Learn How to Write a Truly Great Short Story

Learn How to Write a Truly Great Short StoryLearn How to Write a Truly Great Short StoryTips for writing a great short story are based on the primary elements of fiction, no matter the length, character, plot, or theme. But when writing a story of no more than 10,000 jas, keep in mind that employing these elements will often require an adjusted approach. The challenge for the short story writer lies in developing the major elements of fiction- character, plot, theme, point of view, etc.- in less than 25 typeset pages, as the industry cutoff for the form is considered 7,500 to 10,000 words. To meet this challenge, short-story writers generally follow, consciously or unconsciously, standardized guidelines for success. Use Few Characters and Stick to One Point of View You simply will not have room for more than one or two round characters. Find economical ways to characterize your protagonist, and describe minor characters briefly. ansicht smaller characters are called ancillary cha racters, and only exist to accelerate the plot. For a short story, lengthy descriptions are not needed. Having only one or two protagonists naturally limits your opportunities to switch perspectives. Even if youre tempted to try it, you will have trouble fully realizing, in a balanced way, more than one point of view.? Limit the Story to a Single Time Frame Though some short-story writers do jump around in time, your story has the biggest chance of success if you limit the time frame tightly. There are few reasons a short story needs a flashback or flash-forward. Covering years of a characters life in the short-story form is unrealistic, but the form is well suited for highlighting important instances that help shape the characters perspective. By limiting the time period, you allow more focus on the events that are included in the narrative, and time passes naturally to the reader. Edit Ruthlessly As with poetry, the short story requires discipline and editing. Every line s hould either build character or advance the action. If it doesnt do one of these two things, it has to go. William Faulkner was right to advise writers to kill their darlings. This advice is especially important for short-story writers, as economy is key. For a good example of word selection, read A Clean, Well-Lighted Place by a master of the form, Ernest Hemingway. Not one word exists that doesnt serve the story if any text is taken out, the story would collapse entirely. Follow Conventional Story Structure The standard rules of narrative that applied in our high school literature classes apply to writers as well. Though you may not have room to hit every element of traditional plot structure, know that a story is roughly composed of exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, and denouement. However much you experiment with form, something has to happen in the story- or, at the very least, the reader has to feel as though something has happened. Short stories often cover eve nts that on the surface seem like banal everyday occurrences but conceal deeper emotional meaning. Literary devices like conflict and resolution achieve this effect. Storytelling may seem magical, but the building blocks are actually concrete, and it is simply your flavor that makes your story individual. As with any type of writing, the beginning and the end are the most important parts. Make koranvers your first and last lines are the strongest in the story- first to grab, and then to anchor. Know When to Break the Rules As with all rules, some are meant to be broken. Alexander Steele points out in his introduction to the Gotham Writers Workshops Fiction Gallery that the short story lends itself to experimentation precisely because it is short structural experiments that couldnt be sustained for 300 pages can work beautifully for 15. Also, the lines between genres- such as those between short stories and the poems- has become blurred, and the combination of genres leads to ne w, readable styles within the world of fiction. Keep in mind, however, that telling your story is still the most important thing. If breaking a rule allows you to tell your story more effectively, by all means, break it. Otherwise, think twice, or at least be honest with yourself if the innovation fails. Dont break a rule just to break it. Everything in a short story should have a purpose, including its structure. Following these rules should help you complete your stories successfully. If you find that your story overflows these boundaries no matter what you do, consider expanding it into a novel. The short form is not suited for every story, and you might find that once you abflug writing, you have more to say than you originally thought- and need the pages to say it. Much more common, however, is a longer work that can be distilled into a single idea.

