Y1M1 - How to Write Short Stories

The HW in the module says to post an exercise from the book we read, but this one doesn’t really have any exercises, so I thought I’d post a few takeaways instead.

When the book came in the mail, I was surprised by how thin it is. And then reading it, I was further surprised to see that the content itself is only half the book - the other half is comprised of five short stories themselves.

The biggest thing that sticks out to me from this book is the “shattering moment” idea (also discussed in Thomas’s interview with the author). Admittedly, I tend to lean toward the more traditional “plot twist” style shattering moment at the end of a story. But I found it interesting to consider the other mentioned placements.

The second takeaway I’d like to keep in mind as we progress through the materials is the focus on crafting an emotional experience. Though that may be restating the “shattering moment” idea, I found it helpful to be reminded that the whole point of a good story is to move the reader somehow.

Starting with a very short craft book for the first month is psychologically very clever. Gives us an easy win that helps us start the momentum “snowball” as it were. Also, as reading short stories is one of the best ways to learn to write them, it’s pretty cool that the book included a handful of them to start us off.

Of the included short stories, the one that stood out to me the most was “The Last Leaf.” Honestly, through most of the story I was a little bored and wondering what on earth I was reading. But that ending paid off. It was an excellent example of creating an emotional experience.

A final note, unrelated to the content of the book: Due to a number of circumstances, I haven’t written very much in the last two and a half years. Prior to mid 2023, I was writing thousands of words a day, drafting novels, and in all other ways very deeply pursuing a professional writing career. Then seasons changed and writing came to a complete halt. I needed some time, but then when I finally got back to where I had the desire - and somewhat ability - to write again, it felt a little impossible to actually get words on a page and build back up to where I was with my habits, time, energy, etc. That’s part of why I’ve been a little nervous for this course. Writing has just been difficult in this season in a way I’ve never experienced in my life before.

But, to the point of all this: Between this little book and a prompt I found in my email inbox, I wrote a short story over the weekend. One I had fun with and one I’m proud of. It may seem a small accomplishment, but it brought me some much needed joy in my writing life. 🙂 I’m looking forward to seeing how else this course can challenge me moving forward.