I have recently discovered I love writing short stories. Until August, when I sent in In the Shadows my Civil War Anthology submission to Wild Rose Press, I would have told you my shortest story was 75,000 words. Until August, my shortest story was actually 22,500 words (my beloved wolfie story now with an actual title, Shadow State contracted with Wild Rose Press).
Now? Thanks to Ravenous' 2500-6250 word count limit on their short stories (they call it a Ravenous Rendezvous...whatever) I'm in love with the short story. No, in no way does this mean I don't want to do longer stories, I love those too - there's much more to say in them, you can have more conflict, more angst. More sex. But in the short story, it's almost a race against the bad guy (word limit) to reach the ending first.
It's a poor explanation but I can't explain it any better. You have plot, sex, beginning-middle-end, and conflict. Lots and lots of conflict. It's fun, what can I say.
So today I'm working on my 1918 Rendezvous, Scars. A returning English WWI vet goes to the local pharmacy to buy the ointment needed for the scars he received on the battlefields of Flanders. What's the beautiful pharmacist to do but seduce the poor man?
And yes. I did my research. There were female pharmacists as far back at the 1860s in England. Not a lot, but they were there and voicing their opinions. I'll look for the link if anyone's interested.
5 comments:
ROFL -- I love it "what's a beautiful pharmacist to do but seduce him?" Only you, Isabel, only you. But I honestly can't wait to hear more about it.
As you know my short story career is a one-shot deal. I spent most of this morning banging my head against the wall over my current short WIP and decided that maybe, just maybe, I've finally bitten off more than I can chew!
Best of luck with the WWI story, it sounds great!
What? Looks around innocently, fails miserably.
I've done my share of head banging. It's when you bang against the keyboard that things are really bad. This your Western?
Good for you, Isabel! I haven't a clue at to how to write that short. My first book was 205k words long, so a regular novel is sort for me!
I'm with you. I haven't written short stories for years, mostly because they're so hard to market. But since contracting my short vampire story, Eternity Waits, I've found writing short is fun, although I'll never give up writing full-lengths.
I definitely won't give up full-lengths, you can tear couples apart so much more and with such angst. (No, really, I do love my couples! Especially together!) Bt I find the short story, I don't know. Fun. Yup. They're fun.
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