What's the Story?
'The Wonder Boys' has to be one of the best films about writing ever made. Michael Douglas in his lucky pink dressing gown grappling with 'the difficult second book' is pure genius. 'Wow ... that's a big book you're writing ...' Toby McGuire says at one stage eyeing the teetering piles of manuscript.
Like a lot of people, when I started writing I began with short stories thinking they were easier. Not true. The difference between a novel (let alone a mammoth 2611 page opus like Douglas'), and a short story is that everything has to count with a short. You have maybe 800 - 5000 words to tell your whole tale. Your beginning. middle and end stack up very quickly. The story needs a point, a strong informed idea, and you need to hit the ground running. Short stories and novels are like sprints and marathons - both take dedication, training, but they are different disciplines entirely. Writing a novel, it's always seemed to me you go through several 'walls' - points where it seems impossible to go on, you doubt your ability, your endurance. Writing a short story you have to get off the blocks fast, and pace the story perfectly through to a satisfying finish.
Hanif Kureishi once said that with a short story idea you immediately sense that you have the whole picture. Hopper's paintings always remind me of short stories. They're vignettes, snapshots - isolated moments of action or inaction. It's been ten years since I wrote a short story, but I'm planning a new one for the Bridport Prize this year. This is one of the biggest literary prizes for short stories and poems in the world - why not have a go?
There must be something in the air, because I was introduced to Shortbread last week. It's a fabulous new site for short stories. Once registered for free, you can upload stories, read hundreds of new tales, rate them, comment, write a response and even recommend them for audio recording. I've uploaded 'Company', (you'll find it under new stories) - and would welcome your comments and rating! One reader said she could imagine Michael Douglas as the jaded narrator - see what you think. This was the last short story I had published in 2000 before concentrating on novels, and the clearest indicator of the way my work was heading. The great thing about short stories is their brevity - they give you a chance to experiment, to try different voices until you find one that is 'just right'. If you enjoy short stories, do visit the site - there's some fabulous work on there, and maybe you'd like to submit some of your own for consideration.
TODAY'S PROMPT: Mum rang this morning and told me to turn on the TV. Phil and Fearne on daytime TV were talking about writing and she thought I could pick up a few tips ... It turns out Dame Jaqueline Wilson was giving advice on how to write, and launching a short story competition (see www.itv.com/thismorning). If a writer's retreat in Istanbul sounds appealing, why don't you try submitting a 1500 - 2000 word story? Short stories are satisfying little jewels - bite sized treats like shortbread. They are also a great way in to writing long fiction both in a creative and practical sense. Many women's and literary magazines publish short fiction, and as Dame Jaqueline said today 'we fed our families on short stories'. Why not give it a go?
