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Blog Post 10: Submitting Your Short Story

I can’t believe this is the last blog post of the semester. A lot has happened in 2020, but it did fly by fast. Is it weird that I do not feel enthusiastic about publishing my story? This feeling doesn’t surprise me, as I have always been quite secretive about what I write. I have never been one to let others read my work, it is one of my biggest fears. There are many reasons this is so, the most important being that nothing I write ever feels ready enough for an audience. Nevertheless, I did the assignment and I did find several interesting literary journals that I can see myself submitting to.

One of them is the Bacopa Literary Review. This annual international journal publishes stories in five genres; Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Humor, Short-Short Fiction. This organization publishes one issue per year and the winners in each category receive cash prizes. Were my story ready for submission, this journal is one I would choose. Another is Deep Overstock, a journal that publishes poetry, non-fiction, photography and fiction. I like this one because the theme for submission is an open one. They also focus on publishing newer writers. One I would have loved to submit to is Cygnet, but the next issue is for 2021 and I will cease to be a student at Clayton State University in December of 2020. Therefore, I do not think I meet the criteria for submission.

My goal is to work up the courage to be more open about submitting and sharing my work. I am still unsure of who I should write for; my readers or myself. Most of the time it is for myself and learning to be more open with my work will take some time but it is work that I am willing to do.

I have thoroughly enjoyed learning and growing as a writer with everyone this semester. I got to work with, learn with and read the works of my incredibly talented classmates and learn technique, style and so many other things from them. I am also grateful for all the constructive criticism I received from Dr. Byrd, as well as the reading recommendation that helped me structure my story. Thank you all for a fulfilling and unforgettable semester!

[icymelodies]

Blog Post 9: Revision

Before I turned in my story for peer review, I knew it wasn’t perfect, but I was willing to make the necessary changes and learn from my mistakes. However, when it came time to make those changes, I found myself stumped because I didn’t know how to do it. What I mean is, I knew there were places that could be better, but I didn’t know how to make every single one of them better. I was lost on what combination of words will better get my point across and improve the sophistication on my work. So, I changed what I knew how to and left some parts as is. (I don’t know if anyone else had this problem, I hope I’m not alone in this aspect haha)

An example I can provide is this; my peer review partner Kylie left very helpful feedback. One of the things she said is that my ending was a bit trite compared to the rest of my story, and I should reconsider changing it. I found this suggestion to be a useful one, and I went to work on editing it. The problem is, I had no idea how to end it because for the life of me, I was stuck. I tried scores of endings, but none of them seemed to fit. They all seemed so cliché. So, I decided to leave it as it was. Over five hundred years ago, Leonardo da Vinci said; Art is never finished, only abandoned. I interpret this to mean that a painting (or any other work of visual art) is never done, the artist just decides to stop at a certain place. This is how I feel about writing (not that I am comparing myself to one of the greats. Neither am I saying my work is near perfect -more than anything, this assignment has proven to me that I still have much to learn in the way of writing). I never truly felt like my work was done, but because I didn’t know what else to add to it, I abandoned it. I feel like this is how it will be for the rest of my life, and the feelings associated with this realization are bittersweet.

Maybe tomorrow, a year from now, or even an hour from now I will figure out that “perfect” ending, and I promise not to make myself feel too bad about not including it in my story. For now, though, I am satisfied with knowing I have gained valuable knowledge on writing. I can actually say I am a better writer than I was at the beginning of the semester, and isn’t that the whole point?

[icymelodies]

Blog Post 8: Plot, Conflict and Climax

I have written and rewritten many scenes and sections of my story over and over again. The more I write, the more I realize how redundant most of the information I am providing is. I have also changed aspects I thought would be set in stone, because they are not enhancing the plot of the story. Kardos’ exercises in chapter 6 helped me realize that not every bit of information included in my story had to turn unto a drawn out scene. There is unnecessary dialogue and filler paragraphs, which may end up as a bother to my readers.

I know where and how my story will end, but I am not entirely sure how to end it (the words and sentences I will use). Oddly enough, though, the thing I soon realized I did not have was a climax. The checklist question on how my story’s setting helps to amplify or focus the story’s climax revealed a huge gap in my story. I realized that without the climax, there would be no resolution. There might be an end, but it will not truly feel like one, unless I introduce a climax to be resolved.

The exercises in this chapter also helped me visualize (and eventually write down) the the threats to my charcters desire. Knowing these threats let me create obstacles for my character. As Kurt Vonnegut put it, “Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading charactets, make awful things happen to them- in order that the readers might see what they are made of”. I think this quote goes hand in hand with not writing a passive character, because nothing kills a story more than a passive character, according to Kardos.

