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Guest post byWillie Handler, author of two satirical novels, The Road Ahead and Loved Mars Hated The Food.
Not every writer has the passion and time to write a novel. Or maybe you do write novels but want to try something different. If so, writing short stories might be for you.Â
Short stories are in demand by magazines, newspapers, blogs, and anthologies, and many of these publications pay authors for short stories.Â
In fact, you can earn more money per word writing short stories than you can publishing a novel.Â
So how do you go about writing a short story that will be accepted by a publication or website? Here are my top ten tips for writing a great short story.
Novels and short stories share some common characteristics. They need to be coherent, grammatically correct, and have proper spelling. And, no matter the length, they need to tell a story.Â
That means they both need to have these elements:Â inciting incident, rising action (progressive complications), climax, and falling action.
Still, the two formats differ.Â
Whereas novelists decide the length of their books, short story writers have to work within the confines of the word limit they're given. To tell a complete story on a smaller scale, they have to cut their stories down to the bone, excluding all fatty detail. And they need to resolve problems quickly.
This is why short stories, unlike novels, usually focus on one aspect of a characterâs life, or one aspect of a problem/relationship in a characterâs life.
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Newspaper articles include the entirety of the story as close to the opening of the article as possible. Why? Because giving a reader the details upfront is one way to let them know whether they want to read on.
Good short story writers do this as well, sharpening their opening lines and paragraphs to ensure readers are pulled in off the bat, and keep reading.
So, get the reader right into your unfolding story. Bypass the âbeforeâ and the âalso relatedâ and the âvaguely interesting thing that is also true of my characterâs lifeâ snapshots.Â
Make the plot obvious.
A fast pace is essential for short stories. Normally, the pace increases as the hero approaches the final conflict. Since a short story starts close to the final conflict, it needs to hit the ground running and catapult the reader headlong into the action from page one.
Example:
âI couldnât believe it when I heard that Keith Cavernaugh got murdered last night.â
Fred almost dropped his rake. âI hadnât heard,â he said.
Itâs difficult to properly develop a larger number of characters in a short story, and it's hard for a reader to keep track of them.
A short story only needs three characters â a protagonist, antagonist, and what is referred to as a wrench or relationship character.The reader needs someone to cheer on, someone to hate, and, occasionally, someone who serves to advance the character arc for either the protagonist or antagonist.
A short story can even have as few as one character. In the Tom Hanks film Cast Away, the main character is alone for most of the movie. This is a great example of how you can build a story with just a single character.
Again, every story needs a protagonist. The trick is to make the reader care about that character. There are a few techniques to strengthen the connection between your protagonist and the reader.
Give your main character a passion, hopefully one that will be shared by the reader. Give your character determination that brings them out of their comfort zone. Give your character a weakness, one that is only shared with the reader.Â
A glimpse into your characterâs psyche is another good approach. This will make your character feel real and go on to draw in the reader.
Every short story needs to have a single point of conflict. As a rule, no more than one is required for a short story.Â
The character should have either a dilemma, a revelation, or be faced with a decision of some kind. Surrounding that conflict should be a good dose of tension. Conflict and tension keep readers engaged and invested in your story.Â
Kurt Vonnegut suggests that writers should be sadists. Make bad things happen to your main characters to show readers what they are made of. A short story can never have too much tension.
You donât have the space to flesh out a characterâs backstory. So, if in doubt, leave it out. Every sentence must count. If even one word seems extraneous, it has to go.Â
Even though you may not describe much of the backstory on paper, you need to have it worked out in your head. You need to understand a characterâs motivation to write a compelling story.
Instead, draw in your readers with tight dialogue, tension, and by engaging their senses.
On that note...
Don't restrict your readers to only the visual experience of your story. Transport them into your world by letting them touch, smell, taste and hear it. This is what we mean when we say, "Show, don't tell." Invite your readers to explore the full breadth of what your world has to offer, as if they were really there.
The dense fog engulfs your character and she can no longer make out the path through the woods.
The smell of bacon cooking in the kitchen pulls him from his sleep.
The fan blades thwack the air and keep her from drifting to sleep.
Donât spend too much time setting scenes because a short story needs to come to a relatively quick conclusion. Good dialogue can make the characters, and therefore the story, come to life. Â
When putting characters in a scene, give them something to do, like washing dishes. But then focus on the dialogue to advance the story and set up conflict.Â
Thereâs no better way to build drama than through tight dialogue. I always try to read my dialogue out loud. If it doesnât feel real, or if it seems out of character, I have a problem.
Example:
âCome quick! Jack is trapped in the mineshaft.â
âI canât help rescue Jack. Iâm claustrophobic.â
âThat mineshaft floods in wet weather. If this storm breaks, Jack will drown.â
No matter how good a writer thinks their story is, it can be made more concise and compelling. To be a good writer, one needs to be a ruthless editor.Â
Some ways to do that...
