I wrote short fiction on a cheque once and the judge sent me away for six years.

Some people are into model making and others do crossword puzzles. I write short stories of mystery and imagination, initially for my own enjoyment. Writing short stories isn't easy for me (I have the perfectionist syndrome - painful), and I have to work hard at it. If I was qualified to give advice, it would be: choose the three act structure. Avoid unimportant information (too much backstory etc). Kill "babies" as often as it takes, and speed up the reading experience with active voice as opposed to passive voice. My motto is: get in; activate the fuse; and get out.

He dropped so much valuable game in this video, wow, thanks for posting, 5 years later and still helpful!

Wheat follows is one of my top 10 short stories of all time: Grace Paley “ Wants” [from her 1974 short story collection “ Enormous Changes At The Last Minute” Nominated for the National Book Award For Fiction] ~ “ Wants” I saw my ex-husband in the street. I was sitting on the steps of the new library. Hello, my life, I said. We had once been married for twenty-seven years, so I felt justified. He said, What? What life? No life of mine. I said, O.K. I don't argue when there's real disagreement. I got up and went into the library to see how much I owed them. The librarian said $32 even and you've owed it for eighteen years. I didn't deny anything. Because I don't understand how time passes. I have had those books. I have often thought of them. The library is only two blocks away. My ex-husband followed me to the Books Returned desk. He interrupted the librarian, who had more to tell. In many ways, he said, as I look back, I attribute the dissolution of our marriage to the fact that you never invited the Bertrams to dinner. That's possible, I said. But really, if you remember: first, my father was sick that Friday, then the children were born, then I had those Tuesday-night meetings, then the war began. Then we didn't seem to know them any more. But you're right. I should have had them to dinner. I gave the librarian a check for $32. Immediately she trusted me, put my past behind her, wiped the record clean, which is just what most other municipal and/or state bureaucracies will not do. I checked out the two Edith Wharton books I had just returned because I'd read them so long ago and they are more apropos now than ever. They were The House of Mirth and The Children, which is about how life in the United States in New York changed in twenty-seven years fifty years ago. A nice thing I do remember is breakfast, my ex-husband said. I was surprised. All we ever had was coffee. Then I remembered there was a hole in the back of the kitchen closet which opened into the apartment next door. There, they always ate sugar-cured smoked bacon. It gave us a very grand feeling about breakfast, but we never got stuffed and sluggish. That was when we were poor, I said. When were we ever rich? he asked. Oh, as time went on, as our responsibilities increased, we didn't go in need. You took adequate financial care, I reminded him. The children went to camp four weeks a year and in decent ponchos with sleeping bags and boots, just like everyone else. They looked very nice. Our place was warm in winter, and we had nice red pillows and things. I wanted a sailboat, he said. But you didn't want anything. Don't be bitter, I said. It's never too late. No, he said with a great deal of bitterness. I may get a sailboat. As a matter of fact I have money down on an eighteen-foot two-rigger. I'm doing well this year and can look forward to better. But as for you, it's too late. You'll always want nothing. He had had a habit throughout the twenty-seven years of making a narrow remark which, like a plumber's snake, could work its way through the ear down the throat, half-way to my heart. He would then disappear, leaving me choking with equipment. What I mean is, I sat down on the library steps and he went away. I looked through The House of Mirth, but lost interest. I felt extremely accused. Now, it's true, I'm short of requests and absolute requirements. But I do want something. I want, for instance, to be a different person. I want to be the woman who brings these two books back in two weeks. I want to be the effective citizen who changes the school system and addresses the Board of Estimate on the troubles of this dear urban center. I had promised my children to end the war before they grew up. I wanted to have been married forever to one person, my ex-husband or my present one. Either has enough character for a whole life, which as it turns out is really not such a long time. You couldn't exhaust either man's qualities or get under the rock of his reasons in one short life. Just this morning I looked out the window to watch the street for a while and saw that the little sycamores the city had dreamily planted a couple of years before the kids were born had come that day to the prime of their lives. Well! I decided to bring those two books back to the library. Which proves that when a person or an event comes along to jolt or appraise me I can take some appropriate action, although I am better known for my hospitable remarks -Grace Paley ( from her 1974 short story collection “ Enormous Changes At The Last Minute” Nominated for the National Book Award For Fiction ).

