Long Story Short

Long Story Short I’ve often heard writers of nonfiction complain that they’re the Rodney Dangerfields of the literary world. Not that they don’t sell a lot of books and articles (because they do) or that they don’t make money from their writing (because they do). Their complaint is that they aren’t recognized as â€Å"real† writers until they’ve published fiction. The same might be said of short-story writers. Some feel they aren’t truly fiction writers unless and until they’ve sold a novel. Many people who are not themselves writers have asked me, â€Å"Why waste your time writing short stories?† Well, I’ve written three novels- two are out with an agent and the other is sitting here at home aging like tobacco leaves, or (as I prefer to think) fine wine. But mostly I write short. One reason, honestly, is that since I’ve sold so many short stories and have never sold a novel, I just feel more comfortable with the short stuff. It’s safe ground for me, and I’m as reluctant as the next soldier to venture far from my foxhole unless someone orders me to. Does that mean I’m not a real fiction writer? Maybe so. But it’s not a question that bothers me much. Having said all that, what possible advantages could there be to writing short stories instead of novels? Well, here are a few: (1) They can be resold. I’ve had some of my shorts published half a dozen times each, in different markets. If you’ve not signed away â€Å"all rights,† you can sell reprints over and over again. (2) They give you a sense of completion. Finishing a story and writing THE END is a great feeling, to me. I can write a short story in a matter of days, and then turn around and write something else, something completely different. (3) There’s less time invested. A novel takes months or even years to write, and if it doesn’t sell, you’ve spent an enormous chunk of time with those characters and that plot. (4) They can help build a rà ©sumà ©. Story credits in quality magazines and anthologies can make you more marketable to agents and publishers of longer works. (5) They’re good practice. Crafting publishable short stories teaches you how to write â€Å"tight.† Novels might be long, but the best novels are still focused and compact, with few wasted words. Writing short also gives you experience in creating the story arc that is so necessary in novels, screenplays, etc. (6) You don’t need an agent. I had a wonderful agent for several years who represented my short fiction (he passed away in 1999), but few agents now will take on short-story authors, and the truth is, you can probably do as well without them. (7) It’s fun. I think the process of putting together a good plot and believable characters in only a few thousand words is a thrill as well as a challenge. A final note. Some writers don’t write short because they don’t think they can. Several novelist friends (one a New York Times bestseller) have told me they think short stories are extremely difficult to write. Lawrence Block once agreed, saying: â€Å"Novels aren’t harder; they’re just longer.† And Faulkner said he tried writing short stories when he found he couldn’t write poetry, and then turned to writing novels when he found he couldn’t write short stories. I’ve also heard that writing a good novel requires a better storyteller, while writing a good short story requires a better craftsman. Is that true? Beats me. It doesn’t matter anyway. There’ll always be room for both.

APA Referencing †Citing a Movie or TV Show (Proofread My Paper)

APA Referencing – Citing a Movie or TV Show APA Referencing – Citing a Movie or TV Show The vast majority of citations in academic writing are for books, journals and other written sources. Sometimes, however, you might need to cite a movie or TV show. E.g., If you want to squeeze Steve Buscemis strange, beautiful face into your thesis somehow.(Photo: David Shankbone/wikimedia) Are there special rules for this, you may be wondering? You bet there are, sonny! Herein, for instance, we take a look at how to cite a motion picture or TV show with APA referencing. Citing a Motion Picture You might think this is only relevant if you’re studying film and media, but it can also be crucial in many subject areas (e.g., if you want to quote something from a documentary). The in-text citation format to use here is similar to that used for print sources, except that you name the producer and director instead of the author, along with the year of release: Renà © Griffiths eventually found success in South America (Ramasut Goch, 2010). This is accompanied by full detail of the source in the reference list, using the following format: Last Name, Initial(s). (Producer), Last Name, Initial(s). (Director). (Year). Title [Motion picture]. Country of origin: Studio or distributor. In the case of the documentary cited above, this would appear as: Ramasut, C. (Producer), Goch, D. (Director). (2010). Separado! [Motion picture]. United Kingdom: Soda Pictures. Citing a TV Show The format for citing a TV show depends on whether it’s a one-off broadcast, a single episode of a series or a complete series. For each, however, in-text citations require you to name an authority (e.g. a director, writer or producer) and a year of broadcast: The game itself was preceded by a six-hour pre-game show (Esocoff, 2015). For a one-off broadcast, include the following in the reference list: Last Name, Initial(s). (Title of Authority). (Year, Month Day). Title of show [Television broadcast]. Location of broadcasting company: Broadcasting Company. The show cited above would therefore appear as: Esocoff, D. (Director). (2015, February 1). Super Bowl XLIX [Television broadcast]. Stamford: NBC Sports. The highlight of Super Bowl XLIX was when everyone fell over, creating a big heap of sweaty sport men. If you’re citing a series as a whole, the format changes slightly: Last Name, Initial(s). (Title of Authority). (Year of First Series). Title of series [Television series]. Location of broadcasting company: Broadcasting Company. When citing a particular episode, the details are included before the series information: Last Name, Initial(s). (Writer), Last Name, Initial(s). (Director). (Year). Title of episode [Television series episode]. In Name of Producer (Producer), Title of series. Location of broadcasting company: Broadcasting Company. As such, an episode of the show Last Week Tonight would appear in the reference list as: Avery, K. (Writer), Perota, J. (Director). (2014). Military translators [Television series episode]. In J. Oliver (Executive Producer), Last week tonight. New York: HBO. Time Stamps If youre referencing a particular section of a movie or TV show, you’ll need to include a timestamp in the citation, just as you’d give page numbers when quoting a print source. This involves indicating the time at which the relevant section begins: Rhys ends his search at the final residence of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Ramasut Goch, 2010, 1:17:20). The citation above, for instance, shows that the section in question starts at one hour, seventeen minutes and twenty seconds into the video, making it easier to find the information referenced. Separado! is presented by a Welsh rock star who teleports using a magical Power Rangers helmet. Its awesome. (Image: Soda Pictures)