How do You Shape an Idea into a Publishable Story?

by Larry Ivkovich

Good question. If I’m aiming for a specific market, certainly I’ll follow their guidelines regarding word count and format and any theme that may be required for that particular issue. That also goes for any taboo on graphic sexual content and too much violence, if that’s specified. Each market is different and has different requirements.


Aside from that, I pretty much let my imagination be my guide although there are a couple of rules I adhere to. No matter what the subject, setting and plot, it’s important to focus on the characters. The characters are ultimately what most readers will relate to and the protagonists should react to the situations in the story appropriately and consistently. In the process, the story may change depending on how the characters grow and interact. They really do take on lives of their own!

The first sentence and paragraph should pull the reader into the story immediately. It’s a short story and you may not have a lot to work with so you need to get the readers’ attention right from the start. A couple of opening lines I’ve used in published stories of mine are – “The Hunter-Beasts had found her,” and “Melissa came to work that day dressed as a Valkyrie Warrior Princess.” Anything akin to “It was a dark and stormy night” just won’t cut it.

I also belong to a writing/critique group which has proven invaluable in getting the kinks out of a story. Sometimes I’m too close to a piece and can’t “see the forest for the trees.” A set of fresh eyes helps to point out any faults or inconsistencies.

In the end, the editors will make the final decision and if the story is rejected, it may not be because it’s a bad story but that it isn’t the “right fit” for their market. That’s a hard reason to understand and get used to but you just need to send that rejection out to another market whose editor may decide it’s just what they’ve been looking for. And I mean send it out the next day! Don’t waste time mourning your rejection. As clichéd as it sounds, perseverance will pay off!

Larry Ivkovich is a genre writer who's had several short stories and novellas published in various online and print publications. He's been a finalist in the L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest and was the 2010 recipient of the CZP/Rannu Fund Award for Fiction. His debut novel, The Sixth Precept, was published last November by IFWG publishing.

Learn more about Larry and his work on his website.

MEDITATIONS ON THE DARK SIDE

by Larry Ivkovich

Edgar Allan Poe has always been one of my favorite authors so when Penumbra eMag announced their Poe-themed first anniversary issue, I jumped at the chance to submit a story.

As soon as I read the guidelines, The Cask of Amontillado came to mind. To me, it’s the ultimate revenge tale even though the perceived crimes by Fortunato against Montressor are never really described by Poe. I reread the story which, oddly enough, was first published in a magazine titled Godey’s Lady’s Book in 1846. It still holds up as starkly chilling. Can’t imagine what those first readers felt.

It got me to thinking about the victim and what would happen if he or she survived the immurement--entombed alive and left to die of hunger or thirst. Not feeling worthy enough to write an actual sequel to the original story, I came up with a female protagonist whose husband wanted her out of the way in order to get her estate.

I felt that no matter what higher or darker powers there were that allow a person to be kept alive with no food, water or light for twenty years, those same powers would be helpless to keep that person completely sane. The victim would change drastically.

Marian still lives in her bricked-in tomb but she’s really no longer human in mind, body or spirit. To her, the only thing that’s allowed her to survive is her hunger for revenge against her husband. Nothing else matters.

I was able to really dig into my dark side for this story. Somehow, Marian’s point-of-view was surprisingly easy to write from--I’m not sure what that says about my own personality although writing from the “bad guy” POV can sometimes be more interesting. I also tried to emulate, not so much Poe’s voice, but a similar style of that time period. It’s told in first-person by Marian and illustrates the monster she’s become.

Of course, the real question is--who’s the real monster, Marian or her husband who had committed the crime in the first place? Evil begets evil and, in the end, there are no good guys or winners.

I must have got something right for Penumbra Magazine to accept The Face Behind the Wall. I’m very excited and proud to be a part of their first anniversary issue!

Larry Ivkovich is a genre writer who's had several short stories and novellas published in various online and print publications. He's been a finalist in the L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest and was the 2010 recepient of the CZP/Rannu Fund Award for Fiction. His debut novel, The Sixth Precept, was published last November by IFWG publishing.


Learn more about Larry and his work on his website.