Writing: Structure

 I really do not know how to write a short story. When in prison and writing, I decided that I might as well experiment - the likelihood of publication believed to be nil, a bit of curiosity of what if I did things differently, plain ignorance. Except for "Passerby" being accepted, the other two stories I have been shopping around have generated no interest. "Colonel Tom" is grim, but so are the materials I am drawing from, "Problem Solving" is not quite as grim, but maybe too obscure - it is set in an abortion clinic, and one reader of mine asked if she got the abortion when I thought it rather clear that was not the real problem. I think the structures used may be too strange, so when Story Structure: 7 Narrative Structures All Writers Should Know came through in an email from Reedsy, I had to read it.

Having read the article, my short stories do not quite fit the structures set out in the article. Yes, the article emphasizes novels. Well, I am too ignorant to see how to rewrite the stories I have on hand to fit the normal structures. Another reason not to get too upset at the rejections coming my way.

Maybe I will have less trouble with my screenplay - who knows when I will get around to typing up that - because 8 Sequence Structure: The Best-Kept Screenwriting Secret bodes better for me.

sch 10/16/22