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@jaredchenwynn.bsky.social

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@jaredchenwynn.bsky.social · 5mo ago

#CRPLyrebirds happy almost Friday! We're winding down today and tomorrow, and I want to thank all of you for being a part of this. I learned a lot this year from your engagement, and I hope to apply those lessons next time. Anyway, as promised, here's a list of places to pitch short stories.

Several databases make finding the right market significantly easier: The Submission Grinder – my favorite – free, comprehensive, community-maintained. Searchable by genre, word count, pay rate, and response time. Tracks your submissions and shows real response data from other writers. The best starting point for most writers. Duotrope – similar but subscription-base. It’s more polished, and slightly more curated. Maybe worth it once you're submitting regularly, but I personally don’t use it. The SFWA Market List – curated list of professional-paying markets only (currently 6¢/word minimum). Trustworthy and genre-specific, but limited by design – doesn't include semi-pro markets where many writers start. The market's own website – always check submission guidelines directly before submitting. Whatever a database says, the market's current guidelines take precedence. Published to Death (publishedtodeath.blogspot.com) — author Erica Verillo's blog cataloguing speculative fiction markets. Not a submission tool exactly, and not comprehensive or filterable — but worth a look for obscure publications and anthologies that the larger databases miss, and useful as a reality check on markets that have closed or gone dormant.
@jaredchenwynn.bsky.social · 5mo ago

#CRPLyrebirds I hope everyone saved to a folder somewhere all the cheat sheets I've been posting; if you find one of them useful later, I'll be a happy camp counselor. Now let's move on to the easy stuff: PITCHING!

Pitching short fiction is a LOT easier than querying a novel. Markets move fast – you can submit, hear back, and resubmit within weeks. A short story cover letter contains four things: title, word count, genre, and a one or two sentence summary that conveys premise and stakes without over-explaining. Add a brief bio with any publication credits. That's it. Before you submit, have ready: a clean final draft, accurate word count, properly formatted manuscript, and your bio. Check each market's submission guidelines – they vary, and they matter. What to expect: response times range from days to months, simultaneous submissions are sometimes but not always permitted, and rejections are normal and almost never personal. A rejection with specific notes is rare and worth taking seriously. A word on etiquette: don't reply to a standard rejection – it's expected and impersonal, and editors don't have time for acknowledgments. If you receive a rejection with specific feedback, a brief "thank you for your time" is acceptable but not required.
@jaredchenwynn.bsky.social · 5mo ago

#CRPLyrebirds The last short structure I want to share with you is called The Compressed Arc. It’s especially suited to writers coming from novel-length work who need a framework that feels familiar but is scaled down. I'll include an example in the comments below.

The Compressed Arc maps a complete three-act structure onto a single scene or day. The structure is simple. Your MC wants something and is blocked. They try, fail, adapt, and are changed by the attempt. Something resolves – but they're different than when they started. The speculative element has to be load-bearing throughout all three beats: Beginning – the speculative element is why your MC can't simply have what they want. The obstacle should feel inevitable, not imported. Middle – every failed attempt is a direct consequence of the element's internal logic, not bad luck. End – the resolution isn't clean. They get what they wanted but something else was lost in the process. The element should make a bittersweet ending feel earned. Before you outline, run your speculative element through the Load-Bearing Test. If it doesn't pass all four questions, it's still decoration.
@jaredchenwynn.bsky.social · 5mo ago

#CRPLyrebirds it's day 8 of #camprevpit! I develop a lot of stories from prompts, but before I take them from the idea to the outline stage, I need to be sure my idea is unique enough to engage readers. To that end, I need to know that the speculative element is load-bearing, not just decorative.

DAY 8 – THE LOAD-BEARING-TEST Before moving from idea to outline, make sure your speculative element is load-bearing — meaning the story becomes impossible without it, not just different. Run it through four questions: 1. What human experience does it unlock that nothing else could? Push past plot mechanics to emotional consequence. FTL travel is interesting not because it moves people between stars but because it means someone can age a year while everyone they love ages a decade. 2. What does it cost? If it solves problems without creating new ones, it isn't doing narrative work. The cost is where conflict lives. 3. Who is most vulnerable to it? Someone's specific circumstances make them uniquely exposed. That person should probably be your MC. 4. What does it make impossible? Most writers stop at what the premise enables. But a world with seamless surveillance isn't just a world where criminals can't hide — it's also a world where teenagers have nowhere to sneak off for a snog.
@jaredchenwynn.bsky.social · 5mo ago

#CRPLyrebirds What do “The Martian” and “The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet” have in common? They’re both Pressure Cooker stories, a structure which Hollywood loves, and which is actually super easy to outline. I’ll include a couple examples in the comments, along with my own attempt.

