We here at WEP would like to offer a hearty congratulations to Jemi Fraser for winning the WEP/IWSG April Challenge Jewel Box. All winners are offered to write a guest post on any topic they choose, but we always like to read something about their writing journey.
Jemi wrote a heartfelt tale of a man reliving the memories of a life spent together with the woman he loves as she dies, her hand in his. Our judge Nick Wilford said of her entry: "...short and sweet, very sad but also uplifting at the same time, love and loss captured in just a few lines. I could hear the music box and the short sentences seem to echo the slightly jerky motion of the dancer."
For her guest post, Jemi has chosen to write about transitioning from writing longer works to shorter ones.
From Long to Short
I’m not a person who wrote stories
as a kid. Created them in my head? Absolutely. Put them down on paper? Nope.
The thought didn’t even cross my mind.
We had exactly 2 creative
assignments in elementary school (both Grade 6) and zero creative writing
assignments in high school — and I took every available English class.
A whole lot of years ago I wrote a
Star Trek story for fun. I had a blast! It took forever and it was absolute
trash I’m sure. All +200k words are probably on a floppy disk somewhere…
Then I wrote another novel because
that had been so much fun. About a reporter, a cop, and a lot of dead bodies.
Another 190k words of trash. But fun!
That’s when I realized that maybe I
could actually write a book. It hadn’t really crossed my mind that people who
weren’t Authors could write books. (I know!) I’ve been writing since.
While my current stories aren’t
nearly as long as my first couple of just-for-me novels, I’d never tried my
hand at writing a short story until the IWSG put out the prompt for the Tick
Tock: A Stitch in Crime anthology.
An idea popped into my head. With
far too many viewpoints for a short story.
But, why not? I didn’t have to show
anyone if it stunk.
I normally write romance and
nonfiction, so writing these 8 characters (all with evil intent) was so much
fun!
After some playing around and
advice from a friend (thanks Deniz!) I added names to the snippets and the
story worked.
Now, I’ve tried a few more shorts
for the WEP challenges and I’m still having a lot of fun with them!
All this to point out that (for me)
writing is ALL about trying something new. About having fun and putting even
the weirdest ideas down on paper. Each time we write we learn something and
hopefully get better!
How about you? When was the
last time you tried something new? Were you a writer as a kid? Do you prefer
the Long or the Short?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Thanks Jemi!
So join us here at WEP. Write lots. Get better. Be kind to others. It’s the path that matters.
If you'd like to write for us here at WEP (Write...Edit...Publish), you are most welcome. We are open to flash fiction, non-fiction, poetry, photo essays, art...
Our June prompt is Caged Bird. That should bring forth some interesting entries. Lots of possibilities to choose from and explore!
You can sign up starting June 1st and post any day up through June 19th!
We'd love if you'd Tweet one of these:
The WEP 2019 April Challenge Jewel Box Winner Jemi Fraser on From Long to Short - @TheIWSG @DeniseCCovey https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2019/05/wepff-winner-jemi-fraser-talks-about.html #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF
#WEPFF Jewel Box winner Jemi Fraser's guest post is up. @DeniseCCovey @theIWSG
https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2019/05/wepff-winner-jemi-fraser-talks-about.html #amwriting #flashfiction
Do you prefer the long or the short write? @TheIWSG @DeniseCCovey https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2019/03/wepff-winner-dixie-j-jarchow-writes.html #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF
Congratulations Jemi.
ReplyDeleteI think short pieces are harder to get right. There is no room for error, and a good short story punches well above its weight.
That is SUCH a good description of a short, Sue! If the idea isn't tight, it just doesn't work
DeleteHi Jemi. Thanks for your great post.
ReplyDeleteYes, I wrote as a kid and got a little story published in a Brisbane newspaper at 11! But it's been a looonng time between publications! However, I've learned so much writing for RFW which became WEP for the past 9 years. Now to think about publishing again!! And I know so many who've found their writing improved by writing flashes/series for WEP and other online writing communities.
Ciao!
Denise
I agree - writing shorts is definitely a skill builder. It's definitely time for you to publish again
DeleteLove that you were published at 11!!
