jodi henley
February 19th, 2011, 04:57 PM
Now that it’s almost over, I wanted to do a little wrap-up.
There are a lot of structures out there, but the one that works for a short story is simply Aristotle’s description of three act structure. Beginning, middle and end. You can’t get any more basic. You can definitely write something different, but I like to see cash. Experimental literary shorts are a hard sell.
Even if you don’t put a lot of time into it, think about your target group. White chocolate rarely sells to a dark chocolate lover. Even if you decide it’s something you want to try—be aware of the potential downside so you’re not disappointed in your sales volume.
Story events are important in a short. Make sure the ones right up front are a “hook”. You’re out there and available as a sneak peek or preview. In real estate terminology, you need some curb appeal.
Character-driven works for a short. Unless the plot is more important than the people, readers love to read about your characters. If you give them a reason to come back—that’s repeat sales and money in your pocket.
Don’t give your readers a reason to stop reading. If you want to do something different, signal a change by using a pseudonym. But otherwise, try to stay within your reader’s comfort zone, and by that I don’t mean be boring. Comfort zones can range from grandma and babies to Saw 3. Be consistent.
Think big picture. If there’s one piece of advice I’d like a short story writer to keep from this workshop, it’s this:
Your world is your sales tool.
It should be just like the real world where all your people exist, going about their business, doing things in a world that contains everyone and everything you’ve already written about. Not in a literal, every story needs the same people sense, but if they walk down the road, the same buildings will be there, and the murderer caught in the last story is on the news, or in the archives.
Keep a world building spreadsheet, and if you know how to link to another sheet, make sure you build in the cross references. Or use a private wiki, or a binder with tabs.
You want to create backlist that people want to read. The great thing about shorts is that most of the time they’re cheap, and one purchase can lead to a complete backlist purchase. Give your reader reasons to buy everything.
Hot sells, and if you thought I wasn’t going to bring it up—you’re wrong. If you feel comfortable with it, all sub-genres of erotica and romance with erotic elements, sell well.
Don’t discount blurbs.
Blurbs shouldn’t be a dry recitation of what happens.
One e-pub came up with the fabulous idea of telling people—“If you’re offended by...” and creating a long list of faintly taboo erotic subjects, “…don’t read this story!” And I love it. They’re definitely creating a come-on for people who like that kind of thing.
If you can’t figure out how to create a blurb, go to YouTube and watch movie trailers.
The last important thing.
Sometimes, it’s not about the money.
Back when I was experimenting with smashwords, a lot of other people did the same thing. The one thing I remember clearly was someone I know saying, “I just want people to read me.”
And that’s okay, too.
It’s not a game to see who gets the most bucks. It’s a need and a compulsion, and all sorts of other things as well. If you write to be heard, just write. I wish you well.
There are a lot of structures out there, but the one that works for a short story is simply Aristotle’s description of three act structure. Beginning, middle and end. You can’t get any more basic. You can definitely write something different, but I like to see cash. Experimental literary shorts are a hard sell.
Even if you don’t put a lot of time into it, think about your target group. White chocolate rarely sells to a dark chocolate lover. Even if you decide it’s something you want to try—be aware of the potential downside so you’re not disappointed in your sales volume.
Story events are important in a short. Make sure the ones right up front are a “hook”. You’re out there and available as a sneak peek or preview. In real estate terminology, you need some curb appeal.
Character-driven works for a short. Unless the plot is more important than the people, readers love to read about your characters. If you give them a reason to come back—that’s repeat sales and money in your pocket.
Don’t give your readers a reason to stop reading. If you want to do something different, signal a change by using a pseudonym. But otherwise, try to stay within your reader’s comfort zone, and by that I don’t mean be boring. Comfort zones can range from grandma and babies to Saw 3. Be consistent.
Think big picture. If there’s one piece of advice I’d like a short story writer to keep from this workshop, it’s this:
Your world is your sales tool.
It should be just like the real world where all your people exist, going about their business, doing things in a world that contains everyone and everything you’ve already written about. Not in a literal, every story needs the same people sense, but if they walk down the road, the same buildings will be there, and the murderer caught in the last story is on the news, or in the archives.
Keep a world building spreadsheet, and if you know how to link to another sheet, make sure you build in the cross references. Or use a private wiki, or a binder with tabs.
You want to create backlist that people want to read. The great thing about shorts is that most of the time they’re cheap, and one purchase can lead to a complete backlist purchase. Give your reader reasons to buy everything.
Hot sells, and if you thought I wasn’t going to bring it up—you’re wrong. If you feel comfortable with it, all sub-genres of erotica and romance with erotic elements, sell well.
Don’t discount blurbs.
Blurbs shouldn’t be a dry recitation of what happens.
One e-pub came up with the fabulous idea of telling people—“If you’re offended by...” and creating a long list of faintly taboo erotic subjects, “…don’t read this story!” And I love it. They’re definitely creating a come-on for people who like that kind of thing.
If you can’t figure out how to create a blurb, go to YouTube and watch movie trailers.
The last important thing.
Sometimes, it’s not about the money.
Back when I was experimenting with smashwords, a lot of other people did the same thing. The one thing I remember clearly was someone I know saying, “I just want people to read me.”
And that’s okay, too.
It’s not a game to see who gets the most bucks. It’s a need and a compulsion, and all sorts of other things as well. If you write to be heard, just write. I wish you well.