I've just finished a story -- a real story, the first in a couple of years at least, and I'm supposed to wait a couple weeks, then go back and revise the story. At least that's what I've advised everyone else. But the very idea of this makes me really antsy.
I'll probably wind up waiting a few days instead. I do have a certain justification. This took an unduely long time to write for a short story -- usual for me -- and meanwhile, I went back and revised earlier writing. And to think, this story began as a prank.
The story is just long enough to have sadly crossed over into a novelette. I might be able to cut enough to bring it down under the limit; we'll see.
On a different note, my opening salvo to "A Bikini Beach Summer" has surpassed 100 kudos!
Comments
Well, it is just me
and for what it's worth, I love the longer stories, so don't cut it if it takes away from the story.
Cutting
I wouldn't cut something to take it away from the story. Only something that isn't needed and needlessly expands the story. Of course, my judgement could be off.
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
Knew you didn't have all yer oars in the water
Let me get this straight in my tiny little mind because obviously I'm missing something in the "telling of the tale".Yer, thinking of doing a Reader's Digest and trimming the story because it doesn't fit a particular category on BCTS? The listing as novelette carries a "black spot" with it and the author is hexed if she or he posts one? And the hex is, no more chocolate chip cookies or what?
As Vicky Lawrence said to Carol Burnett. "Girl, you got splinters in the windmills of your mind."
I changed my mind about borrowing your red cocktail dress. It might carry some of those splinters.
Hugs Daphne
Barb
Life is a gift, treasure it.
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
Looking forward to your story and I have a question
Just joining the rest in wondering what the reason is for you not wanting to post a (short) novelette.
I will not resort to threats (or are they inverse bribes?) like those formulated by an OK doll.
No Real Reason
The major antsiness comes from waiting followed by revision -- doing what I've repeatedly advised.
The problem is that my story started out as a little something with a twist, and grew and grew like a tumor. Paragraphs and bits were thrown in as ideas at random, and took a long time -- especially with my major mental distractiveness -- to combine into a coherent whole where it is now. It needs revision, both adding details to make characters (and plot) interesting -- to get to know the characters and the why of various things -- and to cut stuff to improve it. (Wording probably needs revision as well.)
In my "Peripheral Demography" story, it was fortunate that I saw (before I wrote it) that I could cut almost everything involving the two big brothers.
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
Thirty Days
It normally takes about thirty days for me to set aside a story to gain new perspective as to the reader's POV.
Having another project to think about in the interim can shorten that time.
Good luck.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
30 Days?
Thirty days? Oh my. I do have a few dozen stories at various points in the pipeline, mostly stalled. There's also my (mostly online) physics class, for which I have to create several things fast.
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
Physics, eh? I'm at home. Heisenberg might have slept here ...
... but we can't be certain.
-- and --
A Higgs boson goes into a Church. Gives Mass.
Quantum Pillows
For any particular bed there is a probability that Heisenberg did or did not sleep in that bed, until the bed is measured. But the real question is, if Heisenberg slept in some bed, did he lay awake all night wondering if there was a Dog?
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Heisenberg's Bed
The universe is in a superposition of states, where Heisenberg slept in Bed 1, Heisenberg slept in Bed 2, Heisenberg slept in Bed 3, etc. The probability of our finding he was in a certain bed is given by the absolute square of the bed's coefficient.
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
Just do it
Novelette sounds so cool, almost like majorette.
Sometimes you need to just
Sometimes you need to just jump in with both feet to see how big a splash you can make.
Also keep in mind that what you recommend to people is not necessarily the way you do it yourself.
When I teach people how to play music, I teach them to read music. When I play myself, I play by ear. How can I teach someone to do what I do? Maybe there's a scientific method, but when I play a song in the correct key, and with all the chords that the writer put in, or some I think he or she should have put in, I can't teach that. So I have a method I use when I teach music. Completely different than what I do myself, and there are many success stories for reading music, so I'm not afraid of giving advice that way.
Don't be afraid of telling people "do what I say, not as I do." I'm not saying just post it and be done with it. Just remember, "the more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain". Seems like some famous engineer said that at one time...
Hugs!
Rosemary
Music
I can read music but I can't sight-read well. I have to work thru the melody carefully, figuring out where my fingers go, then it takes me a dozen or so runs through before I can remember it and play at speed. At which time, looking at the music will only confuse me. :)
If I'm playing piano, once I have the right hand down, I can teach the left hand what to do. Or let it just find the chords which is safer and less confusing, but sometimes results in strange harmonies since Lefty is fond of ninth chords. (That's my excuse.) :P
I'm a terrible musician but I have fun. :D
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
I had a friend in college who
I had a friend in college who always played the root chord as a ninth. She was incredible on the guitar, and good on the piano. My biggest complaint was that, as guitar was her first and best instrument, she liked sharps on the piano. Ugh! I hate sharps. I will play in them, but not usually by choice!
Hugs!
Rosemary
Since
Since my instrument for playtime is a flute (recorder), I'm not comfortable with more than one or two sharps or flats in my key sig. Too confusing, especially if you go out of the home octave. One of my flutes is in G so I get a sharp for free. :) I just read music written in C, finger the flute like it is tuned in C and voila B comes out as F#. I think. Unless I've fourthed when I should have fifthed. :)
It's just like playing a Bb trumpet while reading music written in C. :) Auto-transposing is cool.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.