Question - creating size boundaries?

[theresa_ramseyer]

It's a lousy subject line, probably, but the least stupid I could come up with this morning.

How do you set size boundaries? Short story versus novel, for example. I write either over or under. I just can't seem to reach a happy medium, whether in size or stopping at the right place to end the story.

For example, at work yesterday morning, I mulled over a prompt, and by the time I got my time card signed, had the makings of most of a full-blown epic story. It crosses over The Equalizer with Dr. Who/Torchwood with a little bit of the Matrix, an idea from the book The Wild Road by Majorie Liu, and another idea from a Kung Fu:The Legend Continues fanfic that I reread the other day.

Major conglomeration. Last night I started outlining the story, something I need to do more often, and it is a mess. I am hoping to talk one of my good friends, who used to write, into writing the parts I can't.

This is an embarrassment of riches. I get novel and epic ideas. Very appreciative, but what logic replies that I need is to finish short stories.

I also go the other way; scenes and ideas that I have written and played with but can not be classified as short stories. Usually they are slice of life type writings, but with little or no conflict.

For example, I wrote a post-9/11 stand-alone scene Tuesday. On the Equalizer list, we had a discussion on pros and cons of using 9/11 in our stories. Mine is set a day to a week after the tragedy. I plan to edit it today, but there is no conflict, so it is not really a story.

Another idea, currently only in my head, is a cute one based on the youth "Ugly Sweater party" that the church I clean for will have on the 16th. In the Equalizer episode "Beyond Control," Mickey Kostmayer wears a reindeer sweater that is not the world's best for him, and the list has laughed about it often. So when I saw the Ugly Sweater party sign, the idea came to mind. Again, though, it's not really a story because there is not any conflict.

Sorry this rambles so. I have not been able to get my head unfogged from sleep yet this morning

Write on!
Theresa

Comments

[rhi]

This will sound like an odd question, but why worry about it? Both lengths have their fans and their challenges; both can be incredibly rewarding. (And I speak as someone who's written 200 word pieces and 125,000 word pieces.) Short of writing to deadline... I would say write what you want to write. Particularly in fanfic, and even more so in fanfic for older fandoms which might not get as much response.

::grins:: You know: go have fun.

Edited to add: And they may not have visible conflict, but if a story has an emotional arc for the character's growth, I'd still call it a story.

It's not an odd question/answer :)

[theresa_ramseyer]

Thanks for replying. Your question isn't odd :).

It's kind of a sore spot with me. When one of my early beta readers/friends and I parted ways, one of her sore spots was that I never finished anything to her satisfaction. She said that when I sent her something that I said was completed, it wasn't. It always needed something else. I was pretty much relying solely on her at the time for betaing, so I took her words to heart.

Plus there are times when I just want a simple short story, not the widespread multiparters that my brain wants to kick out. Hopefully remembering to outline and organize the "big ideas" will help me find spots where I can write and post something a lot shorter and a lot quicker.

I figure I can't learn without constructive criticism, and to do that I have to finish and post. I usually don't like to read posted stories that haven't been finished. Too many of them don't get that way. I am thinking specifically of two stories that I finally gave up on them. Great starts, several chapters, but not updated in months. Really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Folks like linaewen are exceptions, of course. You're actively writing in your universe, and I know I can depend on you to not up and quit when the fancy strikes. I want to be known as reliable like that.

Re: It's not an odd question/answer :)

[rhi]

Mmm. Okay. Well, for one thing... it's your story. Not the beta's. Betas are there to offer suggestions and point out things you may have missed, and they might ask not to be listed as a beta if they really don't like how it came out -- but you did the heavy lifting. It's your name/pseud on it. You get final say.

As to the shorter/simpler pieces? If you want or need to write a shorter piece -- say, a deadline is running you over -- just take out some of the subplots. Or even write each chapter as a relatively standalone story with a beginning and ending, and post them as such. You may want to post a note explaining that they're meant to be stand alone, but if confused, a reader could try starting at 'first story/chapter.'

If the outline method works for you, go for it! If you just have an opening line and want to see what happens, go for it. ::amused:: I don't outline anything -- once I know what happens, I'm likely to get bored with it. But I do keep a table at the bottom of long stories I'm writing with brief notes on scenes to date, who's in them, whose POV. Then I add scenes I think the story will need, but I feel free to edit that, change around, delete, whatever.

I don't like to post unfinished stuff either; if you don't like it, then just don't post until you do have it at a stopping point you're happy with.

Mostly, though? Write what you want to write and enjoy it. Seriously, fanfic pays in creative pleasure and (sometimes) feedback. So do things you're going to enjoy, whether that's long, short, or alternation of your choice.

And now I will go away and get off this soapbox stop talking so much.

Happy writing!

[mab_browne]

I always find that the question of how long a story should be is like how long is a piece of string. A story will be as long as it needs to be - but I guess that personally I prefer stories to not meander, unless that side-view ends up being relevant in some way. I've written in lengths from 100 word drabbles to 50,000 words, and I have very seldom successfully estimated how long any of my stories will be likely to end up, even when I work out an outline.

Also, I think that fanfic is a genre that's forgiving of the 'it's not really a story' situation, which is a feeling that I sympathise with. For me, it's not a case of 'where's the conflict' as 'what's the point of this story', but sometimes it is just nice to play with the words or the setting, you know?

[linaewen]

I agree with what the others have said so far. The only time I worry about a story's length boundaries is when there is a restriction that goes along with the prompt. Otherwise, I let the story decide for itself how long it will be. My inclination is to write long, epic things, or at least multi-chapter, because my ideas are so big they need all that amount of writing to deal with them properly. There's no reason to restrict yourself in telling a story, so if it wants to be long, go for it! On the other hand, it's okay to stop a story when it seems to be done. I think if you try to decide ahead of time what the tale's boundaries are, you will inhibit your creativity to some extent. It's okay to have a general idea, but the minute the story tells you it wants to be longer or shorter, listen to it.