I’m going to use advice from people who, in addition to writing novels, have also spent plenty of time “interning” with short stories. While most of them are speculative fiction writers, I’ll also be looking at plain, old, effective short story writers. The advice will be in the form of one or several quotes off of which I’ll jump and connect it with my own writing experience. While I don’t write full-time, nor do I make enough money with my writing to live off of it...neither do most of the professional writers...someone pays for and publishes ten percent of what I write. When I started this blog, that was NOT true, so I may have reached a point where my own advice is reasonably good. We shall see as I work to increase my writing output and sales! As always, your comments are welcome! Without further ado, short story observations by Jack McDevitt – with a few from myself…
First of all, I didn’t know that Jack McDevitt had been a classroom teacher before he “got famous”! In an interview marked below, McDevitt said, “Science fiction is, in the short form, at its most compelling. Aside from the Bradbury, any good Arthur Clarke collection, and the Science Fiction Hall of Fame anthologies. And I suspect several hundred other strong candidates. My all-time favorite story, Clarke’s ‘The Star,’ would probably get a teacher in trouble, so we’d want to stay clear of that.”
Funny, I think the reaction today would be, “Obviously the Christian god (if there was one) would be happy to explode a star as a show of force to Humanity to make them do what it wanted them to do!” Be that as it may…
I LOVE writing short. I even teach it during an elective summer school session for elementary-aged kids. You have NO idea how resistant they are to my suggestion. A parent even emailed me to tell that I had “no right” to place any limits on THEIR child – even the title of the class, the advertising, and the stated purpose is WRITING TO GET PUBLISHED. I use my first two novels as an example; I note that Andy Weir did the same thing: I wrote both FIRST as blog entries, then collected them together, gave them a hard edit, put them away for several months…well, I’m certain you know that taking even a short story from idea to polished finish – and eventual publication.
Here’s a few things I learned from McDevitt that I’ve actually applied to my writing:
Jack McDevitt emphasizes that short stories should focus on crafting an immersive experience, often relying on "what if" scenarios derived from everyday observations. He advises minimizing technical, hard-science explanations in favor of character-driven narratives, ensuring the plot moves toward a clear, impactful resolution. His approach often involves surprise endings and concise, impactful prose.
OK – while I’ve done this SOMETIMES, I’m not consistent. Not the “sciencey” stuff, but developing character. When I look at the list of publications on my blog site. My most recent rejection added the following note: “There are some interesting ideas here, but its all talk, the story, the action itself, is hidden from us. We could have seen much more about the relationship between Dex and his grandmother, and the loss he is feeling and how this project is bringing back their closeness. How Dex is feeling about being Salma's guardian and how she feels with her mother being on another planet. Salma clearly doesn't believe in fairies for most of the story and is humoring Dex. This story could be so much more than it is."
Ouch! HOWEVER, while I noticed it when I got the email (but skimmed over it), the commenter said, …“could be so much more than it is.” rather than, “It could have been so much more…” Hmmm…I’ve been going through old, rejected short stories to see if there’s anything I can do to save them. Maybe THIS one should be on the top of the stories to rescue…
The "What If" Approach: Many of his ideas stem from observing daily life, such as in a restaurant or a museum, and imagining scenarios based on those observations.
Ending First: He emphasizes the importance of knowing where the story ends before starting, ensuring the plot moves efficiently toward a resolution.
Overcoming Writer's Block: His first story, originally rejected, was only successful after major rewrites and taking advice, highlighting the importance of persistence and revision. The thing here is that I don’t believe in “writer’s block”. I know there are countless articles out there that purport to “cure writer’s block”, but…well, I won’t write here what I ACTUALLY think, but suffice it to say, if you find yourself confronted by it, just write ANYTHING. I once read that even writing a grocery list – physically writing it on paper – is beneficial to jump-start!
His work often features a strong, logical, and sometimes surprising, conclusion, as seen in his collection A Voice in the Night. I leave you with this piece of advice from him: “Keep writing. Don’t take a couple of years off. We need to keep our readers interested and happy. So produce some output.”
My only question is: What if I just couldn’t SELL anything? Hmmm? Love to ask him THAT question!
Constructing Experiences: Rather than just telling a story, the goal is to create an illusion of reality, allowing the reader to "live" through the events. Not sure what this means right now, but next time I’ll explore more next time
References: [If you prefer your interviews as YouTubes: https://libguides.ccga.edu/mcdevitt/videos]. I gleaned my information from these sources: https://www.sfwa.org/2011/12/21/nebula-awards-interview-jack-mcdevitt/#:~:text=Time%20Travelers%20Never%20Die%20was,and%20be%20lifted%20to%20safety. ; https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/mcdevitt_interview/; do a GOOGLE search for the following: How do I create an illusion of reality, allowing the reader to "live" through the story events? Image: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhK6miXJMTMNyB3kzq-r6I2LVCTZJj0CDS0dPV2Qapl6e9rZPuHx2u5QKcKT1QGeDg1_tPMv-lpnuSr_eiBjwPXmex9mcgtuH2-SUtZEpGWV0_HdtJQelVt5K69NulJBUqNju5GNjHgQibXsIo4NeWpTOj4ai85jCRjMHOtwtkqshzxFvZPUSjXZNq6=s320
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