plot, characters, etc. As well as one round of copy editing, specifically focusing on grammar, spelling, and the like. For a total of three rounds of editing. You can elect to keep the same editor between each round, or have a new one for each round. Each has its positives and negatives.

Once it is finished I shall link it for all of you, I am releasing it on Kindle, and it is the first short in a series of three, preceding one novel length book. I plan on releasing it for free for the first few days of its release, so stay tuned and get yours!

Anyone else have experiences with editing? Any editing service you would recommend or caution to avoid? Comment below! Don't forget to like, share, and spread the word about the blog! We want to grow and help everyone as writers!

Now go forth, and forge your story!

-Matt

2) Tasteful Dialect in Dialogue /*Writing Prompt*/

There is a time for all writers where we will encounter a new territory with new speech patterns. Be it from putting our beloved characters into a foreign country, or a made up area of our choosing in which we are not familiar with portraying through dialogue. If yer in the South 'er the midwestern part of the U.S. , or quite possibly in the fertile green rolling fields of Great Britain which are an absolute beauty to behold, there is a possibility that you are emphasizing your characters dialect in such a strong manner that the reader can find it annoying, or even humorous. I am very much a firm believer that dialect can be overdone and is only necessary to include under very specific guidelines. If yer character is a doggone good fer nothin' pistol tootin' outlaw found anywhere but where you would expect to find him, (and we all know where we would expect to find him) then you should have built your world and setting adequately enough for the accent to be implied to the reader. That is, hopefully the reader is already hearing their voice in their head with the correct accent. However, Small dribbles of dialect can actually add to your setting. For the example of the southerner, somethin' a bit lighter may be of better service. There are times as writers where we will do exactly this. We will blow our characters completely out of proportion. We will ignore all laws of literate speech and put our characters somehow above what is considered an acceptable form of communication, and send our dear readers into a fit of cacophonous laughter until they close the book and admit defeat. (hopefully your book won't collect to much dust until finding the hands of a reader who enjoys this kind of thing.) Much like a steak is seasoned, it is important we are mindful of the seasoning of our character's individual dialect.

With all this being said, I do still believe that as writers we are inclined to make our own choices as to what is appropriate, and what is not. Such is the beauty of writing. This is not a rule, but an observation based on what MY personal palette prefers as a reader. (and how I personally like to write) Think of it as constructive criticism. If you fall into the category of blowing dialogue out of proportion, (akin to Michael Bay's use of explosions) then go ahead, let this be your style.Just make sure you are comfortable with it. Find your scope, find your perspective, sprinkle in as many dialects as you see fit, and for God's sake go forth and forge your story!

-Derek

Do you agree or disagree? Don't forget to comment below and follow/share! Twitter : @derekdyer_WF

/*Writing Prompt*/

Write a scene three times using a character with an accent other than your own. Once with a conservative amount of dialect, again with an absurd emphasis on their dialect, and a third time somewhere in between.

1) Writer Networking: Twitter

An essential part to success as a writer (if you are aiming to make any profits off your work) is networking, and growing your "base". There are many ways to network with other people who share your writing and reading interests: blogs (like this one), twitter, facebook, google+, figment, etc. My post today will be focusing on one key tool for networking, if you read the title you probably can already guess, Twitter. With millions of users active every. single. day.

Twitter provides a way to connect and grow your social network. By having a larger network, you improve the number of people who will see you talking about your work, be able to offer insight on writing, as well as insight on other activities you may enjoy.

The essential part to Tweeting is to keep your tweets relevant. If you are making a twitter to promote writing, make all of your tweets about writing. There are exceptions to this, you can always say "happy birthday" if you know it's someone's birthday. Or "Merry Christmas" around Christmas time, but you want to try and stick to your purpose for the "Twitter Machine" as much as possible. Oh, and follow EVERYONE. the more people you follow, the more followers you will get. Most people stick to a code of "follow for follow." Which is exactly how it sounds, you follow me? I follow you!

Now you may be wondering, "Matt, how do I get people I don't know to see these tweets?!", that is where the infamous 'hashtag' (#) comes into play!

There are a series of hashtags the writing community has developed to connect with other writers and readers. I have compiled a list of common ones for writing. You can simply add it to the tail end of one of your tweets. ie: "Tweet tweet tweet other bird noises tweet tweet, #1k1h #amwriting" -yes, it is that easy. If I can do it, you can too!

Here is the list:
#1K1H (write one thousand words in one hour)
#AmWriting
#AmEditing
#AmRevising
#CopyWriting
#EditGoal
#Editing
#IndieAuthor
#MyWANA (writer’s community created by Kirsten Lamb)
#NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month is held every November)
#RomanceWriter
#ScriptChat
#WIP
#WordCount
#WriteChat
#WriteGoal
#WriteMotivation
#WritersLIfe
#WriterWednesday
#Writing
#WritingBlitz
#WritingPrompt
#WritersBlock
#WroteToday
#WW

By following this simple piece of advice, you will be able to help grow your network and "base" easily, as long as you stick to it. Don't just do one tweet a month, try and stick to a schedule, like one or more every other day, or better yet everyday. This is really all I have to say about this! I am still learning new things everyday, and will be happy to spread the advice to all of you when it comes to my attention!

If you found this helpful, share it! Link it to your Facebook, blog, random forum, moms fridge, and your Twitter.

Add Derek and I while you're at it! I promise, we will follow back!
@MattTaylor1776
@derekdyer_WF

If you have any questions or your own insights to share, feel free to comment below!

Now go forth, and forge your story!

-Matt

P.S. I'm going to propose we start our own hashtag! just for the Wordsmith Foundry community! #Wordsmithing