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

HC: I remember I was off work. One of my TAs needed more hours, and to be honest, I was beat, so I said fine. I could use the down time at home. Too many late nights spent grading midterms. I’d just brewed a cup of tea when the doorbell rang. I opened the door and a young girl stood there with what seemed an even younger boy…


The rest of the session focused on Hilary’s efforts to find someone willing to walk her cat, Granger, while she was teaching at the university. Hilary’s cat symbolized one of her last remaining connections to her partner. My short story, Walking Granger, offered plenty of backstory that I employed again in her private conversations with Jennie after they arrived at the retreat. Here’s one of those scenes.


Too Long Among the Deadby Paul Alan Fahey (excerpt)


Chapter 31