DAY 7 – THE PRESSURE COOKER Two or three characters, one location, a ticking clock, and a problem that can only be solved by people who don't entirely trust each other. Welcome to the Pressure Cooker, where the sci-fi element provides the stakes and the characters provide the tension. Hollywood love these sorts of stories because they’re budget friendly, and outlining one is a lot easier than some think: Start with your container – a space that your premise makes impossible to leave. Build contrasting characters with their own separate agenda, fear, and reason to distrust the others. Now set the clock – a deadline that flows from the premise. Something is running out – time, food, crew members… Escalate the conflict through failed attempts to escape or stop the clock to the point where someone has to make a sacrifice. The container isn’t just a setting – it’s a test that changes everyone who goes through it.
@jaredchenwynn.bsky.social · 5mo ago

#CRPLyrebirds Have you ever wanted to write a story like Fahrenheit 451 or The Handmaid’s tale? It’s called the Unreliable World plot, and if you’re familiar with the Unreliable Narrator, this is similar, except at a macro scale.

Imagine you're in a job interview when your interviewer sneezes – and for just an instant you see narrow pupils, a forked tongue, green scaly skin beneath the suit. Suddenly, that conspiracy theory about lizard people running the world isn’t as kooky as it is terrifying. What do you do? Welcome to the Unreliable World – a story where the characters see their reality differently than the reader does. It works best in dystopian, psychological, or political sci-fi where dramatic irony does the heavy lifting. Here are four steps to build such a story: 1. Define the Lie – What official (yet untrue) version of reality does your story world accept? 2. Position Your Narrator – do they believe it, enforce it, or just go along with it? 3. Plant One Crack – One small anomaly the lie can't quite account for. Ideally, this is your opening scene. 4. Make Knowing Cost Something – Knowing the truth has to be risky enough to deter people from learning and/or spreading it.
@jaredchenwynn.bsky.social · 5mo ago

We’ve explored character development in short stories, now let’s look at some structures or strategies for outlining the plot. We’ll start with one of my favorites (and probably a favorite of Ursula K. Le Guin and Philip K. Dick as well), the single what-if premise:

The Single ‘What-If’ Story Imagine a technology that would completely change the world we know, i.e. what if technology existed which allowed people to erase memories? Next, find a specific need, fear, or desire that this technology could address, i.e. the fear that killers walk among us. In other words, ask what-if questions about the application, i.e. what if the criminal justice system used it to wipe killers’ memories? Now follow it one step further than feels comfortable. Memory erasure stories often stop at asking, what if it erases the wrong memory? Well, what if it erases the right one, like the identity of the real killer? Next, look for the loophole – a situation the premise wasn’t designed for, or an unintended effect, i.e. what if it still didn’t erase the killer’s nature? A couple tips to get the most out of this technique: Start after the irreversible change has already taken place, so that the reader arrives after the shift. This way you don’t have to explain what life was like before the change, you can rather follow the changed person as they figure it out. Resist the second what-if! Asking new speculative questions is almost always an avoidance move. But a single what-if premise generates more pressure, and pressure is what keeps readers hooked.
@jaredchenwynn.bsky.social · 5mo ago

#CRPLyrebirds, welcome to day five of #CampRevPit! And my apologies, I know this was supposed to be a morning prompt. Anyway, while camp is on the topic of dialogue today, I thought I'd share a trick I use i the development stage to bring out more natural comedy in the dialogue:

Comedy doesn’t grow on trees, it flows from characters. A great way to set that up is with a little trick called the Blind Spot. Give your character a trait — a flaw, a superpower, an affectation — that they're completely unaware of. The sillier the trait, the funnier the outcome will be, but that they’re unaware of it is essential. Now write two descriptions of them: one as they'd describe themselves, and one as someone who knows them well — and is quietly exhausted by them — would. Now stick them in a conversation with a character who doesn’t know them quite so well and see what unfolds!
@jaredchenwynn.bsky.social · 5mo ago

#CRPLyrebirds #camprevpit A college professor once praised my writing in front of the class for being compelling and fun to read - right before explaining to the class that I was getting an F for not following directions. Anyone else have a story about good writing getting a bad grade?

