There’s a challenge that famous author and essayist Ray Bradbury suggested, one that is meant to help an author become better read…and better written.
You don’t have to be a novelist to try this one. This challenge specifically tackles short stories, one of the most difficult literary forms in many people’s opinion. You have to be short and concise, not overload readers with too much information but give them enough just enough to be satisfied that, yes, this is a complete story. If you’re not interested in writing but love to read, you could skip the writing portion (it’s the shortest) and simply do the reading portion.
First, however, I think I’d better explain what exactly this challenge entails.
The “3” in the challenge stands for three different writing forms. You are instructed to read one from each category every day, and they are as follows:
1 poem
1 short story
1 essay
There are free poems and short stories online, ones that are in the public domain (read: they are on the web legally) from places like Project Gutenberg. Essays might be a tad trickier to come by. But first, what constitutes an essay? Here is Miriam-Webster’s definition:
a: an analytic or interpretative literary composition usually dealing with its subject from a limited or personal point of view
b: something resembling such a composition
You can find various books of essays sold online, but that can get expensive quickly (though you could try used bookstores). Maybe try borrowing from your local public library. If they don’t have what you’re looking for you, you can always request that they purchase it. If they can’t purchase it, you might get an ILL (Interlibrary Loan).
Some famous essayists include Ray Bradbury, E.B. White, and Toni Morrison.
The “1” in the challenge stands for one short story. You are challenged to write one short story a week for fifty-two weeks—the “52” in the challenge, in case you were wondering, haha.
Fifty-two weeks = one year. One year of doing this. Are you interested?
It’s NOT a competition. If you don’t meet your quota of reading for the day, you don’t fail. If you don’t finish your short story in time, again, you’re not a failure. Everyone who reads and writes more is a winner!
I’m going to start this challenge in the second week of May. Here is how I have my weeks scheduled:
Monday – Select the short story I want to write* and plot it out.
Tuesday – Write the first quarter** of the story.
Wednesday – Write the second quarter.
Thursday – Write the third quarter.
Friday – Write the fourth quarter.
Saturday – Revise and edit.
Sunday – Research publications and, if the story is ready, hit submit***.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
I’m excited to see what sort of writer I emerge as on the other side! Hopefully a more disciplined and patient one.
Best,
Beth
P.S. Want a free short story that would totally count toward your reading quota? Look here!
*It’s important to have a plan ahead of time. I came up with a list of fifty-two different story ideas. I also am beginning to gather resources for my reading.
**In Writer’s Digest, they mention using the Lester Dent Formula for writing the stories for this challenge. Here’s a link to learn more about it: https://bruces.medium.com/the-lester-dent-master-plot-formula-by-lester-dent-6779fd822695
***If you’re interested in finding a publisher for your work that is finished and is edited, check out Diabolical Plots’ The Submission Grinder.
Beth Overmyer 