3:24 / Short Narratives, part 3 / Mixed Miscellany Summer Series

2022-06-08

Major plot points in short narratives keep the story moving—whether a short story, a narrative poem, or an anecdote to personalize a blog post. Explosive excitement, an angsty soul-changing crisis, a boxed-in corner that forces an intellectual revelation—these are perfect for the major story parts or movements, the opening and closing of each 1,500-word scene or a poem’s stanza or an article’s anecdotal paragraph. What do we write in the middle of those parts? This episode can help. Timings 1:22 Opening with 3 Require...

Major plot points in short narratives keep the story moving—whether a short story, a narrative poem, or an anecdote to personalize a blog post.

Explosive excitement, an angsty soul-changing crisis, a boxed-in corner that forces an intellectual revelation—these are perfect for the major story parts or movements, the opening and closing of each 1,500-word scene or a poem’s stanza or an article’s anecdotal paragraph.

What do we write in the middle of those parts? This episode can help.

Timings

1:22 Opening with 3 Requirements of a Short Narrative
2:05 Realm of Long Narratives vs. Realm of Short Narratives
4:11 Focus on the Middle of each Part / Movement
4:31 1st Story Part or Movement (A & B)
6:25 Ways to Hide Clues
7:59 Carly Simon’s “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be”, 1st stanza and chorus
10:25 2nd Story Part & Simon’s 2nd stanza
12:28 3rd Story Part
12:52 4th Story Part
13:29 Simon’s 3rd stanza and final chorus
15:12 Closing / Next Week
15:46 Inspiration / Somerset Maugham