Welcome to The Ready Room, where I explore random topics to help you kick off your week.
We’re two days from the end of the year, a season when I often feel ready to shed the old life and start fresh. This usually happens with a recount of accomplishments, a new set of goals for the year, and another story idea to mine for gold. While I hit many of my 2018 goals, there’s one that continues to leer at me like a smug hero.
As we dive into a new era, one thing that keeps popping up on my radar is short stories. I’ve written a few, but most of my short story experience is with post-by-post RPG where you really focus your character reactions as a dependency on other characters within the thread. So what’s this really all about?
“Short stories can expand your craft, earn you money and get you publicity.” ~ Joanna Penn
In 2018, on the advice of a fantastic book editor, I set out to read more books and leave reviews for every single one of them. A few turned into DNFs (do not finish), but I found so many more stories that I fell in love with. Many of those authors have become instant favorites like Lindsay Buroker, Resa Nelson, Michael R. Fletcher and Jacob Peppers. So here’s a secret:
…two of these authors I found because they had free short novellas to offer so I could get a sense of the author’s voice and style. And it worked because they have me as a reader for life. Give me any book by one of these authors and I’m all in.
Writing novellas or short stories as a compliment to a book series is only one way authors can benefit. In the article 5 Ways Writing Short Stories Can Boost Your Writing Career, Joanna Penn breaks down alternative avenues for writers to get their work into the hands of readers and boost their publishing presence. Anne R. Allen, on her Writer’s Digest guest blog 9 Ways Writing Short Stories Can Pay Off for Writers, digs even deeper into more ways short stories can boost an author’s career.
Does this mean writers should put that next novel on hold? Absolutely not. As professionals, we’re expected to be agile in our skill sets and continue honing our craft. Ballet dancers do not simply take the stage and perform, they practice their steps and work to perfect the graceful movements of each part of their body, so when they do step foot in the spotlight each dancer makes the production look effortless.
So don your tutus and toe shoes, because I’m issuing a 31-day short story challenge to any writer who wants to participate. Your story can be as short as fifty words or as long as two thousand. The goal is to use a prompt or idea, write out the story, and stick it into a folder.
At the end of January, each writer who takes the challenge should have 31 new short stories they can edit, sell, or slip as a chapter into that novel. Some folks may want to stretch their wings and try a new genre, while others might choose to stay in familiar territory.
Whatever your goal, take some time to set aside 31 days of prompts for yourself or follow a hashtag like #VSS365 for a surprise daily word prompt.
If you’re up for the challenge, let’s connect. Feel free to leave a comment below, or you can find me on Twitter (@KJHarrowick). Let’s create stories and make 2019 a bigger year than 2018. 🙂
If you like this article, be sure to check out The Ready Room for more tips and tricks. You can also subscribe to this blog and be the first to know when new content is delivered.
