theflyingsquirrel

Essentials of a Short Story ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quotes raped from a critique of Nathanial Hawthorn's Twice Told Tales by Edgar Allen Poe - 1837 Edgar Allen Poe, celebrated as one of the finest short fiction writers of all time, was also a literary critic. These are bits of his wisdom on writing short stories, gleaned from one of his critiques. "The true critic will but demand that that the (story's) design intended be accomplished, to the fullest extent, by the means most advantageously applicable…" -- Poe Poe's Prerequisites -- in a Nutshell: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To deliver fullest satisfaction, a short story should be structured: 1) To

I recently solicited my watchers to ask me writing questions that I would then attempt to answer in a writing guide such as this. This article is my first response, and there will be many more to come. I've been asked to give advice on ways a writer can begin to put words on a page. The bottom line is as simple as this: sit your butt down and write. Duh, right? It's the only way I know to actually write. Sure, sitting your butt in a chair is easy, but getting your fingers to move and stay moving is a challenge. Here are three things that have helped me. 1) Have a goal. Your goal can be as simple as "describe the person in this picture" o

Okay, before anybody starts to think this is some weird idea, let me explain. For anyone who knows how to write (and I mean, REALLY knows how to write), you understand that a good story has everything written out on paper first.  You know, stuff like Outlines, Plot Triangles, Character Profiles.  This might be of a challenge to some of you and tie you down, but unless you are capable of keeping every piece of information in your mind, this is a good resource to fall back on.  If you do not need this, then fine—you aren’t required to use it.  According to Science Fiction Writers of America, do