this is what anne says in bird by bird: “find out what matters most to each character in the world because then you will have discovered what is at stake. Find a way to express this discovery in action, and then let your people get down to finding, holding, or defending whatever it is. but something must be at stake or you won’t have tension and your readers won’t turn the pages.”
Listen to this advice and be sure to invite the reader in. why should they care about your character’s journey?
You are reading: Best books on writing short stories
make sure your characters are moving towards something. the characters should have changed by the time you get to the end.
traditionally there are three acts. a setup, an accumulation and the reward. this system exists for a reason. sometimes you start with your end in mind. sometimes you find your plot while interacting with your muse every day while scribbling your first draft.
I want to end this part with another tip from anne lamott on how to structure a story:
“a formula for writing a short story, going upwards, for action, background, development, climax and ending. you start with an action that is compelling enough to draw us in, make us want to know more. the backstory is where you let us see and know who these people are, how they came to be together, what was going on before the story started. then you develop these people, so that we learn what matters most to them. the plot, the drama, the actions, the tension will come out of that. you move them around until everything comes together at the climax, after which things are different for the main characters, different in some real way.”
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the shitty first draft and ditching perfectionism
I love letting go. whenever I have my daily date with my muse, I just write. I don’t care about spelling, grammar, or prose. I only care about the story that comes out and the journey that my characters take. you just need to write something on the paper. you can fix it in a second draft (and in a third, fourth, etc.). polish later.
In the book, Anne speaks of perfectionism as the voice of the oppressor. perfectionism can be your enemy when you get lost in the details. is your obstacle to finish the first draft. can get in the way of fun writing.
make a mess, clean up later. you’ll be more likely to discover new directions and interesting ideas with your story and characters if you let go. and hey, your first draft is just for you. so indulge yourself as your first reader.
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book 2: great magic – elizabeth gilbert
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the bold, funny and wise gilbert shares some profound lessons on creativity in his book great magic.
“The universe buries strange jewels deep within all of us and then goes back to see if we can find them. the hunt to discover those gems, that’s creative life. the courage to go on that hunt in the first place, that’s what separates a mundane existence from a more haunted one. the often surprising result of that hunt, that is what I call great magic.” — elizabeth gilbert
Life is more fun when you live a creative life. At least in my opinion. I reveled in Gilbert’s creative wisdom. this is an inspiring book. the following lessons seemed deeper to me.
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have the courage to be creative
gilbert: “do you have the courage to bring out the treasures that are hidden within you?”
To muster the courage to be creative, you must realize that living a life driven more by curiosity than fear is great. In a previous post, I wrote why being curious is our best way to grow.
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