Short Story Friday has arrived. Huzzah!
What exactly, I hear you ask, is Short Story Friday. Simply, it is the day of the week I devote to working on short stories. Why take time away from working on longer projects? There are a number of reasons.
Short stories tend to be less complex, but more concise than longer works of fiction. As a result, they require a different style of writing, and that can only help improve me as a writer. Being stuck in a rut of the same old, same old can stagnate you, so mixing it up can shake out some of those cobwebs.
They are also, oddly, somewhat quicker to complete. Actually being able to have something complete in front of you is a boost to a struggling writer. The sense of accomplishment may not match that when you complete that one hundred thousand word epic, but it is a start and can drive you forward.
Being able to show people something completed is also a boost. It can hopefully get people interested in your works, and if you get really lucky, you may get it published, which can only help boost interest. At the least it can give people something to critique.
So that is what Short Story Friday is about. I hope to, each Friday, post up something from the day’s work. It may not always be the entire short story, it may be just a part of it, but the plan is for something to go up.
It is something of an inspiration to note that two of the best know literary characters, Sherlock Holmes (by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) and Conan the Cimmerian (by Robert E. Howard) were born in short stories, and they endure still too this day. Not that I claim to be at their level of prowess, but it is a comforting thought to be able to follow in their footsteps.
So Short Story Friday, here we come.
Mist and Shadows 