{ ＩＮＫＬＩＮＧＳ } LOCK! NEW THREAD

[Lilysplash]

I feel awful for whoever is going to read the story I'm writing. >.<
I'm writing a story for a contest and the word limit is 5,000, and I've already gone over. I'm at like 6,400 or something. Anyways, I asked the owners of the contest and they said I could go up to 6,500, which is great. But I couldn't end it the way I wanted to in so little words, so I decided that in the end, both characters would drop dead, even though the story is written in first person.
So... How do you narrate a story written by someone who's dead? Like, how do I describe them dying? Ugh, I hate the ending so much, I want to strangle myself for writing it. It's complete garbage, I'm ashamed to even post it. >.< anyways, help would be much appreciated, because I really want to just finish this story before I get to 10,000 words or something.

Yes! I sympathize! I do this all the time! Is it in present or past tense? I find it much easier to write first person deaths in present tense, as it's not as conflicting. In past tense... ah... it just comes out sounding like you're an awkward specter sent from heaven to tell your tale. Honestly, that's not the best feel for your story. X3 I'd suggest you change tenses.
Also, end at the dying moment! It's more spectacular and not confusing that way.

~Lilysplash

[spiff]

I feel awful for whoever is going to read the story I'm writing. >.<
I'm writing a story for a contest and the word limit is 5,000, and I've already gone over. I'm at like 6,400 or something. Anyways, I asked the owners of the contest and they said I could go up to 6,500, which is great. But I couldn't end it the way I wanted to in so little words, so I decided that in the end, both characters would drop dead, even though the story is written in first person.
So... How do you narrate a story written by someone who's dead? Like, how do I describe them dying? Ugh, I hate the ending so much, I want to strangle myself for writing it. It's complete garbage, I'm ashamed to even post it. >.< anyways, help would be much appreciated, because I really want to just finish this story before I get to 10,000 words or something.

Well, if it's in first person then obviously they can't tell the story beyond their death. Personally, I would go for an abrupt, startling ending by describing the last thing they see before they die and cutting the story off right then and there.
I'm not sure that's the feel you're going for, though.

[nutella ♥]

The story is written in past-tense, but personally I'm not a fan of writing and reading present-tense, and switching tenses seems like a little too much work. >.<
Ending it abruptly seems best, I think that's what I'll do. Ugh, what I'd do for a bigger word-count! Anyways, thanks for your help guys. c:
- nut

[Artesian]

The story is written in past-tense, but personally I'm not a fan of writing and reading present-tense, and switching tenses seems like a little too much work. >.<
Ending it abruptly seems best, I think that's what I'll do. Ugh, what I'd do for a bigger word-count! Anyways, thanks for your help guys. c:
- nut

There's also the option of having her tell it, as a ghost. Or as an angel, or whatever you'd like the afterlife to be?

[Roonil Wazlib]

I have a question. What annoys you the more when you're reading a book? Annoying characters or a bad plot? For me, I'd rather have a cliche plot and stellar characters than an excellent plot and mary-sue characters. I dunno why, but I just can't get into books where they have un relatable or annoying characters.

[nutella ♥]

The story is written in past-tense, but personally I'm not a fan of writing and reading present-tense, and switching tenses seems like a little too much work. >.<
Ending it abruptly seems best, I think that's what I'll do. Ugh, what I'd do for a bigger word-count! Anyways, thanks for your help guys. c:
- nut

There's also the option of having her tell it, as a ghost. Or as an angel, or whatever you'd like the afterlife to be?

Well, yes, but the genre of the story is supposed to be post-apocalyptic, and including the subject of the afterlife seems a little too 'mythological', if you will, to fit in the genre. It's written in the future, and ghosts still don't exist in the future. XD
Thanks for the suggestion though.

[Cherry]

Maybe a journal entry, a letter, or a story that somehow got passed down is how we know what happened to her? (Is it first person?)

[Artesian]

Maybe a journal entry, a letter, or a story that somehow got passed down is how we know what happened to her? (Is it first person?)

Or, for that matter, a video recording?

[nutella ♥]

oh yes, a letter or something sounds great. c: not entirely sure how she'd be making a video recording, though, since she's dead.. >.<
I may just have her tell the story up until the part where she dies, as if she's telling the story as she's dying. Like, she gets shot (which is how she dies) and it switches to present tense, or is that too complicated? Like, she tells the story in pass tense, like The bullet pierced my skin, and a sharp pain flooded through my head.
Now, as I sit here, dying....... Blahblahblah like that, in a new paragraph.
...you feel me?

And @Electra Heart, oh my, I agree with you 100%. My sister is always getting angry at me when she lends me a book to read and I trash all the characters. XD I cannot read a book unless I like the characters, simply put. Doesn't matter the plot, if I hate the characters I'm putting it down. XD I guess you could call me a quitter, which I am. >.<

[Cherry]

I think a video is a great idea, but probably not under the circumstances.
I think that wouldn't be too confusing, if you established beforehand that she's telling the story.