tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post5586346541179870059..comments2024-03-29T08:45:57.792-04:00Comments on Patricia Abbott (pattinase): Sunday Discussion for Short Story Writerspattinase (abbott)http://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-40919502470767179782011-08-01T14:07:37.178-04:002011-08-01T14:07:37.178-04:00I would have to sit for about 10 hours to get a ro...I would have to sit for about 10 hours to get a rough draft in one sitting. Could never do it. I need it to gestate or something.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-11501466808997619512011-08-01T14:01:17.504-04:002011-08-01T14:01:17.504-04:00First draft in one sitting? Always. Too often, tha...First draft in one sitting? Always. Too often, that's the final draft. Of course, I haven't finished the three novels I've started even in rough draft, though I have outlined one of them in detail. I haven't written any novellas yet.Todd Masonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01815516018079824802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-12051578525206763932011-08-01T12:44:58.402-04:002011-08-01T12:44:58.402-04:00It depends on the length. If I have a quick snapsh...It depends on the length. If I have a quick snapshot idea that will be a flash piece, I almost always complete it in a sitting. If it's longer, it can take days or weeks. Sometimes I have nothing but the idea for a beginning -- a character and a situation -- and I get it down and perhaps don't return to it for weeks, waiting until the next step presents itself.John Kenyonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14423133191609310449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-30200490859310422572011-08-01T12:28:21.012-04:002011-08-01T12:28:21.012-04:00Patti, I also had a period when everything came ou...Patti, I also had a period when everything came out around 2500. I can't explain it.Al Tuchernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-78217280381359943322011-08-01T10:55:41.629-04:002011-08-01T10:55:41.629-04:00They usually brew in my head for a while before I ...They usually brew in my head for a while before I start to write. I rarely change my opening. It was the pathway in for me.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-32030542057916998552011-08-01T10:22:46.751-04:002011-08-01T10:22:46.751-04:00First day, lots of thought, a few concept sentence...First day, lots of thought, a few concept sentences and the ending. Next couple of days filling in the rest. Last day working on the opener.<br /><br />This always seemed to me the best approach, and I have a few of these first day efforts in a folder, with the ending and opener, but doubt I'll ever finish anything.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-80715886762357119752011-08-01T10:03:52.735-04:002011-08-01T10:03:52.735-04:00Sometimes I feel it is over written by the time I ...Sometimes I feel it is over written by the time I send it out. <br /><br />More and more zines want stories under 2500 now. I have a real problem with that length.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-10697444515247993472011-08-01T09:29:34.362-04:002011-08-01T09:29:34.362-04:001. Almost never. I have done it a few times with f...1. Almost never. I have done it a few times with flash stories, but I haven't written one of those in a while. For a couple of years now, everything I have written has fallen into the 7-10,000 word range. I must have some nefarious master plan to make my stories as hard to publish as possible. Grumble grumble.Al Tucherhttp://aalberttucher.writersresidence.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-13906688306972188922011-08-01T02:03:50.734-04:002011-08-01T02:03:50.734-04:00Usually a few days (draft). A few more days to a ...Usually a few days (draft). A few more days to a couple of weeks after to polish; the more distance from the original draft, the more polished.Charlieoperahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08876755029099726686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-1994563217139238872011-08-01T01:25:13.929-04:002011-08-01T01:25:13.929-04:00Torturous process, every time.Torturous process, every time.Erik Donald Francehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02332500850365598564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-25454878020736889572011-07-31T21:38:52.548-04:002011-07-31T21:38:52.548-04:00Alert Observers are encouraged to participate.Alert Observers are encouraged to participate.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-74377558908901780102011-07-31T21:07:13.857-04:002011-07-31T21:07:13.857-04:00Are what I'd like to call "Alert Observer...Are what I'd like to call "Alert Observers" also invited to comment. or is this writers only?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-24173447868979589692011-07-31T18:02:39.632-04:002011-07-31T18:02:39.632-04:00Michael-I will post your answers each week. I'...Michael-I will post your answers each week. I've been out seeing a lousy movie while you guys were working hard. <br />I once had a story that flowed out like that. It got published in the first of the two editions of MURDERLAND. However, I felt like someone took over my brain and spewed forth venom. It was a dark and unpleasant story. I have never had that happen again. My husband was away and being alone allowed this guy to enter my head.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-51606092939766049112011-07-31T15:05:26.513-04:002011-07-31T15:05:26.513-04:00Thanks, Shirley.
