Well, June is progressing well, and I'm glad I took the time off new writing.  It's given me the pleasure of editing at ease without rushing and has led to a new discovery.

That short story I finished and discovered my hero was a villain, just morphed again.

I'd about finished editing it and was getting ready send it off when I realized I hadn't yet created a one sentence summary for the story for the cover letter. 

I have a method for doing this that involves answering the following questions in order to get to the crux of the story - gleaned from a course I took from Lori Wilde on how to come up with a high concept:

Who is the compelling character in the story:
What is his/her misguided belief:
What is his/her desperate desire:
What is the specific situation:
Is there a classic plot involved:
What is the character's fatal flaw:
What is the inciting incident
What is the innovative idea in this story:
Is there irony in the story:

By the time I finished answering these questions and then worked on the 25 word high concept, I realized why the hero in my story was a villain.

It was because I hadn't finished the story!

The end point I'd stopped writing at was the black moment.  No wonder it felt so bitter sweet, lol.

So I went back and wrote the ending and discovered how to change a villain into a hero.

It's by helping the character learn and grow and gain insight into his experience, instead of remaining mired in his bitterness.   The trick is to ensure this evolves naturally out of all the elements of the story you've written thus far.

So, I'm now off to mail this short story to the first market and pick up the volunteer outfit and ID card for the tall ships coming to town next weekend.



Shereen