SHORT STORY: From FIRST Draft to FINAL Product by Michael Milton

About the Book

Title: SHORT STORY: From FIRST Draft to FINAL Product
Author: Michael Milton
Publication: Amazon Kindle
Summary: Using the story that gained him an offer of a place on a Master's in Creative Writing, Michael Milton's SHORT STORY: From FIRST Draft to FINAL Product will take you through the process he used from his first draft through to the finished piece of work. 

See the major revisions, feedback given to him by professional novelists as well as years of tips from his writers toolbox condensed into this useful little guide. 

From general writing tips to the details of line-by-line comments, SHORT STORY is the perfect kickstarter to getting your next piece of writing into shape. 

What I Think

What Michael Milton has done in this writers' guide is, as far as I'm aware, unique, and quite brave. He has put in the first draft of his story, The Boathouse, then shown readers line by line feedback and comments (from other writers), then used these to write a second and ultimately a final draft of the same story. It was very interesting to see how this story evolved from being good to excellent. It reiterates the point that leaving your story to settle for a while and getting constructive feedback from others is essential. 

Not only has he shown us this process, but this guide also has lots of hints and tips about writing and honing the craft. Part III of the book is titled: Simple Writing Tips I Wish I'd Been Told When I was Starting Out and it covers elements of 'character building', 'productivity', 'planning your story' and 'editing'. 

Milton also looks at theories of writing, such as Campbell's Monomyth, or The Hero's Journey, and applies this to his story to create a clear understanding of how it can be applied in practice. Also covered is Syd Field's 3 Arc Structure, Gregory David Roberts' Architecture of Shantaram and David Mitchell's herringbone diagram. At the end of each theory is a 'Use If', i.e. the herringbone diagram "USE IF: You want a detailed plan in one place, on one sheet of paper, that can be stuck on the wall above your computer."

Finally there is a long list of resources for writers to use. Overall I think this is an excellent guide for writers and it reminds you of simple good practices as well as introducing you to some excellent new ideas. A recommended read. 

About the Author

Michael Milton is an author and blogger currently completing a Master's in Creative Writing at the University of Kent.

His ebook, SHORT STORY: From FIRST Draft to FINAL Product, became an overnight bestseller for its category on amazon.com, going on to the bestseller lists in France, Spain, India, the UK and hitting No.1 in the USA.

He blogs about his MA degree and writing here: MichaelMilton.co.uk


And about life here: YinYangLife.org

Friday Flash Fiction - week 47

Lollipops in the Snow

‘Go on,’ Finley said. ‘I dare you.’
‘No,’ Jack replied, with a mouth full of Coco Pops. ‘You do it.’ 
‘I said it first.’ Finley looked at his younger brother sitting opposite him at the breakfast table. ‘Chicken,’ he muttered. 
‘Am not!’ 
‘Are too! Unless you can prove it?’
‘Okay. Fine. I’ll do it.’ 
‘Danny from down the road said they taste like lollipops.’ 
‘Really?’ 
‘Yeah.’ 

Both slipped down from the IKEA chairs and stacked their two cereal bowls into the dishwasher. In the hallway they put on thick jackets, woollen scarfs, gloves and hats. They pulled on snow boots, Finley’s were green and Jack’s were blue, and stepped outside into the freezing air. 

It was less than twenty seconds to the nearest lamppost. 

‘Go on then,’ Finley urged. 
Jack gingerly stuck out his tongue and inched the tip closer to the lamppost. ‘Aah!’ He jumped back. ‘It’s freezing.’ 
‘Of course it is, you idiot. You didn’t do it properly. You need to lick it and hold it there for five seconds.’
‘Okay. Here goes…’
Jack gave the lamppost a lick. The soft covering of ice came away and melted immediately in his mouth. 
‘Hold it,’ Finley warned. ‘Five, four, three,-’ 
‘Argh…’
‘Two,-’
‘Aargh, aargh!’
‘One. Okay, you can let go now.’ 
‘I can’t,’ Jack said, with difficulty. ‘I’m stuck.’ 
Finley laughed and then caught an image of his mother who was bound to be furious. 
‘Don’t move.’ 
‘Funny.’ 
‘Sorry. I’ll go get Dad. He’ll know what to do.’ 

