Writers' Newsletter
Issue #249
December 2023
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How to Become a Short Storyist
By G. Miki Hayden
Instructor at Writer's Digest University online and private writing coach
firstwriter.com – Tuesday November 14, 2023
I wanted to become a novelist, but a friend of mine gave me a tip: “Write short stories as credentials you can mention in query letters for your novels.” I decided to follow her advice, plus I could write a short story in a couple of weeks for some quick satisfaction.
Since then, I’ve written and published generous handfuls of short stories, won a couple of short story awards, and made a little money at the game—mostly very little—but all coinage counts.
I want to herein present some revelations as to “how I do it.” But in addition to my having short stories published many times, I also have many worthy pieces not yet published, so don’t follow me there.
I don’t concentrate on just one element in the story when I write and then layer in other aspects—though you can do that. I also rarely restructure. I write and then polish. However, while I certainly think that writing everything at the same time produces a more cohesive piece, I also will suggest that my students (at Writers Digest’s Writers Online Workshops) can deposit in elements later on if they aren’t able to provide them in the initial draft.
The most common essentials that students will miss in their short story writing are emotion, setting, and point-of-view character internals.
The eliciting of emotion is definitely an important fundamental of fiction, but that’s probably the hardest thing for writers to do. So I don’t really mean that exactly, as creating suspense, tension, the onset of romance, or even reader sorrow is extremely difficult. If writers can actually trigger reader feelings—wonderful—they may make a lot of money selling their manuscripts. But if they can’t, then they can at least include the mechanical representation of these sensations. We are always able to write “His heart thudded in his chest, and he thought he would faint.” That will substitute for the real thing in many instances, and a writer does need to have at least elements of emotion to round out any story.
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News |
Some of this month's news for writers from around the web.
PRH acquires independent self-help publisher Hay House
thebookseller.com – Thursday December 14, 2023
Penguin Random House has acquired independent self-help and wellness publisher Hay House.
Nihar Malaviya, c.e.o. of Penguin Random House, and Reid Tracy, c.e.o. of Hay House, announced the acquisition on 12th December 2023 but the terms of the deal were not disclosed. The news comes just two months after PRH UK announced its acquisition of Hardie Grant’s UK publishing business.
Currently a client of Penguin Random House Publisher Services (PRHPS), Hay House will now be able to "further leverage" the resources capabilities of PRH, a press statement said. It will retain its editorial and publishing independence and Tracy will continue to run Hay House as its c.e.o. post-closing. No changes are planned for its London, New York and Carlsbad offices or its management and employees.
Writers' Handbook 2025 - Out Now!
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Publisher drops author for using fake accounts to ‘review-bomb’ peers
theguardian.com – Thursday December 14, 2023
A writer has been dropped by her agent and publisher after she posted a slew of reviews from fake accounts on book-ranking site Goodreads.
Cait Corrain, whose book Crown of Starlight was due to be published in May next year, posted on X to apologise for her behaviour. “I boosted the rating of my book, bombed the ratings of several fellow debut authors, and left reviews that ranged from kind of mean to downright abusive,” she tweeted.
Corrain’s US publisher Del Rey, an imprint of Penguin Random House, stated on Monday that it was “aware of the ongoing discussion” about the author. Crown of Starlight “is no longer on our 2024 publishing schedule”, it said. Though it was initially unclear whether this meant that the book’s publication was being postponed or cancelled, both Del Rey and Corrain’s UK publisher Daphne Press later said that neither Crown of Starlight nor the second book in Corrain’s contract will be published by them.
Janson-Smith leaves Gleam to start new agency
thebookseller.com – Tuesday December 12, 2023
Agent Oscar Janson-Smith has left Gleam Futures to start his own agency.
Janson-Smith joined the agency in December 2021 after three years as an agent at Kruger Cowne, and was promoted to senior agent in March this year.
Over his two years at Gleam he sold 35 books, translated into 15 languages, with two titles becoming Sunday Times bestsellers. He also promoted new areas for Gleam such as fantasy, finance, craft, cookery and children’s.
Janson-Smith said: “It’s been a busy few months, so this is a delayed announcement, but it’s one that I’m very happy to be making. After a wonderful couple of years with Gleam, I had quite a few offers on the table — but once I’d got this idea into my head, it was hard to get it out again.
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Listings |
A selection of the new listings added to firstwriter.com this month.
New Magazine Listing: Power Cut Lite
firstwriter.com – Wednesday December 13, 2023
Magazine exploring 20th century pop culture and focusing on 1930-1999. All work should be set in or explore this period. See website for submission guidelines.
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New Literary Agent Listing: Maeve Bolger
firstwriter.com – Friday December 8, 2023
Trained at RADA and worked as a Stage Manager before becoming an agent in 2016. She represents Sound Designers, Composers, Musical Directors, Set and Costume Designers, Lighting Designers and Directors in Theatre, alongside a list of Writers across all disciplines.
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New Publisher Listing: Sparsile Books
firstwriter.com – Thursday December 7, 2023
A small boutique publisher, specializing in literary fiction and high quality non-fiction. We have an old-fashioned approach, which sees publishing in terms of an art. We have undertaken only to publish original and beautifully-crafted works with attention to historical detail and the poetry of language.
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| Click here for more of this month's new listings > |
Articles |
Some of this month's articles for writers from around the web.
The ten-minute writing sprint is life-changing
jordannews.jo – Tuesday December 12, 2023
I now work on my fiction every day, even for only 10 minutes, and the words add up
I first heard about the ten-minute writing sprint concept during my podcast conversation with indie author Doug Weissman.
I was curious about this approach, so I tried it
Suffice to say, it has been life-changing.
I now work on my fiction every day, even for only 10 minutes, and the words add up, making me feel happy and accomplished.
Take that, procrastination!
Three Short Story Writers On Publishing and Crafting Their Debut Collections
electricliterature.com – Tuesday December 12, 2023
The short story is an entirely different pleasure than the novel. For writers, the form demands precision and intense scrutiny of craft choices. The short story is constrained by its brevity but remains limitless in the opportunities it presents to challenge notions of craft. The short story collection, then, is an art form in and of itself. In conversation, stories produce something new and thrilling. We are let in to linger and marvel at the writer’s world, to listen to its chorus of voices telling us something urgent.
This interview features three writers who published their debut short story collections this year: Ada Zhang, the author of The Sorrows of Others; Nishanth Injam, the author of The Best Possible Experience; and Alexandra Chang, the author of Tomb Sweeping. I called Zhang, Injam, and Chang to learn about their writing processes, relationships with the short story form, and experiences publishing their first collections.
10X Your Writing Quality With These 8 Useful Websites
medium.com – Tuesday December 12, 2023
1. Aleenarais.com/write
The best-ever solution to overcome your writer's block.
Every time you open the website, it loads a random image with a text box to write your thoughts.
This instantly motivates you to write.
Because now you don't have a blank page in front of you.
People usually face "Blank Page Syndrome." It simply means not being able to start.
So this website is a lifesaver for you, as it perfectly solves that problem for you.
Check out the site: https://aleenarais.com/write/
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