Hello Scribes!
I've been recently debating my writing pile and what it means to have this assortment of randomness upon which I sit, with laptop in hands, furiously typing, adding to the pile. I'm talking about short stories, here. What do you think about short stories and their success?
What is your most successful story? What made it so successful? Was it external factors that validated this story for you, or was it a personal appraisal that set this story apart from the others?
For me, it's a hard choice. When I look at my pile of stories, I have mixed feelings. Some, I think are creative, but maybe suffer from plot weaknesses, despite the interesting concepts I used to execute the particular story.
Others, I think were great concepts, but the story got a touch lost under my often-confusing habit of pantsing, and though the execution was sufficient to make a good tale, the story just didn't hold up.
Sometimes, I'm more connected to a character than I am to their story. Other times, I think I've come up with a great tale, only to have it lack in the end because the character didn't "fit".
I tend to think of my most successful stories as those where I took risks that paid off in some way, either pushing my understanding of what I can do, or otherwise opening a door for my use in the future.
I guess in the end, I don't have a single "most successful" story, but I'm interested in knowing what your experiences are. How do you choose your most successful?
I've been recently debating my writing pile and what it means to have this assortment of randomness upon which I sit, with laptop in hands, furiously typing, adding to the pile. I'm talking about short stories, here. What do you think about short stories and their success?
What is your most successful story? What made it so successful? Was it external factors that validated this story for you, or was it a personal appraisal that set this story apart from the others?
For me, it's a hard choice. When I look at my pile of stories, I have mixed feelings. Some, I think are creative, but maybe suffer from plot weaknesses, despite the interesting concepts I used to execute the particular story.
Others, I think were great concepts, but the story got a touch lost under my often-confusing habit of pantsing, and though the execution was sufficient to make a good tale, the story just didn't hold up.
Sometimes, I'm more connected to a character than I am to their story. Other times, I think I've come up with a great tale, only to have it lack in the end because the character didn't "fit".
I tend to think of my most successful stories as those where I took risks that paid off in some way, either pushing my understanding of what I can do, or otherwise opening a door for my use in the future.
I guess in the end, I don't have a single "most successful" story, but I'm interested in knowing what your experiences are. How do you choose your most successful?