Last night as I got ready for bed and was looking forward to surfing the net and otherwise wasting time instead of writing, I was struck by the sudden idea of a short follow up to "The Battle of Raven Kill." One thousand and four words later I had the workings of a solid little story. I only stopped typing because of two things. 1) Son Number Three was being brought in by Wife Number One and Only to be laid down in the crib at the foot of our bed, and 2) my laptop battery was running out. This morning I wrapped up the ending and came in at 1359 words. This is the fastest I've ever completed a story and its also a first because it's in first person. I can never quite keep a first person story going. I hate the limitations it places on me. However, this story worked well and everything fell into place nicely. I knew I was being verbose and I think I can get it down under the traditional flash fiction word count of 1000. Then I'll likely send it off to EDF.
It always amazes how the muse comes and goes.
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2 comments:
I'm really stoked to hear about your writing of a story in the first person. I've been seriously toying with the idea for my next novels. I've been asking around to all my author friends for their own thoughts. *Most* of them complain of the limitations (as you mentioned). But a few are actually adamant supporters, to the tune of, "There's no other way to write a story!" Wow! But I suppose when you start reading and writing everything as if it were in the first person (I can't explain it...I'm just weird, I guess), I suppose that's a good sign one might be ready to dive in. I'm also a HUGE fan of Stephen Lawhead who, in my mind, is a master of not only writing in the first person, but also switching characters mid-way through a series. Love that!
Blessings!
CH
Lawhead is brilliant and Scarlet shows how skillfully he can weave three POV narrations; standard 3rd person, 1st person past, and that same 1st person breaking into the present narration which is actually a transcription session with its own story arc.
One of my other problems with 1st person is that it seems too personal for me. I'm just making this stuff up, people, it didn't really happen to me.
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