I do not know if this is weird or not supposed to be done in fiction writing, but my character doesnt change. In one of the exercises, Kardos asks us to write down the ways in which our character changes by the end of the story. I keep wondering if my character’s realization that she needs to change is a change in itself. I suppose I have to come up with an alternate resolution.  

[icymelodies]

Blog Post 7: Research 2

Before I started the drafting process, I did research on the setting and background of my character, but the more I write, the more I find myself doing very specific research. My story is set in the city of Birmingham, England. My initial research on this region consisted of almost no google searches because I find that the results can often be contradictory or exaggerated. (What I mean by that is, google will often tell you how to have fun as a tourist in a city, but I want to actually know what everyday life is like for my immigrant character). For this reason, I chose to use my older sister, who is an immigrant living in the very city my story is set in. She has been there for almost six years, so I often ask her question after question on life in Birmingham, the people around her, what to do for fun, etc. (She is probably annoyed at me for bothering her all the time with questions, but the way I see it, it’s better to have all this information I might not end up using, that to have an inaccurate/unrealistic setting).

I also did my research on hallucinations, as they play a key role in my character’s development. I am trying my best to stick to scholarly sources, in order for my main character to seem as authentic as possible. I am reading articles on hallucinations triggered by grief to help put everything into perspective. I don’t know what it's like to hallucinate, (or maybe I do, but I didn’t know it was a hallucination, haha), so I have to rely purely on outside sources for this. I am not just researching the act of seeing and hearing something that is not there, but I want to know what it is like for the individual after realizing that their mind is playing tricks on them. Is it daunting or just a bit weird? Is it scary seeing the person you just lost or comforting because you are in their presence once more, even though you know it is fleeting? I ask myself these questions as I do my research, so I can tailor the best answer to fit my character’s state of mind.

At the moment, I am trying to avoid writing my story through the eyes of a passive protagonist. According to Kardos, “Nothing can suck the energy out of a story like a passive protagonist” (123). This problem is common in stories narrated in the first person, which is the narrative I chose for my short story. Initially, I thought my character would be passive until this chapter helped me realize that I was making her be like me (mostly silent and non-confrontational), and while there is nothing wrong with these traits, they can lead to me subconsciously writing a character with no desire. Tandlof in “Tandolf the Great” is a good example of how to write a timid character who is also compelling. Tandolf is probably passive, but on the day he bought the wedding cake, circumstances led him to become a different person. Tandolf calling the child a prick was ill-advised but active and compelling. I am now learning and actively trying to make my main character a key actor in all scenes.

[icymelodies]

Blog Post 6: POV and Choosing Perspective

Baush’s “Tandolf the Great,” tells the tale of a sad clown/department store employee who harbors feelings for a woman who will never return them and struggles with being seen and respected every day of his life. This story is written in third person point of view, limited perspective, which means that even though there is a voice narrating the story to the readers, we are still only getting the thoughts, feelings, and actions of Tandolf, the protagonist. This perspective is an interesting one because (in this story), it distances the protagonist from the other characters. I also believe it is a little bit harder to properly execute because a writer can easily forget their narrator’s perspective is limited and tell the readers more than they should know. (I guess I shouldn’t be so general. I could easily make the aforementioned mistake). Still, I think it is a good one to write with, depending on the story being told and the main character(s). 

For instance, I believe it is perfect for “Tandolf the Great” because this point of view allows the reader to predict that Tandolf’s is slightly unhinged, and almost anticipate his downward spiral. For me, it was like watching two slowly moving cars crawl toward each other and doing nothing to stop it. I can see that a “collision” is imminent, because of the way the story is narrated. If Baush had opted for the first-person point of view, I would not have been given the distance to see what path Tandolf’s actions were leading him down.

I decided to write my story using the first-person point of view because I have found that I enjoy reading novels and short stories with this POV more than the others. I am aware that many avoid this point of view because it has become a staple, overused in the genre that is fictional prose, but I still chose to write with it because it is appropriate for my story. (I tried to use others, but this one felt right, so I am running with it). I think it provides a kind of intimacy, one that keeps the reader invested in the character, wanting to know whether they make it or not. I also chose this POV because my story has just one (living) main character, so I feel this narrative technique is a good way to get into my character's mind.

[icymelodies]

Blog Post 5: Setting and Description

My story takes place in various locations, all in the city of Birmingham, England. My protagonist is a grieving young woman trying (and failing) to process her emotions in a healthy way after losing someone she loved.  

There is a scene I am trying to describe efficiently; I am trying to avoid clichés and simple sentences like “the water was blue” or “there were many people there” etc. This scene takes place in Niagara Falls (the character is reminiscing) and I chose this location because I was there in the summer of 2017 with my sister and it was one of the most beautiful things I ever saw. Therefore, I have been searching for ways to describe it in such a way that my readers feel as if they are standing in the same location I was, three years ago. Experiencing the people, the smells, the temperature, the view.

