Tag Archives: Short story

How I Wrote This Story: “Backyard Dogs”

25 Sunday May 2014

Posted by in Fiction Writing, MFA Writing, Publishing, Writing Practices

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One of my short stories, “Backyard Dogs,” was published in Atticus Review this February. Below I discuss the process of writing, rewriting, and finally publishing this story.

I first wrote “Backyard Dogs” the year before I started my MFA writing program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Originally, the story was about a pack of rabid dogs that mysteriously appeared in a brother and sister’s backyard. I liked the story and, as a result, took it to workshop in my very first semester of graduate school. After one slightly eccentric classmate read her letter of praise out loud, the rest of the class proceeded to tear the story apart. It was sentimental, they said. The writing was imprecise. It was not, in short, up to par.

Feeling discouraged, I scrapped the story and decided to develop a new writing process. From that point on, I began experimenting with a style that was tight and carefully constructed. Coming from a journalism background, I had always written in a short, concise manner, but after writing fiction for the past few years, my prose had become sloppy. I worked on honing the skills I already had in order to create a more solid draft.

A few workshops later, I turned in the second version of “Backyard Dogs.” I had rewritten the entire piece. I am not sure the initial draft was a failing one, but that first workshop encouraged me to write something new. The second draft was about a young girl who was allergic to almost everything. Somehow, despite (or perhaps because of) her misfortune, the character is ultimately able to connect with a homeless man who sleeps in her backyard.

Although this draft was not at all like the first, perhaps a few elements remained. I had eliminated the dogs entirely, yet I kept the title from the first draft. Perhaps the tone, too—the sense of isolation and poverty—also transferred over to the second story. This draft, like the first, had a clear sense of space. When I imagined the girl’s backyard, I had a strong picture in my mind of what it looked like.

Like many of the characters I have created, the girl in “Backyard Dogs” is a fusion of people I have met over the years. For example, I once taught a girl who was allergic to nearly everything, including the sun. She couldn’t take pottery classes. She had to work in a particular room in the building and often ate lunch alone. One day, I watched this girl during a fire drill. She was standing in the shadow, her head and entire body wrapped in a special, hypoallergenic cloth. The girl in “Backyard Dogs” has a different personality, yet I was able to use this real-life student as inspiration for this character.

After a few more drafts, “Backyard Dogs” was beginning to take its final form. I ultimately included it in my MFA thesis. It was perhaps the most experimental of the stories I had written during my three-year program. It was also one of the most pressing ones.

This year, it was finally accepted and published in Atticus Review’s “Trespassing Issue.” It took several years and many drafts, but I am now very proud of this work and feel fortunate to have seen it develop over time. I share this story in order to demonstrate the long, often indirect route to publication. Sometimes it takes several years for a story to mature, and that is okay. The first draft of “Backyard Dogs” was not at all like the final one, but without this first draft, I would not have arrived at the short story available today.

You can read “Backyard Dogs” via the link below:

http://atticusreview.org/backyard-dogs/

Writing Aggravations: Finding the Perfect Title

15 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by in Fiction Writing, Writing Practices

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Finding the correct title for a story is often one of the most difficult aspects of writing. Sometimes the title comes easily. Often, however, I spend an inordinate amount of time searching for the correct phrase or line that truly encompasses all the themes and ideas of a particular piece. This is hard work. There is so much investment in finding the right title that I often feel I am falling short. Instead, I end up with a long list of very bad titles.

Some my favorite short story titles come from the text itself. Titles such as these come from a particularly poetic or apt phrase, often repeated throughout the text or found at a key moment. It is harder than one might imagine to find this key phrase and recognize its potential. Still, if it is there, the phrase can often jump off the page, quickly becoming apparent.

The problem comes when the perfect phrase is not evident in the story. Then, one needs to spend time thinking about what the story really means and how best to capture these ideas in one line. Sometimes this sort of mental work is necessary. It can lead to important breakthroughs, clearing up confusion within the piece itself. It can also help one rework a certain scene. Still, sometimes the correct title for the piece just isn’t there.

The novel I am currently working on is still untitled. I have a list of at least ten possibilities, all of which are related to themes and events within the story and the protagonist’s name. Somehow none of the combinations seem to work. Although I am sure I will find the correct title for this novel eventually, this process is a continually trying one for me. I have spoken to some of my poet friends, who must, of course, write titles for their pieces constantly. Perhaps this process is easier for the poet, as their main focus is the line. The correct title is essential to a poem and can make or break the piece. Although I might one day find inspiration from these poets, usually I am just grateful not to be one of them.

I often think about some of the world’s most famous writers and their titles: A Tale of Two Cities, The Grapes of Wrath, Waiting for Godot. I wonder if these works would have been just as successful if they had been given another name. For example, Jess Walter’s Beautiful Ruins was originally titled The Hotel Adequate View, which just doesn’t encompass the strength the piece, as it is a large and sweeping novel.

Still, some of the best titles are simple ones. Great Expectations and Sense and Sensibility, for example, are not very detailed or complicated in nature. Yet, perhaps a simple title will often do.

I expect most writers struggle with titles from time to time, and a good friend or fellow writer can often advise against bad choices. Sometimes the best solution, I think, is to just pick a title and move on with the work. Even if the future holds a better title, at least, good writing can carry the piece until then.