Can a First Chapter Make a Great Short Story Submission?

This is one topic I've been mulling over for some time. I like to read short stories; I'm not so good at writing them, and I've learned that many speculative fiction writers aren't either. I think our problem caters back to the necessity of world-building, the common practice of using a large cast of characters, and lots of plot and/or character development. Let's face it, most speculative novels are door-stoppers in size and scope.

So when a speculative writer wants to submit a short story for a contest, magazine, or anthology, all to often the train of thought seems to be: "I'll submit the first chapter of my novel and that will entice readers to want to read the rest of my novel!" Meh. Points for trying to be original about short-cutting your marketing strategy, the problem is, nearly everyone's trying to do the same thing - and I don't know of any first chapters being accepted as a true short story.

Because they're not.

The other form of logic may run: "I don't have time or energy to write out a short story because I'm working on my novel, but I really really want to be part of (insert whatever your submitting to), so I'll just submit the first chapter." You may want the writing credits or a prize to help boost your chances of landing something bigger with your entire novel down the road. Let's be honest, this is lazy. And it still falls back on the fact that a first chapter is NOT a short story.

Nope. There are no arguments to the contrary.

And there are a couple of good reasons why.

To start with, what is a first chapter? It is the beginning of a story, meant to draw in a reader and introduce them to your characters, your world, and the problem they are facing. First chapters don't resolve the main problem, they present it. First chapters don't reveal (or shouldn't anyway) your main character's entire backstory. They don't show off all the nuances of your novel's theme. You're just putting your story into gear and moving forward.

Now, maybe if you took your first chapter and completely rewrote it to the barest of barest bones, tacking on your ending chapter's resolution you could call it a short story. You'd have to pare your character list way down, skip nearly all of your world-building, chop out all your subplots, keep your action down to a minimum, cram your book's theme into one to two scenes, and still make it enthralling enough to read. But then, we've just destroyed your novel. And this grossly stunted version won't entice readers to want to go pick up and read the expanded form of the same story.

See what I mean?

So what is a short story? Let's turn to some resources for the answer:
From Merriam-Webster:
"...an invented prose narrative shorter than a novel usually dealing with a few characters and aiming at unity of effect and often concentrating on the creation of mood rather than plot."

From Wikipedia: (not my favorite go-to place as a resource, but I like this definition)
"A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood, however there are many exceptions to this."

From universalclass.com:
"Because of the length of short stories, most short stories just have an exposition, climax, and an abrupt ending. Short stories are known for having a "moral of the story" or a practical lesson, although this is not expected or required."

From liminalpages.com: (I recommend reading this entire blogpost, even though it's going in the opposite direction from short story writing to novel writing.)
"...let's think about the main difference between a novel and a short story:

• A novel is a journey - not only for the characters, but for the writer and the reader.
• A short story is an intense experience - something to linger over and savor (sic).

To capture these differences, you're going to have to write in a different way."

For a step-by-step guideline, you could take a look at this wikihow.com demonstration. It's pretty easy to understand and gives concrete examples.

From jerz.setonhill.edu:
"A short story is tight - there is no room for long exposition, there are no subplots to explore, and by the end of the story there should be no loose ends to tie up."

Just about every reference I've found or that you may find will also recommend reading short stories to get a handle on them. If you want to write fantasy short stories, find some legit ones to read, the same goes for any genre.

One strategy I thought of that might be helpful is to look at your novel and ask yourself if you have any side stories you could use as a short story, or any "episodic" parts with a beginning and a conclusion. There are lots of side stories that end up on the editing room floor as you revise. Why not pick one of them up and see if shows promise? If you have an "episodic" or short subplot in your novel, you could strip out the references to the rest of the novel at large and focus on that "episode" as a short story. Side stories are especially useful to garnering a readership for your story world.

To recap:

• A short story has a limited number of characters and settings - really limited.
• A short story has a conclusion. You don't leave the reader hanging, wondering where the rest of the story is. You don't entice readers with the idea of a full-fledged novel.
• A short story is smaller in scope, but should pack a punch as far as reader experience.
• A short story most often has one central conflict that is introduced and resolved. No tangents or subplots.
• A short story is concise. You don't have room for elaborate world-building, tons of action scenes, lengthy character development, etc. No lengthy build-up either. You get right into the heart of the problem at the get-go.
• Writing a short story is a different process from writing a novel and it will show if you're trying to get away with a first chapter. They are two different animals.

And there we have it.

You'll actually save time and effort on your part - and on the part of whatever contest, magazine, or press you're wanting to get into, by writing an actual short story. Sending in a first chapter usually means a polite rejection answer.

I hope this doesn't discourage anyone from wanting to write short stories. They're good practice at showing instead of telling, getting to the point, and being concise. All of which are great skills to have as a novelist too.

And I'm sure there are some anthologies, magazines, and contests out there that specifically want first chapters for the purpose of enticing readers. But don't they usually have a stipulation that the novel the chapter goes to be finished and/or published first? It makes practical sense.

If you know of any other good resources or references to the art of the short story, please share in the comments. Likewise if you've ever been on the receiving end of submissions for short stories and you'd like to share some friendly advice.