Jack stood glued to the lamppost. It tasted of nothing.

Laura Besley

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Flash Fiction diary

This story is dedicated to my good friend Gillian, her husband, and her two boys Finley and Jack. 

May is National Short Story Month. I've joined A.M. Harte's Senseless Challenge: 

We have five senses.
May has five Fridays.
Each Friday is dedicated to one of the senses.

The schedule is:

May 03: Sight
May 10: Sound
May 17: Smell
May 24: Taste
May 31: Touch

There are no rules. You can take part for one week or all five. You can write about not having that week’s sense or only having it. So...here goes! 

Flash Fortnightly #14 is Desire for Belonging. A story about finding out who you are and whether you belong, or not. Click here for the link. 




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Flash Fiction is short enough to read whilst you're waiting for the kettle to boil. It's fairly quick to write too, but with it being so short, every word has to count. 

On 4th May 2012 I decided to embark on a project: to write a piece of Flash Fiction every day. I'm hoping this will keep the creative juices flowing and ultimately help me hone my craft. Every Friday I'll be posting 'the best of the week' onto my blog for you to read. If you have anything to say (good or 'constructive'!), I'm open to comments.  

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Friday Flash Fiction -week 46

A Great Story

The only smell in the tiny dark room was her own seven-day body odour. It was disgusting, like a pile of dirty towels stashed in the back of a gym. The thin door swung open and Paula caught a hint of something flowery. From her position in the far corner of the dank room she looked up, but the woman quickly put down a tray and scuttled back out, locking the door behind her.  On the worn carpet was a tray of food, the first food she’d seen in days: a homemade ham and pickle sandwich on brown bread and a box of Ribena. She bit into it and started to cry. Initially determined to savour it, chewing each mouthful slowly and carefully, her resolve swiftly melted and she scoffed it, shoving in each mouthful like an animal. Like the animal they’d turned her into. 

Paula had graduated in 2004 from her university of choice. She’d done an undergraduate degree in English Literature and then an M.A. in Journalism. Her career had started slowly: working for local papers and getting bite-sized chunks into the national newspapers on the pages no-one read. And then her friend’s cousin was killed in Bristol’s first honour killing and Paula had found her first great story. Her friend had warned her to keep out of it, but she hadn’t listened. She was hungry only for the story. 

Heavy footsteps stopped outside the door. 
‘Finished?’ he asked.
She nodded. 
‘Get up.’ 
She croaked. ‘Why?’
‘We’re going for a little ride.’ 
‘Where to?’
‘Never you mind.’   

Laura Besley

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Flash Fiction diary

May is National Short Story Month. I've joined A.M. Harte's Senseless Challenge: 

We have five senses.
May has five Fridays.
Each Friday is dedicated to one of the senses.

The schedule is:

May 03: Sight
May 10: Sound
May 17: Smell
May 24: Taste
May 31: Touch

There are no rules. You can take part for one week or all five. You can write about not having that week’s sense or only having it. So...here goes! 

Flash Fortnightly #13 is Pot of Gold. A rather dark tale with colours to cheer it up (a little). Click here for the link. 





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Flash Fiction is short enough to read whilst you're waiting for the kettle to boil. It's fairly quick to write too, but with it being so short, every word has to count. 

On 4th May 2012 I decided to embark on a project: to write a piece of Flash Fiction every day. I'm hoping this will keep the creative juices flowing and ultimately help me hone my craft. Every Friday I'll be posting 'the best of the week' onto my blog for you to read. If you have anything to say (good or 'constructive'!), I'm open to comments.  

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Friday Flash Fiction - week 43

Cheap Plonk

Cassandra knew immediately that something was wrong. When she slid the key into the brass lock, the front door swung open and banged into the hall radiator with a loud clunk. She always double-locked the heavy oak door, and double-checked it too. With her brass key still suspended in mid-air, she stood gazing at the mess in the hallway for five whole seconds before she let out an involuntary moan. 

