BEST SHORT STORY
Binding Threads by RavingBlack
What inspired you to write Binding Threads?
I wanted to explore the popular soulmate trope and particularly the concept of a "cosmically chosen partner" and what that meant for free will. I wanted to argue through Binding Threads that choice was infinitely more important than "fate" when it came to happiness, but I ended up arguing that fate was nothing but the choices you make. If that makes sense, haha. TLDR: I wanted to write about soulmates.
We love a good soulmate story regardless! What makes your story stand out is the research about culture and your creation of traditions that makes the world you've built alive; what inspired you to choose your setting, the bunad, the binding ritual, etc? And did you ever find yourself running into any cliches that you wanted to avoid?
I knew I wanted to write about a dressmaker and a rich girl, so I started thinking about the sort of dress/culture this would take place in. When I saw how pretty bunads were passed down to generations, I thought it would blend well with my themes on family, marriage, and free will. Also, they're quite pretty.
The binding ritual was inspired by the trope where soulmates are connected by a red string tied to their pinky, then I blended in traditional Scandinavian festival dances (like the Västgötapolska) where a bunad would actually be worn.
In terms of cliches, well this whole story was made of cliches. From soulmates to red strings, the premise isn't original, but that's not really something I worry about. I don't think there's anything wrong with writing something cliche or overdone as long as you can add something to it or spin it differently. I didn't avoid cliches in Binding Threads, but I rather leaned into them.
That's a great way to approach tropes and make them your own! Final question: What advice would you give to writers interested in or currently dabbling in short story prose?
Stylistically, I hadn't written Binding Threads very differently than I would a novel, but I would suggest that everything written should ideally contribute to the theme and/or plot. When you have limited words to write a story, you need to write with precision and purpose to concentrate everything you want to convey to their fullest effect. It's not much different from how I'd write anything else, but it's more important in short stories where you can't really afford to waste words.