Elephant's Bookshelf Press Call for Short Story Submissions: Science Fiction

Matt Sinclair, a long-time writer/publishing colleague and friend of mine, has launched a call for submissions for Elephant's Bookshelf Press's latest anthology. The genre is science fiction with a connecting theme of flight for all submissions. Word count is up to 5,000 and the deadline is Jan. 15th, 2019. No erotica. Submissions are vetted by a panel, and go through a complete editing process if accepted.

The theme is more broad reaching than you might think. To quote directly from Matt's announcement:

"One of the reasons I like this theme is because it’s a term that has multiple meanings and therefore multiple interpretations. Of course, flight can involve human or alien spaceships, heroes with super-human abilities, winged creatures, but it just as easily could include flight from danger. Heck, I bet there’s a clever person out there who can make a flight of stairs into a vital element of a science fiction story.

"I don’t want to be too restrictive in this description. The story should incorporate flight; I leave the details to you."

While contributors aren't compensated monetarily, you do get a free print and ebook copy of the anthology. This will count as a viable writing credit for your bio. You'll also be in good company with other published writers who have contributed to past anthologies.

Previous anthologies published by EBP
 
Why not give it a whirl?

NaNo Aftermath

Every November that I set out to do NaNo, whether with new or old material, instead of collapsing on December 1st, I find my momentum is still charging ahead. There is a story to be finished! I hope you feel the same after the last month of work and discovery.

Whether you end up trying to revising a polish the story you were working on for publication or not, I hope this madcap adventure helped you to find out more about yourself as a writer. If anything, that setting goals and working towards them brings more of a harvest than not setting goals or working hard.

If you feel like sharing your total word count for November in the comments, I'd love it. My writing project was more of a third draft than a first, so word count was sketchy. The point was I accomplished a lot and came closer to my long-term goals.

I've often used NaNo as a tool to garner more writing time. Yes, some of it has been about revising, more about the hours spent than the word count. But the same tactics I've shared over the past month still go into play whether I'm working hard at a second draft or a first. Next year I hope for new material.

That aside, what tips and tricks (whether from me, someone else, or your own creativity) did you find the most helpful? Would you do NaNo again?

Best of luck with your continuing journey as a writer.

Tip 1: Stuck? Do Some Jumping
Tip 2: Details, Details, Details
Tip 3: Exposition Help
Tip 4: Verbal Tornado

NaNo Tip: Verbal Tornado

We're almost there! How'd you do this past week? Are you staying on top of your daily or weekly goals? Did you fall behind a bit? Are you beyond what you thought you could do?

Ready for another NaNo tip?

This one's fun to do. Take a scene, or a string of them, and just write dialogue. Except for the tags, or if you absolutely have to write a short (and I do mean short) word or two of action, keep to only what the characters say and see how much you can convey through their dialogue.

What I love about this tactic is it makes the pages fly by and it's easy to get into. It also helps you narrow down your characters' quirks and verbal style. Arguments and explanations are great for filling in word counts.

Want to take it up a level? Pick two characters, major or minor or both, and for a day or two, only write their encounters with each other. Skip everything else, and show - through dialogue - how their relationship develops or unravels.

Paul and Betty may start off as old school mates who haven't seen each other in years. Their initial encounter would probably contain pleasantries, leading into a bit of reminiscing about people or their old school. Perhaps this makes them want to meet up again, maybe it doesn't.

Needless to say, they meet up again a few days (or hours) later. This time are they more open, or does their dialogue take another turn. Do they rub each other the wrong way?

Then write their third encounter, and the fourth. You might want to bear in mind what's been happening with the rest of the story. After all Betty and Paul's conversation may cover something going on with one of the other characters or an event.

Hopefully this might help you get through the home stretch. And like always, over done or bad dialogue can always be trimmed later. Get the gist of what you need to happen in the story down now while it's fresh and simmering in your brain.

I've also learned it's possible to pull off 10,000 words or more in a solitary week, so don't give up if you have that much left to do. Do your best with what time you have and don't let the stress of word count slow you down.

NaNo Tip: Exposition Help

So we're past the half way point ... go NaNo'ers!! Are you hanging in there?

I've got another tip, if you'd like one.

Focus on internal exposition, no matter what POV your story is supposed to be in. Dive into your character(s)' psyche. Learn what their voice is. Even if it's only for one scene. How does character A see a particular event or place? What ghosts from the past does it bring to light? What emotions? What schemes or desires?

And for further mixing it up, write the same scene from someone else's POV. Or do it from multiple POVs. What this does is add depth to your characters (and words to your word count), which you can later utilize to show even side characters as having a life rather than being dumb extras as stage props for your MC.

Don't worry about whether you'll use this internal exposition later on. Write it. Work on your character development. It doesn't matter how far into your story you are right now or where you're determined to be by the end of the week.

I think one of the most common problems with reaching that 50,000 word goal is thinking you have to finish the story, therefore you have to skip all the good stuff in favor of the action. Action is only one aspect of a story. Exposition helps you (and more importantly your readers) get to know your characters. And at this phase of the writing process you don't need to stress about how much exposition. There is such a thing as too much, which can slow your pacing down. But that is a revision consideration, not a first draft one.

Try it out, you might be surprised how much this helps your word count goal for the week.

Don't miss out on each weekly tip!
Tip 1: Stuck? Do Some Jumping
Tip 2: Details, Details, Details
Tip 4: Verbal Tornado