‘Crap.’ She pulled her mobile phone out of her oversized handbag and with slightly trembling hands dialled her husband’s number. 
‘Peter?’ The familiar word caught in her throat. 
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘What is it? I’m pretty busy here.’ 
She bent down to pick up a plant pot. ‘We’ve been burgled.’ 
‘Oh God! Really?’
‘Yes, really. I’m standing here in an almighty tip.’ 
‘You’re sure they’re no longer there?’
She tiptoed further into the house. ‘Pretty sure.’ 
‘Maybe you shouldn’t go in on your own.’ 
‘Hello?’ Cassandra called out. ‘Anyone there?’ 
‘Cassie!’ Peter hissed. ‘Are you mad?’ 
‘It’s fine,’ she said. ‘There’s no-one here.’ 
‘What’s missing? TV? Stereo?’
‘Yes, yes,’ she sighed. ‘All that’s gone. Laptop too.’ She walked out of the lounge into the kitchen and burst out laughing.  
‘What? What is it?’
‘You know that wine Audrey bought me from France?’
‘That nasty stuff that cost us a fortune?’ 
‘Yes. Well, they opened a few of bottles, obviously planning to drink a bottle or two each.’ 
‘And?’
‘Well,’ she said between giggles, ‘that wine is so crap even the burglars didn’t want it!’ 

Laura Besley

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Flash Fiction diary

This story of burglary is sadly based on a true story. There obviously is a funny side to it and the woman did get all her things back in the end and the burglars went to prison too. 

Flash Fortnightly #11 is based on a true, yet tragic, story. Click here for My Wedding Day. 

Of Gods and Mobsters is the latest anthology from the Hong Kong Writers Circle, edited by SCC Overton. 
Classical gods and heroes. Men and women of myth, legend and folklore. Characters from the greatest 19th and 20th century novels. All of them relocated, reimagined and retold in this collection of short stories and poetry. 
I have a story in here and wrote a modern day version of Aladdin. 

imprint 12 (the annual anthology of Women in Publishing Society) was launched on Friday 15th March and as mentioned before, I was asked to read my piece of flash fiction, Fractious Heat. I was incredibly nervous, but as I had practised a few times with my lovely husband, I think it went well. I got a good reaction from the crowd, which was a real boost! 
As always, it's an absolute thrill to see my work in print. As well as the piece of flash fiction, I also submitted a piece of non-fiction, Aspects of Home.  





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Flash Fiction is short enough to read whilst you're waiting for the kettle to boil. It's fairly quick to write too, but with it being so short, every word has to count. 

On 4th May 2012 I decided to embark on a project: to write a piece of Flash Fiction every day. I'm hoping this will keep the creative juices flowing and ultimately help me hone my craft. Every Friday I'll be posting 'the best of the week' onto my blog for you to read. If you have anything to say (good or 'constructive'!), I'm open to comments.  

Thanks, as always, for reading.

200 Stories...and counting

As many of you know last year, on 4th May 2012, I embarked on an adventure. A fiction adventure: to write one piece of flash fiction per day. For those of you who are visiting my site for the first time, flash fiction is really short, usually ranging from 100-1000 words. 

May - It started out really well and I wrote a piece a day. Some were okay, others not, but I was writing and that was the main thing. I put the 'best of the week' up onto my blog and people started leaving some really encouraging comments. 
June - I started to struggle a little, so decided to cut it down to five a week (Monday to Friday). 
July - I took most of July off as I was back in England visiting friends and family. 
August - It was summer school at work and for those of you who are teachers, you know what this means! We took a four-day trip to Bali and I wrote every day whilst I was there and found myself fascinated by the country and its people. 
September - I discovered FridayFlash.org - a great website for Flash fictioneers. Through this website I've met lots of wonderful and supportive fellow flash fiction writers. 

October - I was extremely excited to be contacted on twitter by Artipeeps - a UK based website for all things arty - and asked if I'd be interested in writing flash fiction for them. 

November - Flash Fortnightly on the Artipeeps website was launched.  
December - With the end of term looming and many parent presentations to do, as well as being tired from a long semester of teaching, I found writing quite a slog. 
January - Started off slowly, but once I got going I found that I was able to write quite a lot. 
February - I was lucky enough to be able to take a holiday in Cambodia in February and that influenced a lot of my writing in February. 
March - I've just written story number 200! 

