Short Stories and Poems

I’ve been writing short stories lately. Up until a month ago, I would honestly say I was concentrating on writing poetry rather than short stories. But the new writing group I’m a member of if aimed at larger pieces of writing, rather than only poetry. I’ve been doing my best to have a go at writing something to meet whatever the group decides we’re going to do.

This has meant short stories. And I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the writing of these short stories! In the past, I’ve written some short stories I’ve been quite proud of, but I haven’t taken my short story writing seriously. If asked, I usually say I’m a poet first, rather than a short story writer.

Now though, hmm, I’m not so sure. Inventing new people and situations is so much fun! I love making my new people do whatever I want them to do – the power is seductive! When I write a poem, it’s usually about me, in some way, and often it’s me looking at something that’s happening in my life. Not much that’s wildly interesting actually happens in my life. Consequently, my poems tend not to be wildly exciting. When I write a short story though, the brakes are off, and I can write about any amazing thing happening. I can murder people and maybe even get away with it, I can tell people anything I want and only suffer the consequences I want to suffer, or I can glory in the results with no consequences at all!

Short stories can be written in just one day, as poems can, but short stories let you create wonderful and fascinating people. You can play God with your creations, make super villains and super heroes. Who wouldn’t want to write short stories. Of course, if you want to get those short stories published, that’s a different story. Publishing means you have to have a story that makes some kind of sense, no flying off without plotting a world where such flying off makes some kind of sense.

I’m going to type up some of my recent short stories and see if I can get them published online, somewhere. I had one short story published recently, on Alfie Dog website. That story was originally written at my writing group Adelaide Plains Chapter and Verse. I was extremely happy with the story, it has a dog in it, and in my opinion, any story with a dog in it, is a good story. If you’d like to read that story, it’s here.