Entry 1

Today I began writing my story and evaluated several points important to writing a good short story. This included reflecting on the characters, pacing of the story, what conflict is present etc. I then made several changes to the story which I listed. Points I looked at were-

1. The character "Trent" is a relatively rough working man character. Since he is the main character, the narrative should attempt to take on his personality; with appropriate use of vocabulary, flow and a narrative thought process which represents what would be going through the mind of such a man in these circumstances.
2. The main fear or conflict in the story so far, is the sense of isolation the character feels. I must make sure I add in more components that add or show this increasing fear. I am currently debating whether to include another character at all. If one is included, it should be temporary and designed to increase the fear and apprehension of the main character. But in doing this, I have to be careful not to explicitly state that "fear" is building, because this ruins the natural evolution of feelings in the reader. There is an old saying,  "Poetry presents the thing in order to convey the feeling. It should be precise about the thing and reticent about the feeling." This can also apply to fiction writing, I find this quote very useful when writing and revising.
3.How long do I want to make this story? Should I evenly pace it throughout, leading up to the inevitable climax. Or do I have time to bring the story down a notch for awhile, in the hopes that it will accentuate the climax?
4. Is my introduction strong enough? Is it the right way to start the story?
5. Where am I going with plot development? At the moment im undecided on what "event" has befallen the mining colony. An Alien? or something else?