StoryADay Post-Challenge Debrief 2021 - Part 2

Last time I answered questions 1 and 4 of Julie Duffy's StoryADay post-challenge debrief. You can find that here. This time, I'm going to answer questions 2 and 3. As this is coming over two weeks after the first part, there are going to be some writing developments that I'll include in this part of the debrief that weren't included in the first part.

2. What types of short stories came most easily to you?

While I haven't been writing short stories as much as I have been writing for a few of my novels-in-progress - most notably Marie/Elise, my murder mystery, and The Pirates of Sissa, my high fantasy novel. I think, of those two, it was easiest to write my murder mystery, in large part because I was very inspired and motivated to do so, and in part also because it just didn't require as much brain power as my fantasy novels do. 

When I'm writing my fantasy novels, I have to consider worldbuilding, how I'll describe and explain elements readers will otherwise be unfamiliar with, and more. When it comes to Marie/Elise, however, it's a story that conforms to our current ways of life, and so it's much more easily accessible and understood by audiences, which also means that it was a lot easier for me to go about the writing of it, as all I really needed to focus on were the characters and the dialogue - and, of course, the mystery itself. 

📏 Length of Stories Written

As of this blog post, I've written over 30,000 words for Marie/Elise, and some words for the rewrite of The Pirates of Sissa as well. In terms of daily average, I think the word count amounts to around 1,000-2,000 words per day. But I don't write every day, as I prefer to write in the evenings after my work for the day is done, and certain nights are definitely more productive than others. Generally speaking, I stop working for the night when I've completed a full scene from beginning to end. I can edit it later, but I won't be comfortable closing my document until I've gotten it all down - worried I might forget something good if I put it off!

I will also note that I've also come up with some great ideas for a short story collection that's been in the back of my mind for ages now. I'm glad I finally have a good starting point for these themed short stories and I look forward to working on them after I get a few more projects off my plate (Pirates of Sissa, I'm looking at you).

🕶 Mood/Style/Genre Most Written & Enjoyed

Dark, intriguing mystery is what I've been writing most in the recent past. I've really had a lot of fun with it, and it takes me back to the kind of writing that I started off with. I've always thought that suspenseful, dark, mysterious writing is my forte. I think that it's also something I truly enjoy, perhaps more so than other kinds of writing. I think that's certainly evidenced even in my fantasy and other novels, where I still write in a lot of mystery, suspense, and intrigue. 

So, I think that's something that I've reminded myself of these past few weeks - this style of writing has always been so fun for me.

Am I comfortable writing short stories at all?

Alright, so I haven't been writing short stories lately. I think I default to more novel-length (or even novella-length) stories. When I do write short stories, they tend to be on the very short side, even in short story terms! But I really quite enjoy writing short stories when I've got ideas that will fit nicely in a short-form medium. 

I have a list of several short stories on my website (currently down because I'm polishing them up again and re-designing them as PDFs and EPUBS), and I think those will provide a good idea of what kind of short story I enjoy writing, and the length that I'm most comfortable with for short stories. 

Otherwise, I'm very much a novelist - because my ideas are usually too big for a short story, with too much that I want to put together.

Elements in my Writing

I try to craft stories that are character-driven, so that whatever plot takes place is directly the result of character decisions and behavior. I think this is one of the ways to keep a plot engaging and give readers an enjoyable experience with your story. I enjoy working a lot of intrigue into my writing, and often imbue my works with suspense wherever appropriate. 

I also like hiding things in my writing - little hidden treasures, so to speak. Sometimes, it's as easy as something that cross-references other books or stories of mine. Other times, it's a reference to something external, like a myth or a classic or any number of things I find intriguing. 

I personally think that my descriptive skills need work, though I've had some feedback that suggests that my descriptions are actually not as bad as I think they are, which is definitely something that makes me feel a lot better about my craft as a writer. That being said, it's definitely an area where I try to constantly focus my efforts on, because while crafting dialogue seems to come more or less easily to me, description is another beast altogether. I often worry it comes off too boring, and as a reader that often skims description, that's definitely a concern of mine.

Building tension and creating moments of action is also something I want to add more of into my storytelling, and I hope to do that as I continue improving not only my stories but also my writing skills. The good news is that in the new plots for Marie/Elise and The Pirates of Sissa, I've actively tried to make sure that there are moments of tension, moments of action, and moments that generally create a more dynamic reading experience for readers.

3. Sorting Out My Stories

Stories I want to revise & share

• Marie/Elise
• The Pirates of Sissa
• The short story collection (eerie, perhaps a dash of horror) that I've planned out
  

Stories to use in later projects

•  I wrote some great worldbuilding pieces that I'm very excited for, and while I can't use them in current projects, I'm already trying to think about where I can use them, because they're too good to let go of!
  

Stories that were an interesting exercise but I won't be returning to

• None for now, since I was only working on the above listed projects in the past month or so. As I write more stories, I'm certain there will be many that fit here. In the past, there have been a lot of stories that I haven't returned to, but I try to put everything away for use in later projects. You never know when something will come in handy! I've already made the mistake of deleting a project that I thought I wouldn't be returning to; needless to say, I regret that decision very much!
  

So, there we go! That was fun (and thorough!). I always enjoy reflecting on my progress, and not just in terms of my writing, but also in terms of personal development and other parts of my life that are important to me. I feel it always helps me feel much more confident.