The Short and Long of It

The Short and Long of It:

Expand, Adapt, and Publish Your Short Fiction

By Paul Alan Fahey

Published by JMS Books LLC

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Copyright 2016 Paul Alan Fahey

ISBN 9781634861267

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All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review. Permissions for all stories that appear in this book have been secured by the appropriate copyright holders and appear at the end of this edition.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

The author/publisher of this book has used her best efforts in preparing this guide. The author/publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents of this guide. The author/publisher disclaims any warranties (express or implied), merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. The author/publisher shall in no event be held liable for any loss or other damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages.

Published in the United States of America.

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To my husband, Robert Franks; the memory of Steve Moss, creator of 55 fiction who gave us a unique springboard to writing longer work; Susan Tuttle who supplied the title for this book; and to all my writing colleagues and friends at SLO NightWriters, Sisters in Crime, and the Central Coast Writer’s Conference. Where would I be without you?

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The Short and Long of It:

Expand, Adapt, & Publish Your Short Fiction

By Paul Alan Fahey

Table of Contents:

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Part 1: The Short Forms

Chapter 1: 55 Fiction

December 8, 1980, 5:59 P.M. by David Congalton

The More Things Change by Christine M. Ahern

Grapplemeyer by Shirley Powell

Your Turn Now

After the Exercise

A Tale of One Alley by Paul Alan Fahey

A Tale of One Alley by Paul Alan Fahey (revised)

The Road Not Taken by Paul Alan Fahey

No Biz Like Show Biz by Paul Alan Fahey

Making a Comeback by Paul Alan Fahey

Addis Ababa by Paul Alan Fahey

Flight of the Mockingbird by Paul Alan Fahey

Car Trouble by Paul Alan Fahey

Sup’osin by Paul Alan Fahey

A Cry for Help by Paul Alan Fahey

Expand your 55 Fiction to a 100-Word Summary

Artistic License by Paul Alan Fahey

Artistic License by Paul Alan Fahey (expanded)

Garden Reach by Paul Alan Fahey (excerpt)

Your Turn Now

Chapter 2: Flash Fiction

Examples of Flash Fiction

Carpathia by Jesse Lee Kercheval

Bye by Willy Bruijns

The Most Dangerous Time by Sue McGinty

Figment by Susan Tuttle

Anatomy of a Flash

Circle of Women by Paul Alan Fahey

Ladies of the Mesa by Paul Alan Fahey

Sisters by Paul Alan Fahey

Whodunit? by Paul Alan Fahey

Send Your Camel to Bed by Paul Alan Fahey

Moonlighting by Paul Alan Fahey

Mr. Withy’s Justice by Paul Alan Fahey

Nevermore by Paul Alan Fahey

Nevermore, Dearest by Paul Alan Fahey

Your Turn Now

Chapter 3: Loglines, Themes, and Three-Act Structure

Story Logline or Through Line

Your Turn Now

Theme

Your Turn Now

Three-Act Structure

Your Turn Now

Part 2: Expanding and Adapting Short Fiction

Chapter 4: Flash Fiction to Short Plays

Close Your Eyes and Think of England by Paul Alan Fahey

Your Turn Now

Chapter 5: Flash Fiction to Short Stories

The Wind by Paul Alan Fahey

Mistaken Identity by Paul Alan Fahey (excerpt)

Your Turn Now

Chapter 6: Flash Memoir to Personal Essays

Chicago 1974 by Paul Alan Fahey

Where We Going? by Paul Alan Fahey (excerpt)

Where Are You Going To? by Paul Alan Fahey

Your Turn Now

Chapter 7: Short Stories to Novellas

Wheel of Fortune by Paul Alan Fahey (excerpt)

The Woman Who Ran Away by Paul Alan Fahey (excerpt)

Your Mother Should Know by Paul Alan Fahey (excerpt)

Your Mother Should Know by Paul Alan Fahey (excerpt)

