July 9, 10:00 a.m. AZ time: Short Stories Shared
Practice for the AMW Short Story Contest!
In our May meeting, Pima College faculty member Mike Alvarez shared his wisdom about mystery writing. The presentation was lively and informative, and we all enjoyed the learning experience. According to Mike, he sometimes assigns writing a one-page mystery to help students learn to develop a story.
Here is the checklist Mike uses with his students:
- The short-short story can be 500-750 words in length
- Don’t stress over the final length. Your story must be well-written regardless of length.
- Immediately introduce your characters and story line.
- Every word must count.
- Character actions and dialogue move the story forward & contribute to its conclusion.
Fun Fact: What is the shortest short story? Ernest Hemingway—perhaps at Harry’s Bar or perhaps at Luchow’s—once bet a bunch of fellows that he could make them cry with a short story six words long. If he won, each fellow would have to fork over $10.
Hemingway’s six-word story was: “For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn.” Hemingway won the bet.
A one-page mystery? Hmm… What an intriguing idea! Want to give it a try? Here is your challenge: Come to our July meeting with your one-page mystery. Keep it as close to 500 words as you can. We’ll read the stories and try to identify what makes a good mystery.
One of Mike’s short mysteries is posted below to serve as an example and to provide inspiration.
A Triangle Plus One - July 2022 Meeting Attachment
The Zoom link is in the AMW July newsletter. If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter, please email membership@arizonamysterywriters.com, or use the newsletter signup form on this website https://arizonamysterywriters.com/ .