It seems that I replied to Patti...Thanks, Shirley.<br /><br />It seems that I replied to Patti's original post in the moments before she shortened it from 13 questions (really; there were two #4s) to 1 at Rob's suggestion, so I seem to have answered all the questions in advance. Do I get extra credit for working ahead of the rest of the class?<br /><br />So, I'll expand on my first answer:<br /><br />Once upon a time, back in the typewriter days, I wrote multiple drafts. Using word processing software has changed how I write so that I don't usually have a "draft" these days until I have a final or near-final draft. (Near final means the draft still needs a final proofread and the story is too long or too complex or my eyes are too tired to proofread onscreen.)<br /><br />And, because I'm not writing rough drafts, it's more difficult to write a complete story in one sitting unless it's quite short or I have a long block of time available.<br /><br />But it sure feels good when a story flows out like that.Michael Brackenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01072019804281421944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-89021640632760880722011-07-31T14:57:41.675-04:002011-07-31T14:57:41.675-04:00When I do write short stories I tend to write the ...When I do write short stories I tend to write the first draft in one sitting. I find that they work best when I have a flow and spark that I pretty much get in one shot.Irenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18078694505194875348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-85663049190427234582011-07-31T14:50:47.223-04:002011-07-31T14:50:47.223-04:00I wrote two of my best shorts in one setting apiec...I wrote two of my best shorts in one setting apiece. Both were written after I bolted awake at 4 or 5 am. In both cases I KNEW the story completely. Both cases I left the bed, sat in the living room and wrote straight through to the ending. One was "The Bicycles Were Gravestones," about a ten year old kid confronting a neighborhood pedophile, and that title was the defining metaphor. The second one was "Creepier than a Whorehouse Kiss," about a bounty hunter who clears Seattle squats of renegade robots ... and both stories were accepted within the first hour I sent them out. I dream that the muse (or shooting star, or ...) strikes again in my sleep. Actually, I just remembered another short story, "That Fabulous Catch!" was also a dream I had that woke me up. About ... "the young man in Ohio who caught a shooting star ..." That sotyr's ending resisted me for a couple years. It finally comes out ... this September? Huh. I love my dreams.Fred Zackelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-40957534737370217652011-07-31T14:20:50.723-04:002011-07-31T14:20:50.723-04:00I'd say I write a complete draft in one sittin...I'd say I write a complete draft in one sitting about half the time. I write two short stories a week for my gig at NoHo Noir, and they usually run about 1200-1500 words, which is my sweet spot. Since I know the characters well and have a broad outline of the overall plot, they don't take that long.<br /><br />For other stories, like you Patti, I rarely consciously plot things out, letting my subconscious do the heavy lifting. I LOVE writing stories to prompts, both verbal and photographic. What I'll do is pound it out and then go back the next day. Then I proof it one more time than I really think is necessary because there's always something I've missed.Katherine Tomlinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09696623795926663895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-57848331368834309692011-07-31T14:14:57.310-04:002011-07-31T14:14:57.310-04:00Michael, I love this comment. .
How do you know ...Michael, I love this comment. . <br /><br />How do you know when a story is truly done?<br />When it gets published. - TOO CUTE.<br /><br />I rarely write a short story in one sitting. I'll have to go out and ride a bike, walk, or do something while I "think" about it bit. And I often have several stories going at once. I'm not a fast writer. But I admire those who are.Shirleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04337958837908666504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-31890102276792906222011-07-31T12:37:32.369-04:002011-07-31T12:37:32.369-04:00I rarely consciously plot a story. It seems to hap...I rarely consciously plot a story. It seems to happen, for better or worse, in my unconscious mind.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-66342444198809108702011-07-31T12:03:06.485-04:002011-07-31T12:03:06.485-04:00Just tried fiction writing again after a long whil...Just tried fiction writing again after a long while. I don't start a story without having enough of it worked out to know where it's going. That takes 2-3 days of just thinking. I can then write about 1000-1500 words at a sitting. Don't start a new one until that one's done.Ron Scheerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15357501069513854664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-52247634301912318452011-07-31T12:02:21.193-04:002011-07-31T12:02:21.193-04:00I usually start with a phrase or an idea, or a hoo...I usually start with a phrase or an idea, or a hook to get going, then just let it unfold - usually riffing with some dialogue. I've no real idea what the story is going to be about or the end; that kind of emerges on the way, with the action and dialogue nearly always surprising me with how it unfolds. That's usually enough to get me to the end of a flash fiction piece in one go.Rob Kitchinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05567424969308636082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-33386115604136391932011-07-31T12:02:07.115-04:002011-07-31T12:02:07.115-04:00For flash fiction, I usually write the rough draft...For flash fiction, I usually write the rough draft in one sitting. And it is usually pretty rough. For longer short stories, I never do, but when I finish the draft it is usually pretty well polished.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-7360024826840957812011-07-31T10:58:52.830-04:002011-07-31T10:58:52.830-04:00When I first sit down, I usually only have a chara...When I first sit down, I usually only have a character or an image in my mind. So you can see how far that gets my the first time. Maybe 600 words at best and then the next day I rework those words and get maybe another 400-500.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-55647811562904606112011-07-31T10:54:56.021-04:002011-07-31T10:54:56.021-04:00Never.
I usually think I know how the basic story...Never.<br /><br />I usually think I know how the basic story is going to play out and i have every intention of creating a rough draft in a single setting but somewhere along, at times halfway and others only a few paragraphs in i realize my original idea isn't going to work and then I stop to ponder possibilities for the characters I've created.Travis Erwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09420879160702098979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33110302.post-55552535141028279612011-07-31T10:51:36.330-04:002011-07-31T10:51:36.330-04:00If it's less than 2,000 words then more than l...If it's less than 2,000 words then more than likely I'll draft in one sitting. I tend to write 1-2,000 words a sitting, so if the story's 6,000 words, that'll generally be 3 sittings plus a read through/editing sitting. I'll go back over what I drafted in the previous sitting before I start drafting new material. The sittings could all be spaced over a day or weekend, or sometimes longer depending on what else is taking up my time, or whether I want to let the story simmer round in the back of my head for a while to see what emerges.Rob Kitchinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05567424969308636082noreply@blogger.com