Originally posted May 31, 2012
If anyone watches How I Met Your Mother, you’ll recognize one of Barney’s catch phrases in my title.
I’ve always considered myself a novelist when it comes to writing. If you know me personally, you know I can ramble on and on. Short and to the point isn’t really my thing. So, naturally, novels are right for me. I can weave long complicated plots and take my sweet time to get to the point. (That isn’t to say I take longer than I need to; I just don’t have everything wrapped up in 3000 words.)
Since I took that short story class I’ve decided to try to find stories in me that can be told in small segments. I’ve even written 250 word stories. I’m challenging myself to encapsulate events into small sections of time. Not only has it helped my novel writing, it’s just been fun.
Let me encourage all of you to challenge yourselves once in a while. Do something you don’t normally do and see if it doesn’t help you in your usual genre. I bet you’ll be glad you did. I know I am.