I've always loved short stories 'cos they give you a book that seems condensed and the really good ones have a twist in the end that you don't see coming, I used to love write essays at school, that is going back over 30 yrs and always got good to excellent marks for them so I've been thinking of taking it up again so thank you very much for the info and also thank you Joana for another brilliant interview, I'm slowly working my way through your KZfaq content and have really enjoyed your first rate info Thank you very much for going to the trouble of putting it out there!!!

Another great interview and valuable information . Thank you Douglas and Joanna. x

Extremely enlightening, from very intellectual individuals, thank you much.

Thank you for the great tips. Appreciate your time and the sharing of your knowledge.

Thank you for posting on this topic. I'm currently revising my first novel and it's taking forever! lol This may be a way to get some more immediate feedback and pay for my Starbucks in the meantime ;) Great info.

Excellent, logical and inspiring. Thank you.

Found this very informative and inspiring, thank you.

This contained a lot of great info, thanks

Douglas-you are a gem! This is the interview I needed to push me through my first project. God bless you for trying to help other fledgling authors by sharing your experience. You’re the kind of person that I would like to have as a neighbor! Definitely buying your book.

This is awesome! thanks for sharing this with us

Very interesting information. Highly appreciated!

This is a fantastic interview and has given me lots of ideas! Thank you.

Very good information about licensing and creative rights. As a new writer this is not something that I had even considered. I'll be doing follow-up research on this topic after I finish this video.

Very informative, thank you so much!

Thank you . . . very good information.

". . . chasing down their other work." That reminds me of the time I read an anthology years ago as a young reader. One writer stuck out so clearly. And then I chased down many of the works of Guy de Maupassant. I've found so many other authors this way as well. In fact, to bring this closer to this video, I too became a fan of Roger Zelazny through a short sampling of his work that lead to me chasing down his other works and eventually the Chronicles of Amber, his most famous. I love the short story format.

Awesome video! Thanks :)

Submission grinder is amazing

Liked for the Zelazny name drop. Great interview, too!

Thank you for this

"you have to finish them" Yes! This!

Haven't seen Ms. Penn in some time. She is so glowy. She adds so much positivity to the universe. That alone is worth the viewing. :) Beyond that . . . A great video conversation. It's interesting to hear other folks' processes.

Love your channel, Joanna! Would love it if you would make a video on how to outline, write, and publish a novella.

Peace & Prosperity 🙏🏼

Thank you for this! I have been writing short stories and posting them to my blog to build a reader base. But I am hoping to look into submitting to anthologies and magazines.

This was a very insightful conversation about short stories and the business of short stories. You can't know one without knowing the other. Can you recommend a book on character arcs? Having the right tools will allow to be be able to craft a quality story. I'm excited to jump into my next book, but I want to create memorable stories that will stand the test of time. Awards don't mean much to me. Readership on my books is all the reward I need. Where is the best source to learn about a writer's rights without being concerned with their motives in the back of your mind?

Are there on-line directory's of publishing houses that will accept email submissions and are there any special requirements for the way the attachments are set out?

Hello. I am a novice writer. I write short stories and novels l have published my first book on amazon site (the gates opener. Miracle birth book 1) three years ago. I have been working in media and I have not been read by anyone. What do you advise me to read and spread?

Just one thing -.the website SmithWriter.com comes up as ''not secure''. Any comments?

I really need to make a spreadsheet for magazine submissions. I have sent out a few short stories and two weeks later I couldn’t remember which magazine I submitted what story to! It’s not until after I get an e-mail back that I figure out where I submitted a manuscript.

how do people find their right audience niche to successfully promote their book?

The idea of "Plotting" a character's course seems foreign to me. So does the notion that all writers must be advertisers. If writing is truly an art form, it must be organic. I believe great writing is always found, especially in a sea of mediocrity. It shines like a beacon to the point It only takes a single paragraph to know the worth of the author. That opinion is predicated on the notion that one writes for the joy of the act itself, not as a means to seek recognition and the compensation that follows.

Great information and interview, but all these ads! Good grief! This takes away the class and concentration of this interview. Truly annoying. Thank you for such great information. As always, good pieces of advise.

I have written many scintillating stories , can U guide how and where to advertise and sell? Kindly go to books2read, author Brijmohan sharma

So where can you go to get the clutter out your head? I would like to write something. Just looking for opinion

I wish i had watched this video before submitting three short story books to draft2Digital who have distributed to many publishers, such as Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble. As i should have submitted some of the stories to magazines as suggested. thanks.