Alison on Writing Shorts
I write novels. I love the long fiction structure: the opportunity to develop characters at length; to weave sub-plots; to plumb the depths; struggle to the surface; heap mounds of stuff on my protagonist; the false climax; to be a mistress of the universe.
But short stories? I’d never considered them.
I could not but admire the mastery, the cleverness, the concentrated pleasure within a few thousand words. So what had I observed when reading them?
• A short was often a glance, an incident which illuminated a whole world
• It mostly had one main character
• Clarity and tightness underlay the whole piece
• A single point of view
• Introduction of the conflict/crime/question early in the story
• Spare and succinctly provided information
• A good twist (or two, if you were really lucky) at the end.
A clever writer of short stories once told me to focus on one character, one idea and then replace five words with a single one. Eek! I don’t think I waffle, but that restriction was not for me. I was never going to put out any of my own. Back to writing the next novel.
Fast forward
So when invited to participate in an anthology of short stories, I refused. Why should I contribute to a collection where my awkwardly hacked up words would be mixed in with other writers’ wonderful words?
Then along came Helen Hollick of this parish, who coaxed, no, strong-armed me into contributing to an alternative history short story anthology she was putting together called 1066 Turned Upside Down.
‘No thanks, I don’t write short stories,’ I said.
‘But you’re the alternative history expert – that’s what you write with your Roma Nova novels.’
‘I can’t write a proper story in two thousand words.’
‘I’ll give you five thousand. Deal?’
Much mumbling and cursing on my part. But Helen had helped me so much when I started indie publishing that I felt obliged.
I saw four main benefits:
• An opportunity to stretch my writing muscles
• Fun to join in a project with writing colleagues (new and old)
• A chance to strut my stuff to their readers and beyond
• Sometimes we might make a few bob.
The research was thoroughly absorbing – the quay in Rouen was only just under construction – who knew? Moreover, my character could project Roman disdain of how primitive the Normans were in the eleventh century compared to the might of Ancient Rome.
Since then, I’ve contributed to several more anthologies – Exile, Rubicon, Betrayal, Fate – and written a collection of my own, ROMA NOVA EXTRA.
Size once mattered for historical fiction – a great many words were needed to build the past credibly. Not only the plot, back stories, historical context, realistic characters for the period, but also details of their everyday life and lived experience in their environment. The result was often doorstop size tomes that needed a fair amount of focus.
Rather happily, we’ve seen a resurgence of short story collections and anthologies that’s followed the trend towards shorter fiction. With social media permeating every aspect of our lives and a general explosion of streaming and online bingeing, attention spans have shortened.
What do short stories offer the reader?
1. Bite-sized stories
Computers and the internet were supposed to make our lives easier and more efficient, but ironically, there is so much more vying for our attention. Not everyone has time to read more than an hour snatched here or there, in between appointments and meetings, or at bedtime. This is where short stories shine. They offer a taste of the past which can be consumed in one, possibly two, sittings. A reader doesn’t need to make a lengthy commitment as they would to a six-hundred-page novel.
2. Variety
An anthology brings different authors together in one book. Stories may be connected by theme or linked by an artefact, like a piece of jewellery, that moves through each story and touches the various characters through different times. A collection by a single author can explore stories set in different time periods and circumstances such as my new collection HEROICA.
3. Discovering new parts of a familiar world
Short stories can enhance an established series and add background, expand secondary characters’ stories and uncover secrets. Short stories can be highly concentrated nuggets to savour and enjoy. HEROICA gives us one of Carina’s missions, uncovers a concealed family secret, tells of one distant ancestor’s bravery and unexpected partnering and another’s fateful mistake generations ago that threatens to blight Carina’s family and Roma Nova in the present. I’ve loved sharing these glimpses into Roma Nova’s strong women; I hope you enjoy reading them.