The details I am focusing on in this story is the internal battle and borderline psychotic episodes my character is having. (I say borderline because she is grieving, therefore is expected to act irrationally, and communicating with a dead person as if they were still alive is where the “psychotic” part comes in). She is suffering but is not aware of it. Her coping mechanism that she thinks is keeping her afloat is preventing her from healing, and -spoiler alert- she realizes eventually that things need to change if she’s ever going to be okay again. Initially, I was going to write my story in third person POV, but I changed it to first because I believed it would feel more personal. I have found that -when reading a novel/story- if the main character is talking about their emotions, feelings or trauma, I am able to empathize more because of the first-person pronouns. (I don’t know if that is just me). Little things like that affect the way I read and internalize a story.

But this story is not all about death and grief, I plan to add lots of pleasant moments and memories, and once again, want to describe them in non-cliché ways. I don’t just want my readers to imagine, I want them to be transported.

Here is an excerpt from the Niagara Falls flashback scene:

“The pictures I had seen of Niagara Falls were understated, compared to what my eyes took in. We stood on a bridge in complete silence and awe, taking in the beauty of the waterfall. The torrent began at the top of the mostly flat rocks and cascaded into the river below it. The falling water met the rocks below and scattered in a kaleidoscope of rainbow colors and seafoam. Rays of sun scorched the back of my neck, but I barely felt it”.

I know in the above excerpt I’m telling and not showing, but there are times when the narrative calls for it. I noticed that in my stories I tend to over-describe or under describe, so I am being careful now. I want to find a balance, so my readers don’t feel like the story is too vague or too cumbersome to read. I am having so much fun (and moments of frustration) experimenting with my scenes as I write!

[icymelodies]

Blog Post 4: Research

Research is honestly something I enjoy doing, especially when I know where to look. My research stage so far is mostly about the perspective I want my story to be written from, and the setting of my story. I am experimenting with the idea of having the story told from the omniscient perspective a dead (main) character or having the main character appear through flashbacks or in the thoughts of the people they left behind. To understand these perspectives, I referred to the television show “Desperate Housewives” for the former and the novel “Everything I Never Told You” by Celeste Ng for the latter. (I am reading that book for my Senior Capstone course, which is how I came to know about it). In “Desperate Housewives”, a woman that kills herself in the first episode of season one kind of “looks” down on her four best friends from heaven and narrates their lives as she observes it. Occasionally, she will talk about her experiences with them when she was alive and appear in a few episodes through flashbacks. I find this narrative technique to be interesting, and I want to learn how to adapt it to prose. I appreciate the fact that it is told from an omniscient and first-person points of view because you get to observe the stories of multiple people, and the narrator doesn’t seem distant. Still, nothing is set in stone. I am known amongst my friends and family for constantly changing my mind, especially when I have options (please, don’t ever ask me where I want to eat. My brain just stops working after hearing that question), so for all I know, I may eventually decide to choose neither. Later today, I will start the first page of my story and then I will know if either (or neither) of these narrative techniques will work.

As for my setting, I am gathering information from my best friend who lives in another country because of my story. I am learning about day to day life there; what the climate is like, public transportation, food, weekend entertainment, popular slang and so on. I am gathering all this data in order to make the story seem as authentic as possible and to do my protagonist justice.  

[icymelodies]

Blog Post 3: Characters and Yearning

The character form was very revealing for me. Usually, when I write, I just start and let the details about the character form in my head as I type. I do this because I am very indecisive, and almost every decision I make before writing is likely to change. I don’t think I can sit down and map out a character, because as the writing process progresses, my protagonist is revealed to me, and character traits, behaviors and even physical features I thought were solid seem like a wrong fit, so I change everything. For instance, once, after writing an entire story, I went back to change the name, height, and age of my main character. As you can already tell, I am very indecisive.

Sometimes, I start writing without having the slightest clue what my hero looks like. In my mind, they’re either a shapeless blob existing with other shapeless blobs, or they’re me, existing with my friends and family. But, as I write, those shapeless blobs start to become someone, color is added to their skin, hair, eyes, their physical features come to life and it just seems right for the story. So, for this reason, I figure, why not save time and just skip the character profile stage.

But I still did the assignment, and it took so long because like I mentioned earlier, I don’t usually do this, but I am happy I did. This character profile form asked me questions I don’t think I would have ever asked myself when writing. I would have never thought to include my characters' political leanings because the chances of me discussing politics in my stories are slim. It never even occurred to me that my character would have an erotic history. I realize now that these minute details, even though they may not all make it into the story, are important because they turn an idea into a reality, a character stops being a figment of my imagination and starts to seem like an actual person with potential, strengths and weaknesses, someone my readers can fall in love with or despise. And while I can’t promise that everything in my character profile will remain unchanged as I write, I appreciate all the questions it made me ask myself, and what it revealed to me about the aspects of my characters life I wouldn’t have otherwise considered (I guess that’s what happens when your main characters are subconsciously written to be like you, haha).  

