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

“Here, Granger,” the girl called. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”


“Here kitty, kitty.” The girl shook with laughter.


“No!” Hilary cried, and before Granger came leaping into the room, she jumped up, reached down and tore the strips from the girl’s legs. She was about to remove the tape from the girl’s lap when Hilary’s hand slipped and brushed against her thigh.


“Hey, lady,” she screamed. “I’m not gay. Back off.”


The boy told Hilary his friend didn’t like being touched, and then, as if to explain what Hilary considered her crass and unseemly behavior, he added, “By strangers.”


Hilary hated confrontation but surprised herself when she walked to the door, opened it wide, and asked them to leave.


The boy swiveled his hat, and Hilary read “The X Files” written in fuzzy white letters above the brim.


Chapter 52