Where I started
My running theme with this blog refers to my love of writing. I especially enjoy entertaining others with my stories. albeit the best ones so far have yet to be written. Ever since I was a kid before I even knew what a bucket list was, being a published author was on my list of things to do before I die. Then, thanks to technology, the internet, and self-publishing forums, that dream came true! I actually wrote a non-fiction book about my experiences as a traveling Speech-Language Pathologist. It can be purchased as paperback or ebook on Amazon books. If you are interested, my book America, Cats, and Guns can be found here. I can almost hear you thinking..the plan, what’s the plan?
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What’s my new plan?
I entirely enjoy posting articles on the blog. There’s nothing better than sharing the information I learn and offer opinions about things that no one asked me to share. I love to talk about my cats and find products or services for other cat owners to use and love the same as me. But, I also miss writing short stories. At one point, I considered writing one post a week in a story format, just like when cliff-hangers ended tv shows and you had to come back the next week for more! Who knows, maybe someday I will do that! But that’s not my new plan.
Your invitation
I invite you to join me as I work on my new plan of writing short stories for publication on Amazon. What is your role? I want you to start your story too! How awesome is that?! Every week one of my posts will talk about where I am in the journey. Then, in the comments, I want YOU to share what you accomplished so far as well! If you had a busy week and didn’t get much done? I call that life. However, knowing that someone is waiting to hear about your progress can be motivating as well.
Starters
So we’re all on the same page here, let’s clarify some terms. First, a short story is always fiction. you can always take a real experience, remove all the identifiers, embellish, and viola! We have fiction. Second, let’s tackle the question you are currently asking. How many words is considered a short story? A traditional short story is 1,500 to 5,000 words. Yet, one might have more success selling your work when it ranges from 1,500 to 3,000 words range. There is something called “flash fiction” which ranges from 500 to 1,000 words, and “microfiction” ranges from 5 to 350 words. I encourage you to do your research to learn what type of fiction you prefer to write. For myself? I prefer the traditional ranging up to 3k words. In a similar fashion, I want you to start thinking about stories you’ve recently shared. It doesn’t matter how “short” the story was you told at the water cooler. Just start there as your core, then begin to embellish.
Not as easy as it sounds
Great heading, Anita! Way to drum up the worries! But hey, let’s be fair. Writing a novel allows you to write in long, descriptive patterns. It buys you the time to tell the backstories and connections. We don’t get that kind of time with short stories, so in essence, it’s a lot harder. Yet, many people love to read short stories because of their brevity, and someone has to write them! If you need some help understanding what a short story includes, go straight to Google and start your search. I’m not going to write about how to get started until I’ve already gotten started. I need to find out what works and doesn’t, so I can later help others get through the process quicker than I am right now. But, let’s do it together, shall we?
Game On!
Your first assignment is to think. Make a list of ideas based on recent personal experiences. Write that story you just shared at work and think about expanding it. Remember, it’s your story. You have the right to expand, embellish, twist, and re-write it. I will do the same. We will work on this project together. Next week, I will post about my progress. I am hoping you will comment on your progress as well. When we reach the end and we have our finished products, I can share how to publish on Amazon, as I’ve done it once before. It’s not necessary to have the same goal as me, but that is my ultimate plan. I also have a feeling that my next adventure will be to learn how to turn our short stories into audibles, just to mix up the medium.
Are you in?
I hope I’ve gotten the attention of all you hopeful writers! I hope to make this fun for all of us! If you’re in, please leave a comment or any questions below. Make sure to subscribe to this blog so you are alerted when we post next. This is going to be super fun to tap into our fiction writing skills! See you soon!
Looking for extra funds to spend on travel fun? Check out my post on Making Money with a Side Hustle – the Top 15. OR learn how to write a book! 10 steps for Writing a Book – you have to start somewhere!
