Short Story Length

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What is the average length of a Science Fiction / Fantasy short story? 


I think in general Science Fiction and Fantasy tend to run a bit longer than the average Fiction or Non-Fiction piece.  I believe they usually run about 10-15 pages.  The general description says "less than 7,500 words."


I have about 4 pages at 800 words so If I keep going at that pace it should be fine and you could be looking at around 20 or 25 pages.


I always worry that I won't have enough time, space, or room to fit everything and it causes stress!  And we all know stress is a killer of creative juices and energy.  I think I'll shoot for 20 pages.

Pre-writing

One of my favorite pre-writing exercises to do is a character profile.  I like character profiles because it gives me a chance to get to know my character 100% and flesh him/her out so that they are as real and tangible as possible.

When I began writing The Mechanical Room, I knew I had three main characters definitely--John Noah (my protagonist), Penn Wolfgang, and Kade Strongarm (my antagonist).  I began writing the character profiles for each, detailing their likes/dislikes, age, birth marks, sense of humor, parents, spouse, etc. etc.

I did all of this before I started the novel.  Of course, once I started writing I realized I had more characters to delve into and eventually I wrote a few other character profiles.

Here are some of the basics that my character profiles cover:

Age
Height
Weight
Eye Color
Hair Color
Date of Birth
Birth Place
Scars/Handicap
Education
Work
Best Friend
Marital Status
Enemies
Parents
Present Problem
Character Traits
Humor
Ambitions
Philosophy
Favorite Colors
Pastimes
Dress
Hobbies

After I've answered all of these things about my character I usually feel quite satisfied with the layers of their personality.  Test it on yourself just for fun... fill out all of these sections about yourself to see how much it covers.


(Recommended reading:  Writing Fiction: A Guide To Narrative Craft by Janet Burroway)

Writing Your Novel

People often ask, "How did you manage to find the time to write a novel?"  A lot of people want to write something but feel like they don't have the time or energy to do it.  

Let's look at my situation.  I live alone in a small apartment.  I have a 13-year-old cat who sleeps most of the day.  I have no cable/satellite television and no home phone line.

Now, for those of you who actually have a life, you probably have a lot more to distract you at home.  Some people have children, husbands/wives or boyfriends/girlfriends, roommates, social obligations, pestering relatives, young energetic pets, and let's not forget TiVo and/or DVR.

When it's not convenient to run to the nearest library, then you have to knuckle down and create your creative environment.  Most writers need a nice quiet place to let their creative thoughts flow.  The most important part of writing a novel is WRITING!  So turn off the television, send the kids to see their grandparents or wait until they're at school, set a schedule and let it be known to your nagging relatives or club/party hopping friends that during this time you are absolutely UNAVAILABLE. 

As far as the writing goes, I couldn't give a better piece of advice than this... write for yourself.  During my writing process, I found that if I ever stopped to think about whether or not someone or some imaginary audience would like what I was writing, then it would immediately cause me stress.  Stress is a creativity killer.  Write your story for yourself... Tolkien did it, Terry Goodkind does it, it's a sure way to guarantee you will at least finish your novel because you will be doing it for the most important person in your universe.

Introducing The Mechanical Room

Welcome to my adventure!  I set out on this journey several years ago.  I was working for a non-profit in Santa Monica, California and while I was using the bathroom I saw a door to a room in front of me.  I looked up and on the door was a sign that read "The Mechanical Room," and I thought that's funny, who would put a room inside of a bathroom stall?  Then I began to wonder what was on the other side of that door, and my imagination took over.

This is the point where my mother would say, "oh boy, we know what a crazy imagination you have," and it's true I do have a crazy imagination.  I have always loved fantasy and science fiction.  I think it's partly due to my tendency to escape reality and what better place to escape to other than a fantastical one?

My imagination, sitting on the toilet and staring at that door, allowed a spark of creativity.  The spark gave birth to a novel that I am very proud of.  I wrote The Mechanical Room over a span of a couple years.  The bulk of it I wrote after being fired from my job... nothing better to do, why not write a novel!?  It was the perfect escape.

THE MECHANICAL ROOM combines elements of both science fiction and fantasy.  My main character, John Noah, is dying from a terminal illness that over half of the human population suffers from called Miller's Disease.  In the year 2109, the autoimmune illness Miller's Disease claims a 100% mortality rate. John, however, is resistant to it.  Doctors desperately try to convince him to volunteer for an experimental treatment, but John refuses.  He has recently lost his wife to the disease and couldn't care less whether he lives or dies.  As John's health deteriorates, his employers feel it is in his best interest to terminate his position.  On John's last day of work, he investigates strange noises coming from a room inside a bathroom stall.  Feeling his way through the dark room, he stumbles and falls through a gaping hole in the floor.  He wakes up in a fantastical world and soon realizes he is literally in for the fight of his life.


I know there are many of you out there who are going through trying times.  I encourage everyone to explore their creative side and turn something negative into something positive.  This is not just my journey, but a journey for all like me who dare to turn their dreams into a reality.


Here I hope to chronicle my writing process and my tireless efforts to get published.  My goal is to obtain a literary agent within the next six months.  I then plan to be published by the end of 2010.

So, let's get started!  Wish me luck!