I want to major in English and Creative Writing because I want to be a children’s and young adult’s novelist. Later, I want to be a English Professor. So if you can think of any colleges or universities in the USA that have good English departments, please let me know. Also, if you know of any creative writing scholarship programs, that would be great, too! Thank you!
Bunia Vista University Storm Lake Iowa
I’m working on a creative writing scholarship and I want to write a short story. I like to write about romance but never really tried to write a short story. Do you have any tips or ideas for my short story? Thanks in advance!
Romance is very difficult and tricky like someone mentioned. I’ve also become inspired by Sex and The City lately, how about a story about single women?
Romantic short stories are tricky, because romance needs to be developed; it’s unrealistic for characters to fall in love at first sight. A good tactic might be starting the story off when they’re already in a relationship, or maybe they both like each other but neither realizes the other does.
Often stories with sad endings stay in the reader’s mind for longer than cliched happy ones: so maybe they both miss out on their chance to make a move on the other, because they’re both too shy to act, and don’t realize the other person likes them too? Remember to make it unexpected and creative, maybe throw in a plot twist that no one will see coming. You want the story to stay in the readers’ minds, make it stand out.
Good luck on your scholarship!
this is going to sound very sad and evil…but… one of them should die and the other should find out AFTER the person dies…
Romantic short stories don’t really work. Besides, if you’re competing for a scholarship there’ll be a lot of romance stories, so they’ll applaud you for doing something else.
As fir the story itself, the ending separates a bad short story from a good one. Leave it open and make the reader come to their own conclusion.
I write literary erotica and romantic erotica, and I’ve written a couple dozen published shorts. (And several which are still on my computer with no home as yet!) While I’m no expert, I can tell you this.
* Think in terms of vignettes. A short story is an episodic adventure. You want one outstanding incident in a day, instead of a day in the life.
* If you want to write a romance, remember, you *DO NOT* have to start with a first meeting! I find it much harder to establish fast, *believable* intimacy between two people who have just met unless the circumstances are just really out of the ordinary. The newsworthy, or story-worthy point of the story is the moment the spark ignites – that is, the point of change. You also don’t have to write them walking off into the sunset.
Here’s an example (and don’t trash it, it’s off the top of my head): Jane and Dan regularly bicycle in the park. They don’t know each other. Jane’s long thought Dan’s attractive, but is far too shy to ever say so. One day, they collide. They have a brief chat while they’re picking up their respective items. Just as Dan rides away, Jane notices he’s left a business card on the ground. On the back are the words, “Let’s run into each other again.” Jane looks up to see Dan cycling away slowly, but looking over his shoulder with a grin, and realizes the whole thing was a setup by someone who is probably as shy as she. Bingo, romantic encounter, doesn’t end in riding off into the sunset together, but ends on a positive note, short and sweet.
* Hit the action immediately. Don’t worry if you have to write quite a bit to get there. One of the last stories I sold ended up being 3575 words. I actually *wrote* almost 12,000…which would seem like a waste, but I had to write that much before I discovered where my action *really* began.
* Even more than in a novel, you need to start with hook that gives the reader a hint of exactly where the story’s going to go. For example, the last story I sold was a Southern Gothic-style paranormal, which was based upon two murder ballads. The opening line was, “Do you think the dead return to watch the living?” While admittedly, that’s not as good as some lines (i.e., “It was a bright, cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen.”) it immediately sets a tone for the story.
* Show, don’t tell. You can get away with more exposition in a longer story, but in a short, it’s even more important that you make words work as hard as possible. Don’t infodump. Think of ways you can express things about characters without lengthy explanations.
* Make the story feel as if it’s actually taken the reader on a journey. If there’s no change by the end, there’s no story.
Whew! A couple of other romance-related comments, though:
By definition, if a story has an emotionally unsatisfying ending, it’s not a romance. By definition (and I’m using that used by the RWA), a romance at least has an emotionally satisfying ending, if not an HEA (happily ever after). I don’t use the term ‘sad’, because it’s entirely possible to have an emotionally satisfying ending which *is* sad, or at least poignant, although it’s very difficult to do. With an emotionally unsatisfying ending, you have a love story, but it’s not a romance.
I’ve heard all the arguments as to why emotionally satisfying and/or HEAs are unrealistic, but frankly, most of them don’t hold water. Now, I DO agree that deux ex machina HEAs are unrealistic. However, human beings naturally want to try to come to the most harmonious conclusion to a situation that is possible. Who among us really wants to *prolong* pain and suffering or really WANTS to be unhappy? (OK, well, let’s leave out the emos when we answer that question.) Frankly, a lot of the *unhappy* endings I’ve read just seem unrealistic, because the characters could so easily have made changes to make it different. If you go for an emotionally unsatisfying ending, make certain that your characters don’t come off as TSTL (too stupid to live) for NOT resolving the situation. Also can be difficult to do.
The problem one runs into with the less-than-emotionally satisfying ending is that you also run the risk of ticking off your reader. Maybe not so much for a short story as you would with a book, but in the end, you want your reader to finish the story and be glad they spent the time to read it.
Sex & the City, however = chick lit, which has been pretty much done to death and beaten with sticks, and I say that as someone who really enjoyed the show and at least the first movie. Not saying you can’t use it, just saying, try a different twist.
HTH! Best of luck. 
