Monday 29 June 2020

HOW A STORY IS BORN


FROM FIRST THOUGHTS TO FINAL DECISIONS

This month one of my short stories (All Of Us Here) won First Place and was published in WRITING Magazine.

I thought you might like to know the inside story of how it was created.

It started with a trigger dictated by the WRITING team. The first line had to be “They weren’t like me.” After that your story could run in any direction you chose, provided its length was no less than 1500 words, no more than 1700 words. This allows the magazine to feature it as a double page spread plus a pictorial heading and a little blurb and photo of the author. (WARNING: In case you're planning to enter a competition, this is a strict rule. Never exceed the limit or fall short of the minimum wordage. If you do, your submission will be binned!))

At first I considered the obvious. A science fiction theme: alliens, creatures from another universe. Or perhaps a fantasy: creatures half-human, half-amphibian, who lived in a sunken world. Then, closer to home, I thought about people from a distant part of the globe, aliens in my own country.

And then I began to think about people from the same family who had become alienated from each other. There could be many reasons but I decided on abuse, perhaps because it’s become so prevalent during lockdown. I thought about those who had got away and those who were still trapped, how their personalities might be affected, and how bitterness might arise between them.

There had to be a meeting between them. Once I’d got that, my characters began to come alive. This doesn't happen with every story or novel, but when it does it's the most wonderful feeling. I can see them, hear them, anticipate their emotions and reactions.

When I started writing I had planned a happy ending, a new life for the last victim. But I got to thinking of the devastating effect long term abuse could have on its victim, how it could destroy confidence, dissolve courage and optimism, and leave that victim still bound by invisible chains.

So the ending was not what I originally intended, but it was the one my main character dictated, and it surprised me as much as it might surprise some readers.

(To read ALL OF US HERE, click above on the READ A SHORT STORY page. If you have any comments - or criticisms - please leave them here.)

2 comments:

  1. Really interesting. It must be wonderful when you get an idea for a story that almost writes itself. I think it's called 'being in the flow'. I enjoyed 'All of Us Here' very much - it's amazing how much can be conveyed in 1,500 words. Quite an art, and you've perfected it.

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  2. Thanks, Bryony. It does sometimes feel as if there's a touch of magic involved!

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