Lessons From Garbage: Combine and Reduce the Characters

Click for a better jpeg.
Henry? Which one was Henry, again?

Things I have learned by reading garbage in WEIRD TALES, Lesson One.

Every character mentioned in a short story asks the reader to make a mental checklist of who is who, of who is related to whom, of who is doing what. This mental dogwork tugs the reader's attention away from details that might be more essential to the story; it also turns reading into a school assignment.

Combine. Condense. In a story five pages long, five characters could become three, or two. Even a longer short story can gain by having its characters reduced only to those needed for conflict.

Any reader willing to pick up a story deserves consideration. Be courteous and welcoming. Do not be August Derleth.