And most of all – HAVE FUN!
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In the actual U. S College students received a lot more than $ 109. 7 million in federal government aid during the 2008-2009 educational year Education tax rewards added around more in comparison with $ 6. 8 million in 2008-2009 The actual aid “window” continues open 18 months in circumstance student’s fiscal circumstances transform and need adjustment for their aid program.
The program – somewhere around 130 questions every year – thinks household size, income, assets, the range in college along with other financial factors to view a student’s aid eligibility as well as an predicted family info (EFC) The actual Free Request for Federal Student Assist application (FAFSA) is often used pertaining to determining federal government, state, and institutional need-based help eligibility Make the most of federal grants and loans catalog 2010 This Prospect Today As well as Change Yourself Forever! Free Funds Grants are increasingly being funded by the U. S government.
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Program Highlights:
Canada Scholar Grant pertaining to Persons via Low-Income Family members: Students via low-income individuals who get a federal student loan and satisfy the specific allow eligibility requirements will be given $ 250 every month of review The transition grant will equal the actual difference between the CMSF Centuries bursary received during the 2008-2009 school year along with a Canada Scholar Grant pertaining to Persons via Low-Income Family members or The us Student Allow for People from Middle-Income Family members.
(Take note that students may be eligible to get a couple of grant in unison).
The Federal government of Canada works with taking part provinces as well as territories to be able to implement the revolutionary Canada Scholar Grants Plan
You’ll discover more about the types of financial help (financial products, grants, and work-study), how to use, common misguided beliefs, and a lot more.
Individual universites and colleges may produce grants as well as need- as well as merit-based scholarships or grants
[1] Scholar aid is usually awarded as grants as well as scholarships, low-interest, government-subsidized financial products, and education and learning tax rewards, and most people is qualified to receive some of it.
In the actual U. S College students received a lot more than $ 109. 7 million in federal government aid during the 2008-2009 educational year Education tax rewards added around more in comparison with $ 6. 8 million in 2008-2009 The actual aid “window” continues open 18 months in circumstance student’s fiscal circumstances transform and need adjustment for their aid program.
The program – somewhere around 130 questions every year – thinks household size, income, assets, the range in college along with other financial factors to view a student’s aid eligibility as well as an predicted family info (EFC) The actual Free Request for Federal Student Assist application (FAFSA) is often used pertaining to determining federal government, state, and institutional need-based help eligibility Make the most of This Prospect Today As well as Change Yourself Forever! Free Funds Grants are increasingly being funded by the U. S government.
When trying to find financial aid, remember we now have differences involving grants as well as loans Post-secondary education and learning opens doors by providing better task opportunities The actual grants available beneath the new CSGP are going to be predictable, easy to use for, and provided to students at the start and middle in the school calendar year.
Program Highlights:
Canada Scholar Grant pertaining to Persons via Low-Income Family members: Students via low-income individuals who get a federal student loan and satisfy the specific allow eligibility requirements will be given $ 250 every month of review The transition grant will equal the actual difference between the CMSF Centuries bursary received during the 2008-2009 school year along with a Canada Scholar Grant pertaining to Persons via Low-Income Family members or The us Student Allow for People from Middle-Income Family members.
(Take note that students may be eligible to get a couple of grant in unison).
The Federal government of Canada works with taking part provinces as well as territories to be able to implement the revolutionary Canada Scholar Grants Plan
You’ll discover more about the types of financial help (financial products, grants, and work-study), how to use, common misguided beliefs, and a lot more.
Individual universites and colleges may produce grants as well as need- as well as merit-based scholarships or grants
[1] Scholar aid is usually awarded as grants as well as scholarships, low-interest, government-subsidized financial products, and education and learning tax rewards, and most people is qualified to receive some of it.
In the actual U. S College students received a lot more than $ 109. 7 million in federal government aid during the 2008-2009 educational year Education tax rewards added around more in comparison with $ 6. 8 million in 2008-2009 The actual aid “window” continues open 18 months in circumstance student’s fiscal circumstances transform and need adjustment for their aid program.
The program – somewhere around 130 questions every year – thinks household size, income, assets, the range in college along with other financial factors to view a student’s aid eligibility as well as an predicted family info (EFC) The actual Free Request for Federal Student Assist application (FAFSA) is often used pertaining to determining federal government, state, and institutional need-based help eligibility Make the most of This Prospect Today As well as Change Yourself Forever! Free Funds Grants are increasingly being funded by the U. S government.
When trying to find financial aid, remember we now have differences involving grants as well as loans Post-secondary education and learning opens doors by providing better task opportunities The actual grants available beneath the new CSGP are going to be predictable, easy to use for, and provided to students at the start and middle in the school calendar year.
Program Highlights:
Canada Scholar Grant pertaining to Persons via Low-Income Family members: Students via low-income individuals who get a federal student loan and satisfy the specific allow eligibility requirements will be given $ 250 every month of review The transition grant will equal the actual difference between the CMSF Centuries bursary received during the 2008-2009 school year along with a Canada Scholar Grant pertaining to Persons via Low-Income Family members or The us Student Allow for People from Middle-Income Family members.
(Take note that students may be eligible to get a couple of grant in unison).
The Federal government of Canada works with taking part provinces as well as territories to be able to implement the revolutionary Canada Scholar Grants Plan.
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