Short Stories Need a great Beginning
- Gail Stelter
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Hello
I hope wherever you may be, you are enjoying summer. This seems a little more difficult and even exhausting in this summer of heat, a world in turmoil beyond my control and, of course, the wildfires here in Canada. My heart aches for the innocent.
I am continuing to write my newspaper stories under the banner, Writing on the Senior Side. Interspersing these with long swims in the lake and wonderful family times with children and grandchildren makes a new story (1000 to 1200 words) every other week, a summer challenge, but I do enjoy it. I just need to find a little more time to take them where I want to go.
What do I know about writing great beginnings?
Since my last offering of Gates Open, I have written and submitted two new short stories. I like them. Who doesn’t like a story he/she/they submit? But I wonder if the beginnings were strong enough or enticing enough, so today my blog will be an exploration of the craft/art of drafting a great short story beginning.
Jericho Writers -
Author Dan Brotzel outlines 10 ways to start a short story. Here is the list, and you can go to the link I have provided to read about each of these and consider the examples provided. While the ideas are not new, I always appreciate articles like this that put it all together in one thought-provoking package of examples.
1. THE TELLING DETAIL - We know the whole setup within a few lines.
2. THE PARADOX - The whole drama is foreshadowed in the paradox that is set in motion in the story’s opening lines
3. THE HISTORICAL BACKDROP- provides context and general background for the tragedy about to unfold
4. THE ANECDOTAL APPROACH -the story emphasizes the whole progression by narrating events in a straightforward, anecdotal style right from the opening paragraph.
5. IN MEDIA RES -“in the middle” - a beginning where the story drops us into the middle of the action of the narrative so that we are instantly caught up in events.
6. THE REFRAIN- used in a collection of short stories which always begin with the same line
7. SETTING THE RULES- In any story that seeks to build a world that is not ours, there is some work to be done in establishing the reality of that world. In the example given, the rules are the engine of the plot.
8. BEGINNING WITH THE INCITING INCIDENT- Screenwriter Robert McKee describes the inciting incident as the moment that radically upsets the balance of forces in your protagonist’s life.
9. THE THOUGHT EXPERIMENT- a challenging idea that confronts us in the first sentence
10. THE CONUNDRUM - the story opens with a mystery and the rest of the story picks at this mystery
The article is 3500 and worth the read. I printed it out as I know I will revisit it.
In addition, as much as I appreciated the examples provided, I wanted to see the author’s implementation in his writing of short stories:
Dan Brotzel’s debut short story collection, Hotel du Jack, was published in 2020. Looking forward to reading it.
Another online article you may wish to read:
What’s next in my short story endeavour?
I am going to take a CNF ( creative non-fiction) story I wrote about the S S Kamploops that sank in Lake Superior in 1927 and use it as the historical basis for a Ghost story about Old Whitey. Yes, there have been sightings of Old Whitey on the sunken steamship. I want a great beginning!
The story will be submitted to a Ghost Story writing contest through The New Canadian Stories, a literary magazine. I don’t expect or care if I win. I just want to like it a lot and keep it for my short story collection. Yes, after the novel is done, I am putting together a short story collection. I guess I will have to live a while yet. At my age (77), it is about writing and having fun. Not a bad place to be!
How’s my Cozy Mystery Coming Along?
Well, if writing my newspaper stories and my short stories is difficult in summer, then my novel is even worse. Still at 25000 words and not counting, I did give myself permission for summer fun, and so it’s okay. I plan to get back on track as soon as I finish the ghost story, so by the end of August the goal is to reach 33000 words. I am comfortable with my whiteboard plan and outline and confident my goal is doable.
How’s marketing my book coming along?
It’s not. I have life experiences in developing marketing plans, and I could set one up and implement it for my book, but I don’t want to give my time to this. I think there is a niche for my book, and I would like to get it out there. I just need a reputable, ethical person or company to do this with and for me.
I get scams every week, sometimes every day, from unsolicited people who love my book and, for a fee, will help. Me. I posted my frustration with these on the Canada Writes Facebook page and appreciated the response and feedback from other authors. I am still undecided about where to go next.
That’s it for this edition of Gates Open.
I hope one of you will read it and respond.
Take care
Gail
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