Ways to Deal With a Bossy Co-Worker on Your Team -The Muse

Ways to Deal With a Bossy Co-Worker on Your Team -The MuseWays to Deal With a Bossy Co-Worker on Your Team Youve got a co-worker who, to put it diplomatically, has a hard time keeping their leadership tendencies in check. To tell it like it is He treats you like hes the anfhrer. He provides tons of constructive feedback (even when you didnt ask for it), divides up roles on gruppe projects (giving himself the best one), and quashes any opportunity for otherbeis to have a say.This can go from an annoyance to a prevalent problem when your boss doesnt step in. Maybe shes too busy to stay apprised of team dynamics, maybe the department is understaffed and shes happy for someone to step up and take on a larger role, or maybe shes hearing how things are going directly from him- and has no idea hes steamrolling people left and right. While its super-frustrating to deal with a bossy co-worker day in and day out, there are steps you can take to address the situation. Start with these four tact ics1. Speak Up in the MomentYour colleague has just taken charge and relegated you to a boring task again, and youre really upset about it. But, would she (apart from the ability to mind read) know that?Not everyone who takes charge does it maliciously. If the team okays her ideas- or doesnt say anything at all- hows she to know that people are actually seething?So, step one is speaking up. She may not realize how aggressive Heres what were going to do sounds.Practice saying things like, I have an idea for a different approach... and Id like to take a more active role in the direction of this project. How about if Maybe shell do a decent job at sharing leadership roles, its just that no one had previously expressed interest. Your first step is to give her a chance to do just that.2. Schedule a ChatMaybe you skimmed over the raise your voice advice thinking, Been there. Tried that. Or, youre reading this after youve been blindsided by your colleague popping by your desk or replying a ll with (negative) feedback on how you draft emails. So, offering your thoughts in the moment isnt the right option for you.In this case, youre going to want to schedule a talk with him. As you know, emails can be misconstrued- especially when theyre on delicate topics- so this is definitely worth saying in person.Avoid you statements (You were wrong because) as itll likely just make him defensive. Instead try something like, I appreciate you taking the time to you share your best practices with me. However, Ive found success with whatever it may be. If I hit a roadblock, Ill be sure to reach out to the team for suggestions.You opened with a dash of kill them with kindness and then clarified two key things that youll drive the discussion if youre seeking feedback, and that hes an equal member of your team (that consists of others with valuable ideas, too).3. Nominate Co-workersNot everyones comfortable making the jump from saying nothing to advocating for themselves. An intermediate step is elevating someone else on your team- which is an equally effective tactic to make sure decisions are distributed more fairly.Try using the tactic women used in President Obamas White House to combat gender bias in meetings. If your bossy co-worker shouts down an idea from someone else, raise your voice in support of it- and call out the original speaker. This will make it clear that there are multiple voices around the table worth listening to.4. Go to Your BossRemember when I said theres a good chance your managers unaware of the problem? If youve tried doing all of the above and none of it has worked, its time to go to your boss. (The other benefit of making this step four is that youll be able to tell your manager that, yes, you have spoken to the person in question and tried to solve the problem before bringing it to her.)The best way to broach the topic is not to throw your colleague under the bus, which could make you sound like youre coming from a place of competitio n or jealousy. (Think Greg acts like hes more senior than us.)Instead, talk to your supervisor about your opportunities for growth and professional development- which is totally par for the course. You could say, Id like to take the lead on more projects What steps could I take? That way, your boss knows your co-worker isnt the only person interested in these opportunities. Another approach would be to say, Id like to make more substantive contributions, but I often feel there isnt space for my opinion in meetings. Do you have any suggestions for how I might take a more active role? This should open the door to discussing why you feel that way, and how you can remedy it.Either way, youve alerted your boss to the fact that the current team dynamics keeping you from being impactful. And at this point, youll at least know youve tried your best to remedy the problem. If youve spoken to your difficult teammate (twice), elevated your other co-workers, and asked your boss for a larger role and nothings changed, then- if were being honest- the team dynamic is likely to stay as-is. Assuming youre not looking to quit, rather than fighting an uphill battle, find other ways to get your voice heard in the office. Spearhead more solo projects, collaborate with people in different departments, or get involved with groups not related directly to your job, such as a book club. By choosing to create opportunities for yourself, youre showing your boss- as well as other people in leadership positions- that your voice deserves to be heard, and by not letting that happen, theyre missing out on a lot of great ideas.

2016 Salary Trends in Seasonal Hiring

2016 Salary Trends in Seasonal Hiring2016 Salary Trends in Seasonal Hiring2016 Salary Trends in Seasonal Hiring ConlanSeasonal hiring used to simply mean adding a handful of sales associates at retail locations for the months of November and December, says Lauren Griffin, senior vice president at Adecco Staffing USA.But with evolving customer behaviors, businesses in some industries now hire thousands of additional workers to take on the holiday shopping season.Last year, the winter holiday season alone brought in $616 billion in retail sales at large chain stores a 4% increase over the previous year and employers of all sizes can expect a busy season in 2016, Griffin says.As a result, the competition for skilled talent that can deliver quality customer tafelgeschirr will encourage employers to offer competitive wages, particularly as the job market continues to tighten, she adds.While it is difficult to identify tarifs at which wages are rising because of all the variables that go into hiring seasonal workers, companies should be aware that wage rates for seasonal workers are up this year compared with last year, says Katie Bardaro, vice president of analytics at PayScale.Low unemployment and higher consumer activity have been driving up wage rates, says Bardaro. For example, Amazon announced it would hire about 100,000 seasonal warehouse workers this holiday season.The factors that are driving higher salaries for seasonal positions in the coming months are interconnected.More Customers, More Customer ServiceA stronger economy means more people are buying, and as a result retail and delivery will need more employees to meet demand in several sectors. Increased consumer demand is driving employer demand for seasonal help across the retail industry, manufacturing, warehousing, call centers and other industries, Griffin says.Lower Unemployment and Seasonal HiringLower unemployment means people who were underemployed or unemployed have found jobs and arent looki ng for seasonal work to make money. There is so much demand for seasonal staff that businesses are in tight competition with one another to secure top talent. This is especially true for businesses in regions where the seasonal hiring pool is limited, Griffin says. This demand encourages employers to offer higher wages or incentives for seasonal workers to ensure they can handle the increase in activity around the holidays.Upward Seasonal Wage PressureA low unemployment rate has a greater effect on the lower-level salaries that many seasonal positions offer, says Bardaro. With the unemployment rate decreasing like it is, we expect that to put upward wage pressure on lower salaries, and that includes seasonal workers. In addition, a higher minimum wage in some areas may put an upward pressure on lower-level salaries as a whole.Griffin says a recent Adecco Staffing USA survey found that gaining additional cash was the main reason people would consider a seasonal job (76 percent). If t he employer isnt able to offer a higher starting wage, Adecco recommends using other incentives such as tuition assistance and flexible hours to recruit the top talent needed to compete.