I'm absolutely in love with flash fiction and I've even started writing micro fiction (up to 100 words). I never thought I'd take to short pieces, but I guess you don't know these things until you try them. While there are no hard and fast rules about writing, I think we all agree that writing often is good. Writing every day is the best and even if you don't have much time, 30 minutes a day is better than no minutes a day. I think, I hope, that writing so regularly has helped me develop as a writer. 

Friday Flash Fiction - week 30

The Wrong Man

The sound of ‘Jingle Bells’ made Joyce cringe for reasons that she could never explain to anyone. People not knowing made it more bearable some years and utterly unbearable others. She hadn’t realised falling for the wrong man all that time ago would taint the rest of her life. 

At sixteen Joyce had been a different person, with a different name. Her hair had been blond, her eyes blue and she had dressed like many other teenagers in the city: in short cut-off denims, strappy tops and flip flops. 

Just before she was supposed to take her end of year exams she spotted an unfamiliar man outside the school gates. His tall, slim frame was leaning casually on his Harley Davidson. He took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaled slowly, blowing smoke rings into the hot air. His dark hair was gelled back and his eyes hidden behind Ray Ban sunglasses. She flicked back her hair and strutted past. 

“Hey you!” he called. 

“Me?” she answered, cocking her head to one side. 

“Yeah, you.” He sauntered over and leaned in. “You look kinda hot.” 

She giggled. “Kinda?” and smiled. 

“Wanna ride?” 

“Sure.” 

Eduardo had his own apartment which he shared with his cousin, Franco. It was covered in take-away pizza and Chinese noodle boxes, but she didn’t care. He led her to his bedroom and kicked the door shut. He slowly undressed her, kissing every inch of her body until she felt suspended mid-air. He bit her nipples gently and entered into her so easily she felt they must belong together. 

She never took her exams. Within six weeks she’d left school, moved in and spent her days in bed with him and her nights clubbing, drinking, getting high. She sold to anyone who was willing and a few who weren’t. Together they made a great team. 

On a December evening almost 20 years ago, she sold cocaine to an undercover police officer who cut her a deal: supply Eduardo and his cousin Franco and they’d only give her community service. She set them up in return for a new identity in a new town in a new state. 

At Christmas time she missed him most. 

Laura Besley

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Flash Fiction diary

This week's story was written in a shopping mall surrounded by Christmas decorations. This is my last entry for 2012 as I'm taking a break from writing over Christmas and New Year. I'll be back in January! 

This week saw the fourth installment of Flash Fortnightly on the Artipeeps website. Click here for 'Unfair Proposal', inspired by a true story. 




A couple of weeks ago I set up a facebook author page and I've already had loads of 'likes'. If you haven't yet, I'd be very grateful if you could 'like' the page! Click here for Laura Besley Writer. 

I've also stepped, rather gingerly, into the 21st century and have set up a twitter account! If you'd like to follow me, I can be found bumbling my way through this technology @laurabesley 
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Flash Fiction is short enough to read whilst you're waiting for the kettle to boil. It's fairly quick to write too, but with it being so short, every word has to count. 

On 4th May 2012 I decided to embark on a project: to write a piece of Flash Fiction every day. I'm hoping this will keep the creative juices flowing and ultimately help me hone my craft. Every Friday I'll be posting 'the best of the week' onto my blog for you to read. If you have anything to say (good or 'constructive'!), I'm open to comments.  

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Friday Flash Fiction - week 23!

Silence is Golden

"George, this is just not what I’d expected when we moved out here." 

"You were the one who wanted to move here." 

"I know, I know, but I hate it." 

"And I love it!"

"Lord only knows why. It’s so boring!"

"It’s beautiful, and peaceful, and we don’t have to go to endless social gatherings with your so-called friends." 

"Oh, so now it’s about my friends as well, is it?"

"Well, honestly Barbara, you don’t even like half of your friends. I really don’t know why we had to keep up with them." 

"That’s just the way it is." 

"But why?" 

"It just is." 

"Well, we’re best off out of it is all I can say." 

"I miss them. I miss everyone. Even the boy at the paper shop. There are days go by here and you’re the only person I see." 

"And why’s that so bad?" 

