Mastering The Short Story
Although I perceive Paul Darcy Boles to be an uppity, egotistic, and somewhat
euphorically rambling old man from his style of writing, there is some beneficial
information for someone wishing to create a commercially viable short story. However, I
feel that creating a story with the goal of marketability is a grave mistake that ruins
countless numbers of otherwise perfectly enjoyable works of literature. It is no surprise
that this style of writing is being taught to the new generation, which promises to be
far more creative than it's predecessors.
Boles' first advice is to follow Chekhov's observation: "The art of writing is the art
of abbreviation." A story of 3000 words or less has no need for excessive 1 paragraph
descriptions. "Today's reader" (whoever that is) has no need for the descriptive style
found in older works. So much for Alistair MacLeod.
A lot of importance is put on not stringing random sentences together. Each sentence
should be aimed towards a specific goal. The sum total of these sentences is your story.
Boles' views a sentence as a factor in a mathematical equation. He also gets almost
romantic about the sentence as a living, sentient being. Once you shovel the pop-lit
drivel where it belongs, you are free to apply his suggestions to your own work.
It is a good idea to check your story for too much obvious meaning. Not only will this
make the story shorter and clearer, the hidden meanings imbedded in the story will have a
chance to be probed and discovered. As well, avoid "signpost" sentences that could easily
be replaced by more legitimate conversations or actions.
A lot of emphasis is put on simulating a sense of "in-ness"; that is, giving your work a
believable lived in feeling. When reading the story, one should have a clear picture of
the environment around it's characters, and it is of imperial importance that it is
realistic.
In conclusion, Boles discusses the important of a strong beginning and ending. The first
word or sentence should be powerful, but be prepared to follow through with similar
statements throughout the story. If the beginning is too shocking, the rest of the story
will have a tough time following it's lead.
Likewise, the ending is equally as important to the overall stability of the story. Know
when to end it - most likely as soon as the conflict is resolved. Don't waste the
reader's time and attention with fluffy conclusions.
|