Ask SD Tracy Harper #38All questions are anonymous. If you know who is asking the question and wish to leave a comment, please respect their rights to remain anonymous.
Q: SD, I have
written a short story and had some friends read it. Some say it was a good
comedy and others said it was a good romance story. However, I thought it was a
decent drama. Am I missing something?
A: Ah, no you’re
not. Once a story leaves your hands, it is out of your hands. There is an old
saying that if you have two people describe the same picture you will get two
different answers. Well, you got different answers. As with no two snowflakes
being the same, no two opinions will be the same as well. What is more
important is if they liked what they had read and not the emotional connection
you had expected. This is where the Happy Surprise comes into play and you
start looking to improve your skills as a writer. I’m sure there are reasons
why they thought as they had and if it is possible for you to learn what
pivoting point in your story that gives them that impression, which might be
helpful in future manuscripts, but it should not be a roadblock to the story
you had them read. Enjoy success, strive for perfection, and be humble someone
has taken the time out of their lives to spend a moment in the world you had
constructed and the characters who live there. I hope this helps. SD
Q: SD, What inspires
you to write?
A: That’s a good
question. There are many things that inspire me. Everything and anything can be
inspiring, and in most cases, they depend on my mindset, I wish to be in to
express thoughts in a certain way. The big question is when there is little
motivation to write. That is when I go through my little bag of tricks to
jumpstart that little warped brain cell between my ears. I know this isn’t a
straight forward answer, but it is my answer. Writing is a feeling, a desire,
and a release of imagination from within you to a written form for others to
see, feel and experience what you wish to share. I hope this helps. SD
Q: SD, I have a
problem of finishing one story because the idea of another story pops into my
head. Do you have any suggestions how I can stay focused long enough to finish
one story before I go on to the next?
A: I don’t see where this is a problem. I constantly write
on several stories at the same time. However, I do understand what you are
asking. The simplest and most useful answer is to become your own super fan.
Once you get to the point that the story which has you momentary interest is
declining and a new idea is poking through your thoughts (Shameless Disclaimer of
previous Ask SD), get out the old magic box and start tossing in ideas. Then
next thing to do is to take a break and go live life for a moment. Go and kiss
the dog and scratch the significant other behind the ear before you take them
outside for some playtime. The next thing you do is pick up one of the stories
that are unfinished and start reading it as if you have been waiting months for
it to come out. Get excited about what you are going to read. Prepare yourself
as you would when your favorite author above all your favorite authors latest
work is finally in your hands. When you are reading, get so wrapped up in the
moment that your imagination tries to jump forward to what is going to happen
next, all the while knowing there is a possibility that you might be wrong (we
all do this). I guarantee that when you get to the end of your work, you will
be upset that it had ended all too soon. This is also where you will feel where
this story should go and how it should truly end. Make that final stretch of
the joinery happen and give that super fan the ending of the story they
deserve. I hope this helps. SD
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