Joining me this week in my ongoing discussions about writing is author D.J. Cockburn.
Short story guidelines by D.J. Cockburn
Like many people struck with the urge to write short stories, I started by procrastinating. I worried my head about what the markets wanted, which was a mistake in itself because if you write something good and keep submitting it, someone will want to publish it. I didn't know that at the time, so I skimmed magazine guidelines looking for what they wanted from their writers. It made sense to me that if I was going to try to produce a product, I should pay attention to what the market wanted.
Most of them give an idea of what sort of fiction they are looking for, which is always helpful. There's no point in sending science fiction to a sword and sorcery magazine, and lists of the editor's favoured authors help to establish what tone they are looking for. Much less helpful are the more general words of advice that a lot of them offer. Many, perhaps most, say things like 'grip us with your narrative' and 'make us care about your characters'. I could work that much out for myself. What I couldn't work out was how.
When the editors decided to go a bit further, they usually came up with long lists of what not to do. That's helpful as far as it goes, and I often direct novices toward the Strange Horizons list of overused storylines. However, no set of instructions that starts every line with 'don't' is going to develop a creative process like fiction writing. Avoiding everything on that list is not in itself a recipe for a good story.
In my mind, an image began to form of the editorial meetings that produced these instructions. I visualised senior editors longing for the sensations they felt when they read Heinlein, Tolkein, Clarke or whoever their favourites were when they were twelve years old. As they've matured into the cynicism of adulthood, they have been carefully nurturing the dream of finding the writer who can take them back to those wonderful worlds. I visualised over-caffeinated slush readers chewing on yesterday's rejected manuscripts and pleading 'no more sexy vampires!' and 'Punctuation! My entire red pen collection for proper punctuation!' I realised that while these fantasy meetings were making a noble effort to state what they do and don't want, nobody in there was actually thinking like a writer.
So I had to find time in between procrastinating to write something. After several years, a few publications and a fair bit of discussion with other writers later, the urge to procrastinate was alive and well so I started thinking about what would have been really helpful when I got started. What I needed then was a set of clear instructions that were specific enough to understand and follow, but that left me with enough space to develop my own creative process. I came up with the list below.
The list comes with caveats. I'm interested in writing narrative driven short stories, and the list reflects that. Some of the points reflect the limitations of the short story form, and are not relevant to novels. I do not intend this as a list of instructions to follow slavishly, although I do think it would be unwise to deviate from any of these points without a solid reason for doing so. Above all, it reflects where my thinking is at the moment, which is hopefully less developed than it will be in a year's time. That's a pretentious way of saying I may be wrong about some of it, Or all of it, and inviting any and all opinions:
Elements of a Narrative Short Story: Essentials
1/ Novelty.
It's probably impossible to come up with an element for a story that hasn't been used before, but even a short story contains many elements which means there are far more ways of putting possible elements together than can ever be written. It's always possible to offer a reader something they haven't read before, but the first thoughts on a new idea tend to follow a well-worn path in the subconscious and lead to cliché. Before writing a first draft, it's well worth taking a step back and asking whether this is really something new or if it's something already seen or read that's been co-opted into a storyline.
2/ An engaging protagonist.
It's hard to define what makes a character engaging, but it's safe to say that it has as much to do with a character's flaws and weaknesses as their virtues and strengths, and far more to do with their motivations than the choices they make.
3/ A single viewpoint character.
It's rarely possible to switch viewpoints within the constraints of a short story.
4/ No more than three characters.
There just isn't space for developing more than one protagonist and two supporting characters in a short story. There is no limit to the number of spear-bearers, who can come and go as required.
5/ A clearly defined setting.
The importance of the setting varies enormously from one story to another, but the reader needs an idea of where the story is taking place and how that will affect the characters. This is particularly true of speculative fiction, where the range of potential settings makes it necessary to orientate the reader.
6/ Two plot problems.
One based in the character's psyche, one in the external world of the story. The more they play into one another, the stronger the resolution is likely to be.
7/ Clear premises and constraints.
This is most important where there is a strong speculative element, in which it needs to be clear what can and can't be done with technology and/or magic. It is also relevant in other genres where the characters' actions may be constrained by factors such as societal, legal or environmental.
8/ The genre element.
If the genre element could be disposed of without affecting the story, it isn't a genre story.
9/ Conflict at the centre of the story.
Usually that means that the protagonist must be focused on the plot problems throughout the narrative as described. If they have to pay bills, phone their mother or stop for coffee, they need to do it between the narrative sections unless it directly relates to the plot problems.
10/ Reduction of the narrative into the shortest possible chronological time.
If the relevant events are strung out over a prolonged period, it's often better to start later and describe earlier events in flashback than to put them in order.
11/ Clear explanations.
If something needs to be spelled out, it should be stated once and the story written as though that is a given from then on. Some readers may pick up an oblique explanation, but there will always be many who don't.
12/ Introduction of the protagonist, setting and at least one plot problem within the first hundred words.
I find this a good guideline to make sure I get the thing started. If I find I haven't done it with the first draft, something needs to be moved or deleted.
13/ A resolution to at least one of the plot problems.
Usually both, but sometimes that isn't necessary.
14/ A resolution that follows directly from what has come before.
Logic in the plot structure is indispensible, even if the logic is only clear in retrospect.
Elements of a Narrative Short Story: Desirables
1/ Surprise in the resolution.
The best resolution is the one the reader didn't see coming, but it's not always possible to find that resolution without deviating from the logic of the story. The ideal is both consistency and surprise but if forced to choose between them, consistency is paramount.
2/ A message beyond the tale.
The best stories are the ones that make the reader think about something in a way they never have before, but the message will not go across if it is at the expense of good story telling. As the meaning of the story is in the mind of the reader, not the author, it may not be possible to plan the effect.
Some of DJ Cockburn's stories are free:
Cassandra's Cargo
Steel in the Morning
Newgate Jig
And some have to be paid for:
Under the Hooked Cross
Rainfire by Night, in the Warrior Wisewoman 2 anthology
Perchance to Dream in the Triangulations: Dark Glass anthology
Seeking Kailash in Stupefying Stories 4
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