Thursday, February 2, 2012

Reading Choices

Since discovering Richard Parks' blog, I've become a regular reader. He writes about short stories and the problems that plague the writers who love and work in the form. Yesterday's post was about name recognition and touched on the subject of writing standalone shorts vs serial shorts. Much food for thought. http://richard-parks.com/2012/02/01/zen-and-the-art-of-beating-your-head-against-a-wall/

Early in my writing I wrote stories that featured a character named Buck Tuff. He was a PI and his ex-wife, Irma, was his partner. They were a broad slap-stick version of a traditional PI. I began writing these characters in a flash group that I belonged to, but I found that whenever I strayed from these B&I stories the readers would suggest ways to make the new story about them. While I loved the characters and a few of the stories were published, I didn't want to get caught in the trap of only being able to keep readers happy by writing about Buck and Irma's adventures.

Another problem with the setup of the stories was in poking fun at the PI genre, the stories weren't being accepted in the mystery markets even though they usually had a mystery at the heart of them. They were both too humorous and had too much sexual innuendo to make them acceptable.

So I stepped away from the characters and began writing for the online noir market, with the stories getting darker and darker. I still have a few series stories, like the ones set on Mulberry Street, but I try to only write one or two of them a year for fear of getting caught in that trap of only being able to write those stories.

How about you? Do you prefer a short story writer who builds a world of characters for you? And are you disappointed when one of their stories isn't set in that world? Or do you just read an author to enjoy the ride no matter where they take you?

And if you'd like to check out B&I here are links to a couple of stories that are still online.

Harpooned http://www.mystericale.com/072/harpooned.htm
Jingle All the Way http://powderburnflash.blogspot.com/2007/12/powder-flash-burn-57-sandra-seamans.html

7 comments:

Thomas Pluck said...

I know I can sell dark crime fiction. Not to be cocky.
I write humorous stories now and then to keep my edge. Someday I hope to need pen names to separate all my ideas.
I like building a world, and I like some series, but I am more impressed when one book can build that world. With publishing as it is, that is less likely. Books have gotten shorter and shorter, unless you're Neal Stephenson.

sandra seamans said...

I still write humor, too, Tommy. Mostly dark, but not always.

Series books are a whole nother beast and they're pretty much a given in the mystery field. I was just wondering how people felt about short stories that follow the same characters and/or setting. Like Al Tucher's Diana series and Matt Funk's stories set in New Orleans.

Chris said...

I have enjoyed some collections that have overlap among the setting and characters. Seeing some of that in Pollack's Knockemstiff, for example. Also in a recent collection I read called Conjugations of the Verb: To Be by Glen Chamberlain.

But I think I prefer writers who write across genres and characters and settings.

sandra seamans said...

You're like me, Chis, you follow the writer, not the characters. :)

G. B. Miller said...

I basically read the story for what it is, not for what it contains.

For reoccuring characters, I prefer the novel over the short story, although with a certain writer, I enjoy the reoccuring characters in his short stories.

Al Tucher said...

Thanks for the mention, Sandra!

Diana first saw the light in a short story that I wrote for a writing class in 2000. I keep going back to her, because her experience encompasses everything from the darkest noir to slapstick comedy. I suppose she could run out of material someday, but she has also given me some juicy supporting characters to work with.

sandra seamans said...

Yes, G, the novel seems better suited for series characters because you can see them grow from book to book easier than short to short. And that wouldn't be those Western characters created by a certain editor we know, would it? :)

She's given you some excellent material over the years, Al!