This assignment revealed to me that I can’t always write my characters to be like me, because while it’s not a bad thing, it does get boring to write (when done constantly). I am learning to make my characters want something different from what I want, and while that doesn’t seem like a big deal to most, it is for me. I think this short story is a chance for me to experience the world through different eyes and give mine a break. I used to make my characters a lot like me because I was too lazy to the research on a character that didn’t grow up the way I did, or likes activities I’ve never taken part in. For the first time, I’m going to write a character that I share little similarities with, one that yearns for something not on my radar, and I am so excited to meet this character.

[icymelodies]

Blog Post 2: Starting My Story

          I still don't have a clear idea of what I want my story to be, but I have a vague concept of what I want my main character to be/look like. I have semi-mapped out all the personality traits that make a person real; flaws, weaknesses, quirks, likes and dislikes et cetera. 

          I am learning a lot from chapter 3 of “The Art and Craft of Fiction”. There are so many things I never considered in the past when writing my stories, such as “violating the story’s contract” (30). I do not recall ever outright violating my story’s contract, but I never had it in the back of my mind that “this simply isn’t done” and now that I do, I really think it is going to shape the way I write anything from here on out. 

          The example Kardos gave on page 31, Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is an excellent one because it put many things into perspective. The first line of that story goes like this:

“Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from an unsettled dream to find that he had turned into a giant cockroach”

          I remember reading that novella for my Introduction to Literary Studies class in the spring of 2019 and experiencing feelings of confusion (and for the sake of honesty, total disgust. I recoil at the sight of cockroaches and fear them more than any other creepy-crawly insect I’ve ever encountered) because, scientifically, human beings cannot turn into cockroaches. A feeling I didn't experience, though, was disbelief (or boredom) because even though the story was off to a weird start, I accepted the situation because I was told about it upfront. This is something I desperately need to adapt to my writing style. I have a history of burying the lead when writing stories, a habit I want to change. 

          I have realized that I can only benefit from shaking things up, once in a while. My stories have always followed a chronological order with a mundane, passive and “safe” beginning sentence, but I’m considering starting this new one in medias res. I also tend to write from the first-person narrative point of view, and I may adopt a third person approach for my new story. I want to challenge myself this year because no writer ever improves from staying in the same place.

          As our textbook author so aptly put it, fiction writing isn't like defusing a bomb or performing brain surgery. I can always go back and make changes, so delaying will do me no good. Missteps are inevitable in the creative writing process, so I might as well start and learn as I go. 

The most important thing I learned from Kardos in Chapter 3 is this:

“So, to answer the question of ‘How do I begin?’ is, to begin with whatever information the reader needs most to appreciate --or simply believe-- your story.” (31)

So, that's where I’ll start.

[icymelodies]

Short Story Inspiration/publishing opportunity

Hey Guys,

So, I’m part of a Fiction Writing group on Facebook. Twice a year the group publishes an anthology of short stories written by members of the group.

There is currently an open call for their next anthology for short stories of 3000 words or less. The theme needs to be “election.” The submission due date is July 1.

The group is also a great way to have exposure to other writers and get feedback on what you’re working on or advice on writing tips. 

Here is the link

ALSO, if you join, I’m in the fiction writing contest that voted on by the members of the group. I won the last season, so fingers crossed I win again! So, if you join, vote for my stories please!!

[icymelodies]

BLOG POST 1: ABOUT ME

Hello everyone, 

          My name is Chidubem, but most people call me Dubem. Like everyone who takes a class like this, I love reading and writing, though I favor the former to the latter. I tend to write fiction when the desire strikes me, which is not often, so lately, I’ve been forcing myself to write even when I don't want to write, in order to discipline myself and train myself to get accustomed to the habit.

          Most of my short stories are about the things and people I see around me, and the places I've been. I find writing about nature to be relaxing and therapeutic, even. Ultimately, it is my goal to write an entire fiction novel. I used to put a clock on myself to get this done, which led to shabby writing, but I have learned that these things take time, and I’d rather have a high-quality product that took years to create, than an unreadable novel that I spent a few weeks/months on. 

          I registered for this class because I want to be the best fiction writer I can possibly be and what better way than to learn from an expert? Writing is one of my passions and I believe there are people like me in this class, and I can't wait to communicate with these like-minded individuals. I am looking forward to reading the works of everyone else!

Regards,

Dubem.