Do you write short fiction but long to s-t-r-e-t-c-h those tight little 55ers, flash pieces, and short stories into longer, publishable work? Do you have binders full of short pieces with characters you’d love to flesh out? Are you dying to tell the rest of these stories? If so,The Short and Long of Itis for you! Award-winning short fiction writer Paul Alan Fahey shows you how to expand and adapt your brief creations into longer, more satisfying stories, plays, novellas, and novels pitch perfect for publication in the e-age. This book will help you practice expanding your short fiction. Through detailed examples and hands-on exercises, you’ll learn how to: Adapt 55 fiction into flash fiction;Adapt flash fiction into short stories and plays;Adapt flash memoir into personal essays;Write a tight logline;Develop a story theme;Build three-act structure; andDevelop characters and enhance backstory.So grab a copy today and start writing longer stories tomorrow!

The Short and Long of It

Every weekday morning as the chimes rang the hour, Mr. Withy took the long walk past reception to his inner office. Some employees forced smiles but most kept their eyes averted. They shuffled papers, logged onto computers, or arranged supplies in their desk drawers.


Everyone except Marcie. Such a sweet disposition. New at the firm, five or six months now and great with technology. Beautiful blue eyes, short, blond hair. And smart. She’d almost caught Mr. Withy one morning while he sat at his desk admiring a pair of leather gloves. She came up so fast behind him he thought she should really wear a bell. “My niece visited last week.” He held up the gloves. “I really must return them.” Marcie flashed him an odd look, but he knew she’d bought it. Good thing she wasn’t his type.


Chapter 13