The short story and I

A few days ago I had an epiphany of sorts. I saw a movie (called Dor)—quite an event in itself as everyone who knows me knows that I am a terrible snob when it comes to watching anything Bollywood (!)— and I realized that the reason Hindi movies fail to inspire is the same as why I usually have trouble writing short stories!

Veracity and attention to detail are a couple of things Bollywood is not traditionally known to deal with, and my obsession with the same is what keeps me from writing effective stories. I’m not saying one must be careless and cavalier with details. Just that one must know where to draw the line, and I clearly don’t!

Here are the main reasons I feel I struggle with short stories:

1. I tend to over-analyse. What I mean is, in any given situation, instead of… There! You see?
2. I am obsessed with detail. Really, does the reader care about intricate details of everyone’s past?
3. I feel dissatisfied unless there is a twist in the tale.
4. I tend to be unable to keep the plot’s scope limited.
5. I am not good summing things up in a short, sharp descriptive passage. I prefer using conversation to move things forward, which isn’t always good.

👿

~PD