28 October 2009

Weekly Goals - October 27, 2009

A bit off this week...seems rather touch and go lately.

Results for this week:

1. 1000 words on Death Brings the Victory
2. Submitted "Conventional Wisdom"

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. 2000 words on Death Brings the Victory
2. 2000 words on "Hiding in the Shadows"

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Some Assembly Required" (need to re-submit)
"Collateral" (need to re-submit)
"Entrapment" (since August 31)
"Conventional Wisdom" (submitted October 25)
"Deadly Decisions" (waiting on beta input)




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20 October 2009

Weekly Goals - October 20, 2009

A bit stronger this week, though I forgot one of my goals while I focused on the writing side. Still the acceptance of last week's submission sort of makes up for it.

Results for this week:

1. 2000 words on Death Brings the Victory
2. Forgot to submit "Conventional Wisdom" off

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. 2000 words on Death Brings the Victory
2. Submit "Conventional Wisdom" off to a magazine

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Redemption" (ACCEPTED)
"Some Assembly Required" (need to re-submit)
"Collateral" (need to re-submit)
"Entrapment" (since August 31)
"Conventional Wisdom" (need to re-submit)
"Deadly Decisions" (waiting on beta input)




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13 October 2009

Weekly Goals - October 13, 2009

Started off strong, but fell short where it mattered (not helped by a contract falling through on a short story submitted long ago). Hopefully this week will be much improved...

Results for this week:

1. 2000 words on "Hiding in the Shadows"
2. 500 words on Death Brings the Victory
3. Submitted "Redemption" off to another magazine (after previously mentioned contract issues) [added]

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. 2000 words on Death Brings the Victory (the 3rd Aston West novel)
2. Submit "Conventional Wisdom" off to a magazine

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Redemption" (re-submitted October 12)
"Some Assembly Required" (need to re-submit)
"Collateral" (need to re-submit)
"Entrapment" (since August 31)
"Conventional Wisdom" (need to re-submit)
"Deadly Decisions" (waiting on beta input)




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07 October 2009

Weekly Goals - October 6, 2009

Well, a better outcome on the goals this week. Actually, I'd met my original goals with around 4 days left, so kept working on my latest short story. Unfortunately, I didn't get them typed in on time, so those will have to count toward next week.

Results for this week:

1. Sent the story off to its beta readers. Waiting for comments to return.
2. Completed over 2000 words on "Hiding in the Shadows" (with more handwritten, but not yet counted)

And now the goals for this coming week:

1. 2000 words on my new story, "Hiding in the Shadows"
2. 2000 words on Death Brings the Victory (the 3rd Aston West novel)

Submission status for the week:

Short stories:
"Some Assembly Required" (need to re-submit)
"Collateral" (need to re-submit)
"Entrapment" (since August 31)
"Conventional Wisdom" (waiting on beta input)
"Deadly Decisions" (waiting on beta input)




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03 October 2009

Plotting a Short Story

So, how do I go about plotting a short story?

First, I start out putting my characters into a situation they'd likely be in (in the case of Aston, there aren't too many situations he *wouldn't* find himself in). Then, I began asking myself what could possibly happen (in most cases, I ask what could possibly go wrong) and how Aston will respond. From there, it's a simple case of repetition, continuing to ask those questions and determine Aston's response until I reach the end of the story.

Take my story "Ever Dark" for example (and if you haven't read it, be sure to check it out in Ray Gun Revival)

When plotting this story, I started off with a simple premise. Aston is sitting out in deep space minding his own business.

So, what could happen/go wrong? A ship can drop out of hyperspace right in front of him.
What does Aston do? Finds out the ship full of precious cargo.

What then? He discovers this ship has no crew.
What does Aston do? Boards it to grab some cargo.

What then? The law shows up.
What does Aston do? Tries to run.

What then? They catch him and want to board his ship.
What does Aston do? Weasels his way out of it.

Now, I could keep going, but then I'd be giving away the ending of the story to those who hadn't already read it. Needless to say, I eventually reach the story. Now, how I get between these points is open, but generally I keep the same points I plot out in this manner. This generally works for short stories...novels are a little tougher, because usually plot points are tied together so much that if something gets misaligned along the way, entire plot lines end up skewed later.

And that's how I personally plot out a short story. Hopefully it's been helpful to those new to short story writing (or writing in general), and given those experienced writers out there another tool in their belt.

Until next week...