New pictures, in Seasons (almost a story draft)

[ritaxis]

One of the worst things about short stories is ending the damned things. I know what event, what scene, what emotion this story should end with -- but not the words. Since it's for a workshop, I'm only going to struggle with it for a while longer, and then whatever stupidhead ending I come up with will be what I take to the workshop and just hope that the others can help me cure it.

More pictures of Lighthouse Field today. A red tail hawk, not very clear, and buckwheat.

The plan is to follow certain things throughout the year. I want to get to Arana gulch, the river and the beach before too long.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Often short stories don't have any "ending." They're short, but they linger long. Consider the effect you want your story to have on the reader, then apply your own artistic judgment. You write well. Trust in yourself.

[ritaxis.livejournal.com]

I have an ending. I'm struggling with the words. I'm having a hard time getting the sentence structure to do what I want it to do. Beginning a short is easier, I think, than beginning a novel, since in a novel you have much more to set up and you still have the need to develop a fast hook (nobody approves of the leisurely opening any more). Middles are middles, easy or hard as the story makes it: but ending a short is much more difficult than ending a novel, because with a novel you've done so very much that by the time you come to the end, there are only a few different words you could possibly use.