Writerly Ways
Sep. 14th, 2014 02:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cornerofmadnessLet's explore 'how to make things harder on yourself.' I'm the leading expert in this I think. We could also title it 'you suck at writing short stories so why do you try?'
Okay I do sell about one or two a year but overall it ends up this way. 'We like this story but it doesn't fit the anthology. Can you expand this and resubmit?' First off, yes, that's actually pretty damn flattering. Secondly it is way harder than it sounds, like by a metric fuck ton.
You basically already have the story 'done' so now you have to alter your thinking on the story and see where it can expand. It's easy to get things out of order. Sometimes you have no idea where to even begin. I'll be honest I fail as often as I succeed at this.
Let's look at the stories I have that have fallen into this category.
Riding with Strangers - m/m m/f erotica paranormal mystery. I wrote it for an anthology and we all agreed, short mysteries are hard because you can't work in the red herrings. You would think that would be easy. Nope. Even though I love the story and started thinking about it when I was at UCF (where it is set) 12 years later, it's still undone.
The Darkest Midnight in December - m/m 1930s demon hunters. It was too dark for the holiday anthology and I was the one who asked could I expand it since they had already published a short story in the universe. They said try it and see and honestly this one was pretty easy to work out. It was the only one that was. It did fairly well as a novella at sailing under everyone's radar. Go me.
Blood Red Roulette This started as a vampire fic back in the mid 1990s. OMG, exactly 20 years ago this year (sobs, HOW?) It failed as a short story. Well okay it was bought twice and both times the magazines went under before printing it. I have that sort of luck. I've been trying to expand this to novel length for years as well. DSP has printed a short in this series and I would love to get this out there before that goes OOP. I plan on making this my nano novel. If anyone wants to preview what I have so far, I'd love you forever. I've been to Vegas twice researching this, SIX years apart. That's the struggle it's been. If I can't get the novel out of it, i'll give up and go novella but I truly don't want to.
If Two of them Are Dead M/M steampunk. This was for the steampunk volume and they asked ME to expand it. They were willing to buy it on spec and I did it but my god it was hard. Again with a mystery type story you'd think it would be easier to expand but it wasn't. ELD will attest to my whining on this one. It's doing fairly well with reviewers and sales wise for a novella (they're a more difficult sale)
Power to Endure M/F erotica SF. For an anthology. it failed. I think it fails as a novella as well but I have yet to find the energy or imagination to make it go as a romance novel. That might have a lot to do with my thoughts on romance.
Beneath the Torn Sky Another one for an anthology (same company as Power and Riding). This one has been going so slowly too. I love the characters and the dieselpunk world. You'd think it would be easier.
Have any of you tried to expand a shorter story? What tricks of the trade did you employ to do it? Did you/are you struggling with it as I am?
For me this has been a very hit and miss project. I reread the stuff, I work on a scene, I give up. Rinse and repeat.
Not writing related but may amuse people, last night I dreamed I was with Vin Diesel in my car (and a friend but I'm not sure who she was). He was driving and driving up to my parents' house (I was bringing how Vin? Dunno). Somehow he ignored my yelling and his own eyes and drove my car under the balcony and against the side of the house, scratching it up. I was furious (also to put the scratch where it was in the dream he'd have taken off the car roof but that didn't happen)
What really pissed me off was that my insurance wouldn't cover it because Vin did it and he wasn't offering to pay. Yeah that's what my brain chose to focus on. Insurance woes NOT the fact I was hanging out with Vin Diesel!
Yearly word count -
Edited Soldiers of the Sun & The Light of Winter which is back to the publisher. No new writing. Sigh.
Okay I do sell about one or two a year but overall it ends up this way. 'We like this story but it doesn't fit the anthology. Can you expand this and resubmit?' First off, yes, that's actually pretty damn flattering. Secondly it is way harder than it sounds, like by a metric fuck ton.
You basically already have the story 'done' so now you have to alter your thinking on the story and see where it can expand. It's easy to get things out of order. Sometimes you have no idea where to even begin. I'll be honest I fail as often as I succeed at this.
Let's look at the stories I have that have fallen into this category.
Riding with Strangers - m/m m/f erotica paranormal mystery. I wrote it for an anthology and we all agreed, short mysteries are hard because you can't work in the red herrings. You would think that would be easy. Nope. Even though I love the story and started thinking about it when I was at UCF (where it is set) 12 years later, it's still undone.
The Darkest Midnight in December - m/m 1930s demon hunters. It was too dark for the holiday anthology and I was the one who asked could I expand it since they had already published a short story in the universe. They said try it and see and honestly this one was pretty easy to work out. It was the only one that was. It did fairly well as a novella at sailing under everyone's radar. Go me.
Blood Red Roulette This started as a vampire fic back in the mid 1990s. OMG, exactly 20 years ago this year (sobs, HOW?) It failed as a short story. Well okay it was bought twice and both times the magazines went under before printing it. I have that sort of luck. I've been trying to expand this to novel length for years as well. DSP has printed a short in this series and I would love to get this out there before that goes OOP. I plan on making this my nano novel. If anyone wants to preview what I have so far, I'd love you forever. I've been to Vegas twice researching this, SIX years apart. That's the struggle it's been. If I can't get the novel out of it, i'll give up and go novella but I truly don't want to.
If Two of them Are Dead M/M steampunk. This was for the steampunk volume and they asked ME to expand it. They were willing to buy it on spec and I did it but my god it was hard. Again with a mystery type story you'd think it would be easier to expand but it wasn't. ELD will attest to my whining on this one. It's doing fairly well with reviewers and sales wise for a novella (they're a more difficult sale)
Power to Endure M/F erotica SF. For an anthology. it failed. I think it fails as a novella as well but I have yet to find the energy or imagination to make it go as a romance novel. That might have a lot to do with my thoughts on romance.
Beneath the Torn Sky Another one for an anthology (same company as Power and Riding). This one has been going so slowly too. I love the characters and the dieselpunk world. You'd think it would be easier.
Have any of you tried to expand a shorter story? What tricks of the trade did you employ to do it? Did you/are you struggling with it as I am?
For me this has been a very hit and miss project. I reread the stuff, I work on a scene, I give up. Rinse and repeat.
Not writing related but may amuse people, last night I dreamed I was with Vin Diesel in my car (and a friend but I'm not sure who she was). He was driving and driving up to my parents' house (I was bringing how Vin? Dunno). Somehow he ignored my yelling and his own eyes and drove my car under the balcony and against the side of the house, scratching it up. I was furious (also to put the scratch where it was in the dream he'd have taken off the car roof but that didn't happen)
What really pissed me off was that my insurance wouldn't cover it because Vin did it and he wasn't offering to pay. Yeah that's what my brain chose to focus on. Insurance woes NOT the fact I was hanging out with Vin Diesel!
Yearly word count -
79545 / 125000
(63.64%)
(63.64%)
Edited Soldiers of the Sun & The Light of Winter which is back to the publisher. No new writing. Sigh.
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