Happy Wednesday Scribblers. Today I’m happy to have Kevin Klehr back to talk about crafting stories and how what might be a great idea may not work for your story. No matter how many times you rework the tale. Kevin uses the example of from his newest short story Three Ghosts. Which is out now.
My new short story, Three Ghosts, took four drafts to write. This is partly because I’m a perfectionist, and partly because an idea my husband suggested really appealed to me.
I’m one of those authors who loves to include plot twists. I’m a plotter and carefully work through my outline to throw my readers off course. So, when my husband, Warren, suggested a uniquely weird ending to this story, I naturally weaved his idea in. And as this is no longer the ending to the story, I can share it with you.
The story is about a ghostly couple, Tim and Carol, and their spirited gay friend, Alexander. Every time a shooting star is scheduled, they choose a house with the best vantage point to haunt, always making sure the residents aren’t home. But this time the inhabitants return unexpectedly, and they just happen to be Alexander’s ex-boyfriend and the ex’s new lover.
Toward the end of the second draft, Alexander is on Carol’s psychiatrist’s couch relaying the story we’ve just read. Neither are ghosts, and Alexander is under the illusion his other analyst is Carol’s husband, Tim. Carol tells him yet again she is not married. We also find out the story which was just presented has other twists.
The final scene features Alexander being analysed by Tim who also points out he is not married because Carol doesn’t exist, and that he is the only psychiatrist Alexander is seeing. Then more twists are uncovered.
In the third draft, I ditched the scene with Tim as the analyst and worked the final twists into the previous scene with Carol.
The problem was any version with characters suddenly turning into psychotherapists would have infuriated readers. I really wanted to make my husband’s idea work, and in a novel it could have. I would have dropped in moments where the real world would break in, leaving the reader guessing. But in a short story, playing with genre is risky.
The fourth and final draft has a sweet ending in line with this comedic short. Alexander is no longer suffering from delusions. And so far, one reviewer made a comparison to Noel Coward, and another loved the twists which are still in this story.
That’s the thing with storytelling. Readers come on a journey with you, and any detour you throw in must be carefully considered.
Thank you Kevin for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. I can and will admit that I’ve had similar ideas for stories I’ve worked on, however, I agree Readers would not be happy no matter how clever we think we are as writers. you can pick up Kevin’s new short story here. To learn more about Kevin and his writing you can find him here. Until next time have a great week.
