On Short Fiction: With Author A.J. Van Belle
Author A.J. Van Belle answers 5 questions about their writing process.
Welcome folks! I know, I know. This substack promises my thoughts from my brain, but today we’re back at it again with thoughts from someone who isn’t me. Author A.J. Van Belle was wonderful enough to answer 5 questions for us, talking about short fiction and their writing process!
A. J. Van Belle is an author living in Massachusetts with their husband, teenage daughter, and two very personable dogs. They write for teens and adults in multiple genres, including sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and contemporary lit fic. Across all genres, their work incorporates themes of trauma, healing, and a hint at something beyond the senses.
When not writing, A. J. works as a professor and researcher in biology. They often bring their scientific expertise to their fiction and have a blast using real knowledge of fungal ecology and evolutionary history to help build speculative worlds.
We’ve both had the pleasure of being published in Macfarlane Lantern Publishing’s Once Upon a Season Anthologies.
Let’s get into The Thoughts™
1. When you write short fiction, do you start out with a clear idea, or do you write your way into the story and find it on the way?
When I write short fiction, I usually start with a feeling and a concept, a core idea I want to convey. The specific events that will bring that concept to life usually take place along the way. So I sometimes outline part of the story ahead of time, or write down the elements that will be in each scene as I go. I rarely know every turn of events before I start writing.
2. What are the elements you find most important in a short story?
One is atmosphere and sensory grounding. Since a short story has only a few words with which to create a world for the reader, it’s especially important to provide key details that draw the reader into the experience of the story.
A second element is focus: ideally, a short story conveys one main idea and resolves (or artfully leaves unresolved) one central conflict. Even if the story is complex and has several scenes, a single focus should be at the crux. Otherwise, regardless of word count, the story veers into feeling like a novella or the synopsis of a novel.
3. What is one piece of writing advice you disagree with?
I disagree with the advice that novels should spill the beans on the book’s central conflict within the first 500 words. Every book needs a hook, sure; but I’ve seen a “rule” stating that to succeed in the current market, a book needs to divulge the main character’s identity, what they want, and the main challenge they’re up against within the first two pages.
I would argue, instead, that as long as there’s something in those opening pages to intrigue us (or opening lines, if we’re talking about a short story), it’s okay and sometimes even more interesting if the main character’s nature, goals, and central conflict are teased out over time.
4. Has writing short fiction helped you write longer works? If so, how?
Absolutely! One way it’s helped me is that simply by virtue of their brevity, short stories give me a chance to explore a greater range of characters, situations, and storytelling styles; and I apply what I learn from the experience to writing longer works as well.
Another way is that I’ve found myself creating short stories that are spinoffs of my novels. Every time I’ve written a short story set in one of my book worlds, the story has introduced depth and dimension to my mental construct of the world, which I’ve ended up using to enhance the novel.
5. The classic: What is a piece of writing advice you wish you'd known earlier?
This isn’t a piece of writing advice I hear often, but it’s one I would give myself if I could go back in time. I wish I’d known ten, twenty, and thirty years ago that it can take decades to reach your full capacity as a writer. What we write early in our careers can be stellar, but it only gets better with years of practice.
I would advise writers–even those who’ve already been writing for a long time–to have faith that their ability will keep growing; that the practice of writing is a very, very long-term investment in yourself; and that eventually that investment will pay off in being able to tell the stories you want to tell, the way you want to tell them.
And there you have it. Those were five questions on writing short fiction, from author A.J. Van Belle 💘
Check out their work at www.ajvanbelle.com and follow them on twitter @ajvanbelle
Do you have any thoughts on these questions? Or maybe short fiction in general? Leave them in a comment! I’d love to hear from you.
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