Finishing

Didn't get as much today as I had thought... you never do it seems. But a fair amount accomplished regardless, some of it not what i had planned is all.

I did finish a short story I've worked at over the last couple of months and got it uploaded under my pseudonym so don't bother to go looking for it. Its the third story I've done. The first got great feedback. It was a challenge because it involved two people each telling their story from their own perspective. Not everyone liked that approach, but most people found it successful. The second story was a follow-up, as told first person by about four voices, and was less well received. Most felt it seemed rushed, and I'll agree that i may have lost a little control over the voices, but i don't understand how people could be confused over who was speaking when each change was announced in a header. Oh well,

I took a break and came back with a longer story, not told in multiple voice first person, but in third person. This story was longer, and intended to offer more build up and more anticipation before the final climax. We'll see how it is received.

I am finding this a good way to try out some things before getting back to my novel. My novel, BTW will have to be started over from scratch. But I'm learning, I hope so there's that.

One of the things I think I need to change is to incorporate more thorough outlining. For these shorts I can start with a sort of goal in mind and maybe hold it in my head, but with this last story, because I didn't just race through it in a few days, I think it drifted. Not enough to make it incoherent, but enough that it became a different story from the one I started. Not a bad thing, what comes out when I right is probably what I need to be doing, just as what I draw the way I draw it, is simply my way.

I try not to focus on a specific style, but just assume that my style will emerge naturally. This is advice I heard from folk singer Tom Paxton in a radio interview many decades ago, and it has stuck with me. Do the work, and your own voice will emerge.