The Word Cloud

12 Comments

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  by Weens 2 years ago

  To be honest Tony, the seasons have never inspired me to write. I read so many poems about them when doing GCSE O''Levels at school, that it put me off reading them for many years. I don't mind them as much now, in fact I quite enjoy them, but write about them? Not for me. I'd rather get my teeth into something juicy, something of a longer nature. Hope that doesn't make me a sad case for a writer.
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  by Tony 2 years ago

  No, Edwina - whatever turns you on, as they say. But I'm not just talking about the four seasons (nor poetry, come to that). But anything that inspires a story at a particular time of year. Tennis, during Wimbldon; horse racing around Derby time; harvest festivals / Lamas fairs; winter sports; first day back at school - they're all seasonal.
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  by Weens 2 years ago

  I see what you mean. In that case you can 'seasonalise' most things.
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  by Rebecca Holmes 2 years ago

  I'm pretty similar on that, though I tend to put stories away for a few weeks after the first draft anyway, then I can look at them with fresh eyes. It's amazing what a difference it makes. So if it's a seasonal story I've written during the relevant season, I just leave it a little longer, but mark it with a post-it note or something similar to remind me.
  Also, a lot of magazines are taking longer to look at stories now, which means that even if their guidelines say send them three months in advance, it's probably best to send them about six months ahead.
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  by Miss Croft 2 years ago

  Think it's a great idea to write them when inspiration hits and then save them in a filing system that helps you find them when the right time comes. For me, I think only Halloween would inspire me, as I wrote 3 spooky short stories.
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  by Tony 2 years ago

  Three, Miss C! Brilliant. Do we get to see any?
  Good idea to check them over again after a few weeks, Rebecca.
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  by Miss Croft 2 years ago

  Maybe one day Tony, I need to edit them all and I won't have a chance until after NanoWrimo is finished.
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  by Caducean Whisks 2 years ago

  But what do you do about all the other boxes you need to tick for the mag? Not only seasonal, but the story must be of a particular length, be not too challenging/very challenging with a nice happy ending/twist in the tail. Mine are always wrong; usually too long, unless they're too short. I do have a nice little stable of tales, but trying to place them when they've been edited to death and are just right the way they are, is so hit-and-miss. The idea of chopping them in half/padding them out is enough to make me weep. Although I definitely agree about leaving a story to roast in its own juices when you think you've finished. It's astonishing what jumps out at you after a break from it.
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  by Tony 2 years ago

  I love the idea of a 'stable of tails' (I know that's not what you said, but it's what I read) - presumably the result of closing stable doors only just after the horses have bolted?
  Ideally, I guess, the stories should be written with particular magazines in mind - and hope their criteria don't change before it comes time to remove the m/ss from their date files and submit them.
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  by Rebecca Holmes 2 years ago

  I find it very difficult to sit down and say 'I am going to write a story for such and such a magazine'. Stories written that way tend to be very stilted and contrived, in my experience.
  
  What I find helpful is reading the magazines quite extensively and regularly, absorbing them so that you're familiar with the feel of each one and what sort of story will work for which magazine. It sounds sad, but I have notebooks filled with analysis of magazine stories, from number of type of characters to story arc etc. Then when you come up with an idea, you know roughly which magazine it might work for, and write it accordingly.
  
  If I write a story I'm pleased with but know won't suit the main magazines, I'll keep it to one side and often enter it in a suitable competition or submit it to an anthology. So, like Whisks, I keep a 'stable of tales' (good joke, Tony). I also jot down likely markets, comps, etc in a separate notebook. It can be time-consuming, but it does all sometimes come together.
  
  Maybe it's no wonder I can't find anything on my desk!
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  by Chanty 2 years ago

  I like this idea / system of yours Tony... and would certainly work... once I get into writing short stories....
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  by Tony 2 years ago

  Yes Chanty, I must admit, setting up the filing system is the easy bit!