Happy Summer, Dear Readers,
I hope all you lovely readers are keeping cool in your shady gardens, gentle water features or, if you absolutely must, air-conditioned house—preferably with a lovely kale smoothie to help you dispatch the heat.
The Wryte-Goode household and garden have a quiet summer planned. Darling Broccoli, an up-and-coming eighth-grader, and two of her cousins are spending several weeks with Grandma Bean at the Wryte-Goode family farm. Delightful Brussels, soon to be a college sophomore, has a summer job and a car and a girlfriend. (The only evidence he still lives here is the stupendous amount of food missing from the fridge and pantry each day.) Mr. Wryte-Goode has returned to his office full time.
With all the Wryte-Goodes happy and busy, I, dear readers, am going on a writers’ retreat. Seven glorious days with six other writers. (I’ve been packed for weeks.) Each writer is responsible for cooking one dinner and presenting one workshop. For dinner, I’m making a tomato gazpacho with avocados and grilled shrimp, and a nice, crusty bread. My workshop is about writing science fiction and fantasy short stories, so that as many of my writer friends can enter the 2025 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award (contest opens January 1, 2025).
You, dear readers, get to share my internet research!
First up, I thought I would give a few refreshers on writing short stories.
Writing short stories
The Seven Challengers I Love About Writing Short Stories
Favorite advice: A great short story must make an emotional impact.
Favorite advice: And a third panelist advised reading the ending of the story and then the beginning to see if they connect (they should). If they don’t, then it’s time for further revision.
Next, I have writing science fiction short stories
Six steps to writing science fiction
Favorite advice: Edit your story: revision, revision, revision! Every story needs a red pen taken to it to make it great.
How to write a science fiction story
Favorite advice: I love science fiction because it’s a beautiful way to hold up a mirror to the reader . . .
How to write a science fiction short story
Favorite advice: Creating relatable, three-dimensional characters is more than just one of the science fiction characteristics—it’s the key to any good story.
However, science fiction is unique because not all characters have to be humans. Many sci-fi protagonists are aliens, robots, or something else entirely.
Finally, writing fantasy stories
Eight fantasy short story writing tips
Favorite advice: Use magic—readers expect it.
A fantasy author’s guide to writing short stories
Favorite advice: Have fun. Short stories have their own constraints, but they’re also fun and a damn good way to stretch yourself and develop your style.
How to write a fantasy short story
Favorite advice: Stick to one core idea. The best way to keep a short story from becoming too long and unravelling into countless different threads that leave you wanting to convert it into a novel is by picking one key idea and sticking with it.
Happy writing!
Betty Wryte-Goode
Betty Wryte-Goode is a writer and mother who lives in the Lehigh Valley. Her passions include writing, reading, shopping, gardening, and exploring the internet. Betty is always looking for writing tips, so if you have any you would like to share, please send them to her through our Submissions/Contacts page.
Mixed-Up Words of the Month
Elusive vs. Illusive
These two adjectives sound much alike, but have different meanings that can easily be confused.
Elusive means something that is hard to grab, to find, or to remember. Sarah tried to remember her boss’s child’s name, but it was too elusive.
Illusive comes from the same root as Illusion. It refers to something that might appear real, yet is not. That’s why we chose this word for the title of our new anthology, Illusive Worlds: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales of Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Putting it together, Marlo tried to grasp the illusive meaning of the abstract poem, but it remained too elusive.