"There’s only so much you can say to someone over dinner you’ve already spent the whole day with." 

"You see, you’ve never understood the value of silence." 

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"You talk too much. You always have done. It’s no wonder you don’t like it out here." 

"That’s it Fred! We’re going back. In time I’ll forgive you for that remark." 

"No, Barbara. You’re going back. I’m staying here." 

L. Besley

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Flash Fiction diary

This piece was inspired by an email conversation I had with my buddy Nina Croft at Writers Abroad. She lives in a very remote part of Spain and sometimes it's hard for couples to adjust to the lifestyle, regardless of how romantic and idyllic it may have sounded. 

I've also stepped, rather gingerly, into the 21st century and have set up a twitter account! If you'd like to follow me, I can be found bumbling my way through this technology @laurabesley 
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Flash Fiction is short enough to read whilst you're waiting for the kettle to boil. It's fairly quick to write too, but with it being so short, every word has to count. 

On 4th May 2012 I decided to embark on a project: to write a piece of Flash Fiction every day. I'm hoping this will keep the creative juices flowing and ultimately help me hone my craft. Every Friday I'll be posting 'the best of the week' onto my blog for you to read. If you have anything to say (good or 'constructive'!), I'm open to comments.  

Thanks, as always, for reading. 

Wednesday Write-In: Darkness

This week's prompts
paperback  ::  bounce  ::  crushing  ::  liquor  ::  root

Darkness

It’s midnight and I’m still markin’ these damn papers for tomorrow. The monotonous whirring of the ceiling fan is the only noise in this stifling hot room. A lone cockroach scuttles across the wooden floor and I pick up a paperback version of Anna Karenina and slam it down hard, crushing its insides into the floorboards. There’s a satisfying crunch and I smile to myself. One fewer in the world, although I doubt whether I’ll make much of a difference as scientists think the only thing that’ll survive a nuclear bomb is bastard cockroaches. 

I look at my glass of lemonade, sweating in the heat and wish for something stronger. I’ve never touched a drop of liquor, not since my daddy hit my brother halfway across our yard after one of his three-day benders. Mamma just stood there in her frayed pink apron doing the dishes like nothin’ was happening. That hasn’t stopped me wantin’ it, but not touching liquor is about the only thing my willpower works on. It’s like there’s a barrel of it and it’s all used up on that one thing, that I can’t but help wanting other things more than I should. 

An old tennis ball sits on the corner of the table and I squeeze it and throw it at the wall. It bounces, but loses momentum and drops to the floor. I look at the paper in front of me, typed in Arial point twelve. Without even reading it, I know it’s going to be boring. In my class of students there are only one or two bright sparks and this kid Josie is not one of them. I can always pick them out the second they walk through the door. It’s something about the way they dress or a look in their eyes. Last year I taught this guy called Lee. Brilliant kid. Had to give it all up ‘cos of some situation at home. 

I switch off the light and crawl into bed fully-clothed and allow the darkness of the night to envelop me before the other darkness takes root.  

L. Besley

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CAKE.shortandsweet runs a write-in every week to writers to practise their skills, and get chatting to each other about their work. Everyone is welcome to join in, and the more people you tell, the more everyone will get out of it.

31 by Calum Kerr

About the Book


This is a collection of 31 pieces of Flash Fiction: one for every day of January. 

What I think 


As a writer of flash fiction I was obviously interested to see what a collection would be like. I wasn't disappointed! What I love about flash fiction is that you can read it so quickly. Even if you've only got a couple of minutes, you can delve into this book and read about someone's life. 


These tales are extremely varied. Whenever you start a new one, you never know what to expect. Some are funny, some adventurous, some read like science-fiction and some are sad. 


Flash fiction is on the rise. People have less and less time and it's also easy to read on e-readers and iphones. If you're thinking of giving flash fiction a go, I would recommend this collection! 


About the Author

Calum Kerr (b. 1973) grew up in Lytham St Annes in Lancashire. He has a PhD in Creative Writing and as well as being a writer, he is a lecturer and the editor of Gumbo Press. He set himself the target to write a piece of flash fiction for every day in January (2011), which led to the pamphlet, 31. He has recently successfully launched the first National Flash Fiction Day in the U.K.