As a teenager, I wrote endless stories all with no final scene. As an aspiring author, fearful of this outcome I reduced the word count. Instead of novels, I wrote articles for craft magazines, flash fiction for literary journals and creative non-fiction for magazines. As an emerging author, I write short novels as well as continuing to write short stories. My most recently completed short is entitled Liquefied. Inspiration for this story was the Canada Writes contest. I entered for a chance to win $1, 000.
Why write short stories?
-To find an end
-To sharpen your writing tools
-To have an opportunity to work with an editor
-To gain a readership
-To gain validation (i.e. "Yes, I am a writer--my article appeared in this magazine.")
-To build your author platform. Many book publishers advise aspiring and emerging authors to submit to literary journals
-To win a prize
Remember to celebrate your win each day you continue to work toward your goal.
On this blog, neurodivergent (dyslexic) author Leanne (Willetts) Dyck ("dihck") publishes her short play--Lean on a Gulf Islander--about remote island life. She is writing (picture books and young middle grade novels) for children, (memoirs and upmarket fiction) for adults, and knitting pattern books for children and adults. Thank you for visiting and sharing this blog. Your support is greatly appreciated.
