by Brenda Cooper
Brenda Cooper shares some of the writing tips that helped her pen “The Robot and the Winding Woods,” from our [May/June issue, on sale now!]
Often, when I sit down to write a short story, I find a challenge. For example, I might try to make my readers cry, or to utterly immerse them into the feel and scent of a location. For one of the earlier Analog stories, “The Hebras and the Demons and the Damned,” it was to write a voicy narrator. Often, when it works, this technique produces stories that get more attention than my other stories. Some of them have ended up in Year’s Best anthologies.
For my story in the May/June 2025 issue, “The Robot and the Winding Woods,” I set out to write negotiation story. I started it at the Rainforest Writer’s Retreat, just after Daryl Gregory gave a talk about writing. He described Mike Nichols’ breakdown of work into three types of scenes: Seductions, fights, and negotiations. I’ve written a lot more seductions and fights than I have negotiations. So I set out to force a character to negotiate for her husband’s life. I mixed in environment, robots, and a futuristic setting because those are all typical topics for me. I selected older protagonists because my own parents are aging. Both the characters and way the story unfolded as a negotiation surprised me. I won’t say much more lest I spoil it for anyone. But please do let me whether the story worked for you as a reader. And seriously, feel free. I love hearing from readers. There’s a contact form on my website.
Picking stretch goals for short stories makes me a better writer. I seldom try to focus on changing a lot of things at once; I pick one. That way I can tell if I was able to make the new skill work. I want to be an author who grows. That requires trying new things. Trying new things also keeps writing fun and fascinating.
I’ll throw out three ideas, free for the taking for any writers:
- Create a single story that uses three different point of view characters in less than 6000 words. Let each new POV create a surprise.
- Write a story from a point of view that’s very different than your own. This could be an animal (I hear there’s a horror movie out from dog’s point of view!) or an alien or even a human who is vastly different from you.
- Research or even interview someone you disagree with and then write a story from their point of view.
Of course, you can up with your own stretch goals. The ones I gave you above are mostly character oriented. Perhaps you need more help with plot, or setting, or making characters sound different from each other.
When you start a challenge, be gentle with yourself. Sometimes it won’t work. But a failed short story is small enough to throw away or re-draft.
The Astounding Analog Companion 