A student got a D on an essay about Tom and Jerry because they wrote expressively and in a conversational style rather than according to the rules. The teacher who posted a pic of the essay remarked that it's their first semester teaching and they don't know what to do with this student. Someone else replied saying that need very badly to read the entire essay.
@jaredchenwynn.bsky.social · 5mo ago

#CRPLyrebirds really cool prompt here from one of my fellow counselors, @cullerpictures.bsky.social. I'm going to add it to my toolbox, and you all might want to as well!

Jacqui Culler@cullerpictures.bsky.social · 5mo ago

This exercise is one my favs so give it a try for today’s prompt #CRPFantasyFoxes! It’ll help you visually check what makes up your first chapter! Using 3 different colors, highlight every mention of backstory, description, and interiority. Is there too much of one color, not enough of another? 🧵

An illustrated fox wearing a green scarf sits in front of a nighttime forest with a moon, stars, and fireflies. The text above the fox reads: #CRPFantasyFoxes DAY 4 PROMPT Discussion Den The Chapter 1 Highlight Exercise Give it a try!
@jaredchenwynn.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Good afternoon/evening #CRPLyrebirds! It's day four of #camprevpit, are we ready for another step in our short story development plan? And does anyone have any needs or questions? (I'll be incommunicado until at least 10pm Pacific tonight but will be checking and following up as soon as I get back!)

Remember how Jack and Rose met in Titanic? They didn’t bump into each other in the boarding line, split a paella at the cantina, or get randomly assigned as shuffleboard partners – they met at the railing, when Rose was on the cusp of ending her life. It’s a tried-and-true technique – introducing two high-contrast characters in a moment of extreme tension is one of the fastest ways to make readers care. It works great in the first five pages of a novel, and is especially useful when you only have five pages to tell the whole story. So: come up with five different ways your two characters could meet. Don't play it safe - push toward tension, high emotion, and raised stakes. Then pick the most dramatic one. Then ask yourself: what would make it even more intense?
@jaredchenwynn.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Good evening #CRPLyrebirds! Let's dive into the next step of our short story development plan. These are, as always, optional. Remember that I'm not just your camp counselor, I'm a writer too, so if it helps to see an example, I'll post my attempt below.

Yesterday we sketched our MC from the outside in. Today we're adding a second character - not to deepen the first, but to create contrast. This could be a friend, mentor, antagonist, or anyone whose relationship with your MC will drive the story. Whatever their role, contrast is what makes that relationship compelling. Draft a similar surface description, but focus on what sets them apart from your first character. If your MC wears pastels, this one wears black. If your MC is insecure, this one radiates confidence. Some complementary traits are fine - but lean toward contrast over commonality. Run them through the same questions: • What do they look like? How do they talk, dress, move? • What's one weird trait or idiosyncrasy they have? • How does that trait connect to what matters most to them? • Can you exaggerate it? How far? • What makes them likeable - or at least rootable? • What is the single most important thing to this character?
@jaredchenwynn.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Good evening #CRPLyrebirds! Let's get our cabin story prompts underway. These are, of course, optional; participate if you can, don't feel pressured if you can't. And remember that I'm not just your camp counselor, I'm a writer too, so I'll post my attempt below.

Day 2: generating short story ideas from characters There are as many different ways to approach story generation as there are writers. Some of them are less effective on short stories, because we have to pack a lot of character and story into a small amount of space and time. In order to keep readers engaged, we need them to care about our MC, but we don’t have a lot of time to tease out backstory and such. But that’s what’s awesome about a short story, because when we pull it off, it’s impressive. So I’m going to outline a very step-by-step approach. Let’s start with just the MC. Describe the character you want to explore. Focus on superficial descriptions and contrast for now, rather than backstory or plot, like: - What do they look like, how do they talk, dress, behave, etc.? - What is one weird trait or idiosyncrasy they have, - How can I tie that trait or idiosyncrasy to the thing most important to them? - Can I exaggerate it? How? - What can I do to make them more likeable to the reader? And finally: - What is the one thing most important to that character?