Your Turn Now

Chapter 8: Flash Fiction for Character Development and Backstory

A Deadly Game of Malice by Paul Alan Fahey (excerpt)

Your Turn Now

She Never Went into the City by Paul Alan Fahey (excerpt)

Too Long Among the Dead by Paul Alan Fahey (excerpt)

Too Long Among the Dead by Paul Alan Fahey (excerpt)

Too Long Among the Dead by Paul Alan Fahey (excerpt)

Too Long Among the Dead by Paul Alan Fahey (excerpt)

Your Turn Now

Chapter 9: A Very Short Conclusion

Want Ad by Paul Alan Fahey

Part 3: Appendices

Appendix A: Rules for Writing 55 Fiction

Yes! You Can Be a Famous Writer! by Steve Moss

The Rules

Appendix B: 55 Fiction by Paul Alan Fahey

The Make-up Artist by Paul Alan Fahey

Good Hair Day by Paul Alan Fahey

Peeper by Paul Alan Fahey

Farewell to Manderley by Paul Alan Fahey

The Blue Scarf by Paul Alan Fahey

They’re Playing Our Song by Paul Alan Fahey

Season Finale by Paul Alan Fahey

Turnabout by Paul Alan Fahey

Appendix C: Flash Fiction and a Flash Play

Siren by Paul Alan Fahey

The Train to Montevideo by Paul Alan Fahey

Head Over Heels by Paul Alan Fahey

Fireworks by Paul Alan Fahey

And There Was Claudia by Paul Alan Fahey

Night Trip by Paul Alan Fahey

Blue Magic by Paul Alan Fahey

Following a Pattern by Paul Alan Fahey

Ladies Who Lunch by Paul Alan Fahey

Appendix D: Wheel of Fortune by Paul Alan Fahey

Appendix E: Character Development and Backstory

The Brooch by Paul Alan Fahey

What Sarah Remembered by Paul Alan Fahey

Close in Spirit by Paul Alan Fahey

Sometimes They Hear Us by Paul Alan Fahey

Wednesday’s Child by Paul Alan Fahey

She Never Went into the City by Paul Alan Fahey

Walking Granger by Paul Alan Fahey

Appendix F: For Further Reading

Permissions

Acknowledgments

Introduction

There is only one type of story in the world—your story.

—Ray Bradbury

I have to admit from the moment I picked up my first anthology, Flash Fiction: 72 Very Short Stories by James Thomas, Tom Hazuka, and Denise Thomas, I was hooked, and thoroughly amazed that a writer could tell a full story with such a limited number of words. How was it possible? Thus began my short fiction-writing career. I cut my writing teeth on pieces of 55, 100, 250, 750, and 1,500 words. I took classes in flash fiction, and for four years participated in an online flash fiction workshop where we read, analyzed, and critiqued each other’s work. (A huge thank you here to our wonderful writing instructor Pamelyn Casto, who taught us how to write short and accumulate publishing credits along the way. You’re the greatest!)

If you’re a writer like myself, someone who learned to write short and still does, and who shivers at the thought of attempting anything longer than flash fiction or stories that curl up and end at 2,000 words, then this book is for you. In the beginning, as I forced myself to write longer work, I saw my life pass before me. My epitaph, short and succinct: He died trying to increase his word count. I was paralyzed with fear. I kept telling myself I couldn’t do it. Nope. Never gonna happen.

I was a slow writer to begin with—still am, in fact. While my writer friends merrily wrote and published novels faster than speeding bullets, I was trapped in the short forms. But with the advent of the e-age something happened. While reviewing some of my older work with an eye to reprinting it, I realized many of these earlier pieces might provide blueprints for longer stories. Most had definable beginnings, middles, and ends, and a plotline I could expand upon. Like The Little Engine That Could, my mantra became: I think I can. I think I can. And you know what?

I found out I could.

And so can you.

That’s what this little book is all about.

As you read through the book’s sections and practice the exercises at the end of each chapter, The Short and Long of It will help you stretch your fiction—and your brain—but I also hope you’ll have as much fun in the process as I did in writing this book. So let’s get on with it, shall we?

