This is a helpful way to think about meaning and revision. My friends and I challenged each other to write 2k word short stories, which is much shorter than I typically write. Beginning the first draft, I've felt self-conscious about the lack of meaning in the story, and wasn't sure if the ending would land.but maybe I'm thinking too prematurely. Once everything is on the page, I'll have a better chance at parsing out the possibilities for resonance and impact.
It's a challenge with shorter pieces, but I've run into the other side. Once the story says what it means to say, it's done. I've had readers want the shorter to stories to continue and explore the world, and all I can say is it's complete.
“Once the story says what it means to say, it’s done”—well put. The meaning has to arise from the story itself and not be artificially manufactured/forced into the story by the author. That kind of artifice is always painfully obvious in the narrative.
This is a helpful way to think about meaning and revision. My friends and I challenged each other to write 2k word short stories, which is much shorter than I typically write. Beginning the first draft, I've felt self-conscious about the lack of meaning in the story, and wasn't sure if the ending would land.but maybe I'm thinking too prematurely. Once everything is on the page, I'll have a better chance at parsing out the possibilities for resonance and impact.
It's a challenge with shorter pieces, but I've run into the other side. Once the story says what it means to say, it's done. I've had readers want the shorter to stories to continue and explore the world, and all I can say is it's complete.
“Once the story says what it means to say, it’s done”—well put. The meaning has to arise from the story itself and not be artificially manufactured/forced into the story by the author. That kind of artifice is always painfully obvious in the narrative.