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

Mildred looked at her watch. Richard was late. Just enough time to read Vera’s letter again.


The hospital door opened and Richard came in, shaking the rain from his hat. He shoved his umbrella into the wastebasket, and then walked toward her, his eyes focused on the letter in her hand. “Reading it again, Millie? It won’t bring her back.” He pecked her cheek. “You have to act, do something. Talk to her.”


Mildred knew Vera was gone. Nothing would bring her back, but reading Vera’s letters helped her remember her daughter’s voice, raving about the latest Bette Davis tearjerker or “the swellest swing band in town, honest Mom.” Mildred folded the letter on its well-worn creases and returned it to her purse. Then she pulled out her rosary and blessed herself with the cross.


Richard sat some distance from his daughter’s bed. “I’m here,” he said, and then he was silent.


Chapter 49