Part 1: The Short Forms

Your original idea starts your creative process.

—Bob Mayer

There’s an old Ethiopian proverb that goes something like this: Little by little the egg will walk. If you think about it a moment, the saying makes quite a bit of sense. Take one step at a time and you’ll reach your goal. So that’s what we’ll do in this book. We’ll begin slowly and work our way up to writing longer, fuller, and more satisfying work.

The chapters in this section present examples of the short fiction forms beginning with 55 Fiction, or 55ers, and moving through flash fiction to short-shorts and short stories. I’ll provide some examples of exemplary pieces from my colleagues for you to analyze, and add a few stories of my own. I’ll also share some writing wisdom, invaluable tips, and words of encouragement gleaned from my workshop notes at the Central Coast Writer’s Conference. There will also be plenty of exercises at the end of the chapters to help you bridge the gap between the short and the long forms.

So like the egg, little by little, let’s begin our walk.

Chapter 1: 55 Fiction

How short can a story be and still be considered a story?

Steve Moss, editor and co-publisher of New Times in San Luis Obispo, posed this question in his introduction to The World’s Shortest Stories, and it wasn’t long before these very short pieces of 55 words became a local, national, and international phenomenon. Each year New Times holds a 55 Fiction contest. I fell in love with the genre and over the years I’ve been fortunate to have several of my 55ers featured among the winners. For a fiction writer these very tiny pieces can be a huge challenge, but I guarantee you’ll have tons of fun creating them, and in the process learn to shape and hone your writing skills for much longer work. Did anyone say warm-up exercises?

Let’s take a look at some excellent examples of 55 Fiction.

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December 8, 1980, 5:59 P.M. by David Congalton

She closed the history book and sighed. "That General Custer. He should never have left the safety of the Dakota territory."

He was in too much of a hurry to listen. He picked up his guitar and headed for the door. Bloody hell, Yoko. Let’s go. We’re going to be late. (51 words)

* * * *

Did you have almost a visceral reaction to reading this piece? I sure did. Like most horrendous events in history—the assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy—we remember where we were, often even what we were doing at the time. John Lennon’s assassination is no exception. My partner, Bob, now my husband, and I were sitting in our living room reading the evening paper when our next door neighbor burst in with the news.

Mr. Congalton’s 55er has a sense of reality, immediacy, terror, and surprise; it’s economical in its brevity, but it has depth and great power and the satisfying feel of a full story. Not bad for just fifty-one words, eh? (Yep, pieces less than fifty-five words are allowed in the contest.)

* * * *

The More Things Change by Christine M. Ahern

When they met, her hair was wild, her name was Peace.

His hair was long, his name was Sam. He played guitar for her.

Sam traded his guitar for golf clubs. She’s long since cut her hair.

He calls her Judy. But sometimes, under a full moon’s light, he sees Peace and kisses her anew. (55 words)

* * * *

In The More Things Change, Ms. Ahern does a beautiful job of charting the trajectory of a relationship: how two people meet, change with the years, and come full circle at the end. She lets the reader fill in the blanks. One of the most striking aspects of this piece is its three-part structure. Can you identify and separate Ms. Ahern’s story into those divisions? The nostalgic afterglow is a wonderful bonus. How can anyone not love it?

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Grapplemeyer by Shirley Powell

Old Grapplemeyer died broke. The reading of this will is over.

That old fraud, sobbed Lydia, Grapplemeyer’s mistress of thirty years. I’ve wasted my life.

You? shouted David. I was his secretary, valet, and more!

I was only the cook, but I’ll miss dear Mr. Grapplemeyer, said Rosemary, fingering a huge diamond ring. (53 words)

* * * *

Can you see Ms. Powell winking at you as you read the last line of this humorous piece? It’s short—clocks in at 53 words—sweet, and reads like a dream. Talk about curling up at the end. No reading between the lines here. It’s all there and beautifully written.

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Your Turn Now

Before we begin this section of writing exercises,