Steph's Blog

I’m working on two short stories for an online fiction class. Jumping into the process of completing one short story, let alone two, and in six weeks is tough and comes in starts and stops for me. I’ve tried to write at least an hour a day, every day – whether it be on the novel, on these short stories or a writing journal and I’ve definitely gone days without writing. But, when I do succeed in writing every day for one full week I’ve noticed the difference it makes in the process and the writing. Writing comes easier, if not always better and it doesn’t take long to get into the mindset of fiction writing, of creating characters, scene, plot. It reminds me of running. The more often I run, the easier it is to get out there and do it, and sometimes, it even makes me a better runner. Eventually, writing everyday will be habit, but right now, I still have to motivate myself to do it.

Writing short stories is my first love and something that I will probably do for years to come. I like capturing short snippets of characters lives that reveal who they are. The stories are character driven and show the time and place of where and how these people lived. I look to other writers for examples of how to tell stories that create the affect I want to create. Some of the writers I’m reading now for inspiration are Alice Munro, Aimee Bender and Jincy Willett. They’ve got different styles, but share the same ability to write memorable characters and settings.