McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Using short stories as a writing tool
Gruud:
--- Quote from: gravesbane on March 03, 2010, 01:53:30 PM ---I have recently found myself using a short story format to expand my understanding of some of my support characters.
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This sounds like a good idea to me, maybe I'll "borrow" it. ;D
Seems like a good way to set these characters' origin stories, or similar.
The stories may not ever make it into your actual work, but are there for you to refer to, even if only for yourself.
Or you can pluck snippets to use for exposition in the main work.
I like it.
Craz:
Honestly, I love writing short stories. I've ended up writing half a dozen just to flesh out my universe and get a grip before I tackled bigger challenges with the 'verse.
meg_evonne:
--- Quote from: gravesbane on March 04, 2010, 02:10:35 AM ---... I am having trouble getting a hold of my secondary character's voice. I thought if I tried writing a short story with her as the focus it would give her more life in my mind and future writings. ...
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Backtracking slightly after reading this. I'm pretty sure you're male...is the difficulty finding the character's voice or is the difficulty finding a female character's voice? If so, I might have some other suggestions as well. :-)
gravesbane:
Ok you caught me. Yes, the character I am having problems with is female. The wife of my MC. It seems to me I writing a male character, but giving him breasts. (Sorry for that visual) To be honest, just starting this story has given me a clearer picture of her. It is still a work in progress, and I may never finish it, but it has helped.
Thanks again
Mickey Finn:
"I am having trouble getting a hold of my secondary character's voice. I thought if I tried writing a short story with her as the focus it would give her more life in my mind and future writings. It will also fill in some background info I hope."
This is excellent, especially since you haven't taken any courses and came up with the idea yourself...
It's a great tool (even if you suck at writing shorts, because honestly, if you never intend to publish it, you can do whatever you want IN it, breaking all sorts of "rules" that would keep you in the slush pile, because the whole point is for you to get a better grip on the character)...it call also be used to get you out of writer's block on a novel.
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