The Reflectionist

I’ve started dabbling in writing short stories.

Previously, I’ve never been a fan of short stories. I didn’t really understand them. I wonder if it’s just because I never found short stories I really liked.

Most short stories I came across were written by fantasy authors who were better known for their full length novels and long series. This doesn’t necessarily make them bad at writing short stories, but you could tell their heart wasn’t always in the craft.

I still find short stories can be very hit and miss for me, but I’ve found some authors whose short fiction I love, and from there I’ve started to get an idea of what I like and don’t like from a short story. (So far my favourite short story authors are N.K. Jemisin and Ted Chiang). So from there, it’s just a short step to thinking about writing them.

My current WIP (work in progress) is tentatively titled ‘The Reflectionist’, and is about a man who can activate the hidden powers of mirrors. He encounters the nightwatchman, who can do similar things but with a lantern, and they are instantly opposed. The two men, both obsessed with their chosen item in very different ways, clash in a deadly struggle.

I’m experimenting with present tense omniscient in this story, and it’s very interesting how using a different tense can frame a scene (and also interesting to see how often I need to correct myself from using past tense – or how much I’ve missed when it comes time to revise).

I should hopefully be finished with the story by the end of next week, by which time I might need a new idea to work on (I have several seeds of ideas, but nothing concrete as of yet).