Congratulations once again, Jemi! and thank you for a thought provoking post. I have been writing poetry and shorts from childhood. :) I love short stories, one of my favourite genres - Gaiman, Alice Munro, O'Henry, Katherine Mansfield, Somerset Maugham, Saki, Graham Greene, Hemingway, Roald Dahl - some of my favourite short story authors, there are heaps others also, love all of them.
ReplyDeleteI'm totally in agreement on the 'trying something new' bit, I do that as a writing goal every year - try a new poetry form, a new genre, a different technique. WEP has helped me do that, as have the various IWP MOOCs I've done. Right now I'm trying creative non-fiction...I do believe that word limits and prompts sharpen writing skills like nothing else. Shorts are, in a way, stepping stones to a novel.
Thanks, Nilanjana!
DeleteI've read a few Gaiman shorts and he is brilliant.
Trying something new is always fun - and a great way to stretch ourselves.
Glad the IWSG anthology prompted you to do short stories. Now you are on a role!
ReplyDeleteThanks Alex!
DeleteIt's always fun to try something new and I'm having fun with it!
I'm like you, Jemi. I never thought of writing as a kid. Glad you are enjoying writing shorter works. And congrats on winning for your recent story.
ReplyDeleteThanks Natalie! Here's to late bloomers! :)
DeleteIt's great that you love to write short stories. Look at what's happened! Congrats again on winning the WEP.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lee! :)
DeleteIt' a good thing you went for it with your Tick Tock story.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a lot of short stories as a teen. I bet they're all crap too - LOL.
Thank goodness we can improve our writing skills!! :)
DeleteCongratulations and inspirational post, Jemi. Like you, as a kid the words stayed in my head. I didn't write them down until I was almost a teen. My first success with a short story - and my last win - was at 12. I've gone full circle, writing shorts in my teens, then attempted novels, and now scribbling shorts again. YA or MG fiction would take me well outside my comfort zone - I've attempted YA and I'm plotting some MG, perhaps.
ReplyDeleteThat's fabulous! Stretching yourself like that is such a challenge and such a great way to improve your skills! I've written some YA and I've got a MG or two running around in my head as well. We'll see!
DeleteWill we be facing off for the IWSG Anthology 2019? I force myself to enter every year - when the muse visits me.
DeleteI've only entered the one so far, but this theme has definitely prompted an idea, so maybe we'll have that face off!
DeleteSo many similarities, Jemi! I also didn't write as a kid. And like you, when I did start writing (at 40+), I started with novels. Short stories came later, and flash fiction later still. But my favorite length by now is a novella or a novelette. I'm not sure I will ever write a novel again, but maybe a couple novellas. And shorts too.
ReplyDeleteSo many similarities for sure, Olga!! I do still enjoy writing novel length but they are shorter than my first attempts. Just wrapping up a nonfiction project on Dementia that clocks in around 70k - that seems to be a good length fro me :)
DeleteI loved writing as a kid, probably because I liked reading, but we all take different paths to get to what we love. I've tried to write in these flash challenges to force myself to write something short. I'm limited right now in writing as I take care of my hubs, so writing short works better for me now. It's nice to hear how you started. I like mulling things over in my head before I decide on the story. Congrats again!
ReplyDeleteThanks DG! Life can sure make it challenging to fit in the time for writing - never mind the energy required, esepcially if you're involved in a care-taking role. I like letting my characters run around in my head too!
DeleteI was writing stories as soon as I could hold a pencil. But once I was old enough to think about it, I always thought in terms of novels. I wanted to write A Book. I’m not quite as recently come to short fiction as you (I started writing flash fiction shortly after I started my blog—and in fact my first book is a collection of short stories masquerading as a novel). For a long time, though, I didn’t think I could write short. Flash fiction turned out to suit me well, though I still struggle some with the more conventional short story.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your moving story for the WEP.
Thanks Rebecca :)
DeleteI'm with you - the conventional short story is much more challenging for me than flash - which is turning out to be so much fun!
Thanks for writing such a wonderful post, Jemi! I loved reading about your writing journey!
ReplyDeleteThanks LG! :)
DeleteGreat post Jemi. I did write as a kid but never thought it would become so much a part of my adult life. I've learned so much about writing thanks to WEP and the IWSG.
ReplyDeleteThanks Toi!
DeleteI agree - WEP and IWSG are incredible resources and have many opportunities for writers. So glad to be a part of them!
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