I'm still seeking a publisher for my novel, Trapped. Even though it's been turned down 3 or 4 times, I still have confidence someone will pick it up.
April proved to be a productive month, as I wrote 6 new short stories. I'm trying to place them with publishers. Hopefully, each will find a home.
I'm still seeking a publisher for my novel, Trapped. Even though it's been turned down 3 or 4 times, I still have confidence someone will pick it up.
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While looking through files on my old desktop computer, I found a short story I wrote at the age of 27 called "Open House." It still read well after all these years; I regretted not placing it in Safe Treasures. It would have fit in well. Perhaps one reason that I didn't was because it resembled "At Amber's Grave, Weeping" in theme. It still stands as a different story, however, and I have chosen to try to place it with a Christian magazine. Prayers for its success are appreciated.
Since completing my novel nearly two weeks ago, I've written three new short stories. At this rate, I should have enough for a new collection by mid-May. "The Remained" would be included, but so would "The Car Wash," "Sky Walk," and "A Game of Marbles," among others that haven't been written yet. With an estimation of about 20 stories, it would be my largest collection to date. Check this site regularly for updates.
After writing a novel, I wondered if switching back to short stories would pose a challenge. So far, it hasn't. If anythng, it has improved my ability to write them.
The tale I'm working on now, "Sky Walk," is my favorite short story that I've ever written. But, of course, I usually say that the current story I'm working on is my favorite. Most of the stories that I have in mind to write next work better in the shorter format than as novels. So, it stands to reason that my next book is going to be a short story collection. The first draft of my manuscript just printed. Editing will begin tomorrow. I hope to have the final draft ready by Friday so that I may begin the process of shopping it around to various book publishers.
I'm satisfied with how the story unfolds. It spans 31 chapters, including the epilogue. The plot involves a young woman who works third shift at a hospital and braves a drive home in a snowstorm on Christmas morning. Her car skids off a country road and goes down an embankment. Without any way to call for help, she begins to panic as the storm worsens and white-out conditions prevent her from trying to walk for help. I attempted to end each chapter with a cliffhanger, something to keep the reader interested. My hope is that this novel will be widely-read and well-liked. As for what's next, four different story ideas are vying for attention. One will win out. As far as I can tell, none can stand alone as a novel. They will have to be short stories. Writing Trapped took me five weeks. Only a few days did the words come hard, mostly due to being trapped myself in a plot situation. Once I worked out the obstacle, everything flowed naturally. Wriing a short story will be a big change. It's been my forte over the years, however, so I am looking forward to returning to the format. Hopefully, I can release another collection later this year. As my novel fast approaches completion, the question of "What's next?" has reared its head. As long as I have a couple story ideas in mind, I feel comfortable. And I do have a few.
Before I began my current project, I was trying to stretch another story into a novel and it just didn't want to be stretched. It would best fall into the short story category. I intend to give it its way and will probably write it after I've put the polishing touches on the final draft of my novel. Will it be hard to go back to writing a short story after completing a novel? I don't think so. A change in pacing and style doesn't need to be implemented. The main difference comes down to the number of scenes needed to tell the story. If a lot of events occur as a result of the conflict experienced by the protagonist, then it's a novel. If only a few, it comes out as a short story. Everything that happens has to interest the reader and keep him or her captivated. I feel I've done that with my novel. I would have had to add a lot of unneccessary, unimportant events to make the short story I was hoping would be a novel into one. I haven't divulged plot information to many people, although many have inquired. It's not really out of fear of someone stealing the idea, running with it, and doing a better job of writing it. I don't believe that any two writers can experience and share quite the same story. It's always going to come out different. The reason I haven't talked about the story stems more from not wanting to cheat the readers out of all of its surprises before they even read it. And I do hope that you enjoy it. I'll keep you posted on the progress. This week, I reached a milestone in my novel: I reached the midway point. It took a month to arrive.
Writing a novel is fun, but it also takes a lot of hard work and dedication. The hardest thing has been avoiding the urge to see what's on TV, or to get in a game of MVP Baseball 2005 on the GameCube (Yeah, I'm behind the times). I purposely chose to write the novel on my desktop computer because it doesn't have internet access. The payoff is that the final draft of the manuscript could be ready by the end of February. That's what I'm aiming for. |
About J.R.J.R. Bingham lives in Piqua, Ohio. Recently married, he has enjoyed writing fiction since his teenage years. In the 1990s, he published several horror stories and poems in such magazines as Outer Darkness, Cabal Asylum, The Ultimate Unknown, Phantasmagoria, and Muse Magazine. In 2003, he became a Christian and began writing faith-based and inspirational fiction. He has published two collections of short stories: Safe Treasures and Scary Stories for After Dark. He is currently at work on a novel, a Christian thriller that he hopes will keep many readers turning the pages. Archives
May 2012
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