Flash fiction - Big things come in...you know the cliche

I find it a bit ironic that the two story lengths I enjoy most are flash fiction pieces and novels. Especially fantasy novels...you know, the genre where you could club a stubborn mule into submission with some of the doorstoppers authors produce.

Novels are what I work on mostly, and certainly where I hope to make the most progress as far as a writing career goes. Not sure if anyone out there actually makes a living mostly on writing and selling flash fiction, but I'd be quite impressed.

For anyone confused at this point, flash fiction is usually defined by stories written in 1,000 words or less. The usual market range is between 100-1,000 words, with wobble room in either direction. I got into flash fiction through a series of contests on the Clarity of Night blog, where photos would be provided for story prompts.

Usually, when working on a novel, I keep pretty focused on that one project. I don't feel I have a ton of mental margin when working with one set of characters and plot to develop a whole other set for a short story or otherwise. And even when I do have the time and energy, I struggle with short stories as a whole. For some reason, they just don't...flow for me, I guess is the best way to put it. I find them harder to write than I do entire novels.

Flash fiction is different, though. I enjoy writing flash fic. There's something about taking an idea and condensing it into such a compact space that I love. I also feel flash fic helps me in a few ways. It has taught me the value of cutting words, foremost. If I need to come in under a 500-word limit, and my story is 520 words long, 20 words ends up being a much more significant amount to cut. But I have to find a way to do it without compromising the story I went to tell.

Flash fic has also taught me the power of implying. Because I cannot flesh out characters and backstory as much in 1,000 words or less, I have to let a lot of it remain subtext. That means both dialogue and action have to work overtime in conveying emotion, historical, and environmental context. There may be fewer words, but they have to shoulder many more times the weight.

Lastly, flash fiction makes me appreciate the reader's part in the story-telling process. The reader's imagination is vital to a story, because I can't fill in all the gaps; and with flash fiction, there are many larger gaps to be filled than you might find in a novel or short story. You have to trust that the reader won't demand you provide all of those details, and is willing to let their mind fashion the rest of the world you haven't gotten around to.

Have you had any experiences writing/reading flash fiction? Do you think it can be as powerful as other forms of storytelling?

What's your passion?

A couple weeks back, I went back to my old high school (10 years since graduation? Really? When did that happen?) and gave a talk to several middle school classes about why I chose to pursue writing. I wasn't there to try and convince them that writing is the highest pursuit of art possible. I wasn't there to beat them over the head about how amazing reading books is, or that science fiction and fantasy are the most literary genres around, or anything of that sort.

I was there to share a passion, and hopefully inspire a few of the kids to connect with their own. 

Here's a video of about 2/3rds of the talk for anyone who might want a peek of me trying not to trip over the mic stand on stage:

For those who would prefer to skip that, here's the overview. I listed 5 reasons why I became a writer, and with each, asked the students 5 questions that I believe would help them (or anyone, for that matter) hone in on potential passions in life and help them discover ways to pursue those dreams. 

These questions include:

1. What is something you want to experience (and help others experience) for the rest of your life?

2. What is an aspect of yourself (personality, talent, etc.) that you never want to lose?

3. What is a way you can continue to grow as a person?

4. What's something you believe you can contribute to better than anyone else?

5. How do you best express yourself? 

Writing answers all those for me. It's my passion. I want to constantly experience the wonder of discovering new worlds and characters. It strengthens my imagination and creativity while making me learn and grow through research. It's a lot of hard work, too, but underneath it remains the original joy that spurred me to pursue writing in the first place.

Maybe some of those kids will share in the same dream. My guess is the majority of them won't, but that they'll discover a strong connection in another area--be it science, art, business, ministry, etc. 

Have you asked yourself these sorts of questions before? What are your answers? Do they take you down the same paths, or are you still wandering, trying to discover what truly calls to you?

The joys and horror of revisions

So this is an interesting situation.

A bit back, my agent passed on some feedback from a particular editor who reviewed, but initially passed on the novel we're shopping around. The editor liked the premise, but felt it needed to bulk up in a couple areas before she could take it on--though, should I be willing to give it some hefty revisions, she'd be happy to take a second look.

So, with the agent currently reviewing another manuscript I sent his way, I've been taking some time to revisit this first story and see whether these suggested revisions will improve it, or alter the story enough that I wouldn't feel it was true to what I wanted from it.

I'm up to Chapter 5 after a week or so, and it's been...well...rough, but good. My biggest fear, going in, was that the story was going to be divided between its original, more serious tone, and some of the humor I'm trying to weave into it. I feared going overboard, of losing focus on the original plot. I hesitated because I thought I might have to scrap big plot elements, or major characters altogether.

And there's, of course, the big possibility the editor will look at the new version and still pass.

Yet the more I work with it, the more I feel this is actually going to help bring this story to a new level, and will help me grow as a writer. One character in particular is much more interesting and fun to work with after making a big change in her personality. I'm learning how to balance tone, discover humor in odd situations, and give characters stronger (and more believable) motivations.

If anything, the process so far has taught me this: Any story, no matter how "finished" you think it is, can always find a new depth and fuller voice.

So, on to see what I can make of the next chapter. Hopefully it'll get easier the further along I go.

In other news, I've taken on a new Examiner title along with my Speculative Fiction one. I now am the Tolkien Examiner as well, covering all things Middle-earth and Tolkien-related. Any Lord of the Rings/Hobbit fans out there who want to join in the fun?

There's also a new post up on Write-Strong.com, about juggling priorities as a writer, where I share a bit about my personal struggle with it.