This is the time to look at the backstory and decide how much of it is critical to the story. Remember, just because short stories are short, they aren't necessarily easier to write.Â
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Check out short story anthologies for examples of how to apply these tips well. Reading is always a great way to learn how to write.
In sum, keep it spare. Limit plot lines, the number of characters, the amount of backstory provided, and whittle down your conflict to just one event.
And remember, as with all things, practice makes perfect.Â
So, commit to your craft. Write a 500 to a 1,000-word story every month. Once you get the hang of that, try to churn one out every two weeks. And then every week. And then every day.Â
Soon, youâll be able to create short stories with ease, and youâll have trained yourself to write consistently, too.
Just donât forget to edit!
November 07, 2022
Thank you so much, this really is helpful to meâŚ
November 07, 2022
Not bad
October 04, 2022
Really helpful tips for a beginner. Much appreciated.. Iâm writing a short story for a a prize winning competition.. Best of luck to me.
October 04, 2022
Very well thought. Thank you.
September 08, 2022
ââTis article was really helpful as I have a short story competition tomorrow so thank you this was great help as Iâm a beginner đ
September 08, 2022
Truly great advice
September 08, 2022
Thank You so much for this tip on short story books. I have been dragging my feet on this needing to know where to start. Again Thank You!
August 09, 2022
Wish I could find words to express myself on how thankful and honored I am to receive such assistance from this amazing article. Thank you.
August 09, 2022
Iâm so thankful and I MEAN IT
August 09, 2022
Helpful tips. Thanks for sharing
July 15, 2022
This post was truly worthwhile to read. I wanted to say thank you for the key points you have pointed out as they are enlightening.
July 04, 2022
The article is truly a brilliant guide to writing of short stories. It has armed me with tips that improves writing skills. I canât say thank enough to the initiator of this guide.
June 14, 2022
This is absolutely helpful. I am planning on writing a short story this July and the article has just paved a way for me.
June 14, 2022
Wow itâs really helpful
June 14, 2022
Wow itâs really helpful
May 30, 2022
this is so helpful I really like it as much as I like writing
May 19, 2022
The tips were excellent it was kept short and on point. Amazing đđ
May 17, 2022
Fantastic peace
May 09, 2022
Thank you so much. I have learnt a lot.
May 09, 2022
Thank you so much. I have learnt a lot.
May 09, 2022
Nice tips on how to write short stories. âEdit until it hurtsââŚ.wowâŚso true.
May 09, 2022
At this point, almost everyone has read at least some Alice Munro, right? This story is one of the best from one of the greats, and was also adapted into a fantastic but heartbreaking film, Away From Her.
April 27, 2022
thanks for your tips. itâs really helpful for me to create short audio stories. I believe a shorter one is easy to digest for young generations.
April 27, 2022
Nice tips they are really helpful. :D
April 27, 2022
Very interesting
April 19, 2022
Thank you so much for this information. Iâve learnt so much more.
April 19, 2022
You save me ,got it lastly
April 12, 2022
Very interesting
March 22, 2022
Sharing your beautiful ideas to the people is awesome⌠thank you so much⌠i am so interested
March 22, 2022
Very informative and well versed, thank you
March 14, 2022
This tips gives writing absolute inspirations.
Thanks
March 14, 2022
Thanks it is helpfull and informative
March 07, 2022
tysm for this
February 21, 2022
Thank you for sharing this information.
February 14, 2022
Thank you for the guidelines to writing a short story. I will ensure to use them.
February 14, 2022
This article is super good and truly tells me what I need to do . Thank you
February 07, 2022
This article inspired me. I have ALWAYS wanted to write short stories and now Iâm going to do it! Thank you so much!
January 25, 2022
Amazing! You should be so proud.
January 19, 2022
If you ever wondered why you get so caught up in a story. Or if you want to learn the reason behind how a group of words can keep you on your toes. This blog will show you the foundation of it.
January 14, 2022
it is really useful and helpful;
January 11, 2022
Thanks now I can write a short story about the time I almost killed my grandma <3
January 11, 2022
This was so well put together! Extremely helpful ! thank you!
December 21, 2021
Really great help, Thanks
December 21, 2021
This was terrific! Helped me out so much.
December 21, 2021
this was horrid. in a good way. now i can write about the one time i had bloody diarrhea <3
December 06, 2021
These tips are great, these will help a lot.
November 30, 2021
This is really helpful
November 30, 2021
Great! Really helped me develope a well-written narrative.
November 30, 2021
These tips really help me a lot. It made me realize that writing short stories is possible to someone like me.Thank you so much!
November 30, 2021
Stabile tips
November 30, 2021
Thanks for the tips.I have been thinking about writing about my village in India,where I lived for 25 years.
November 30, 2021
thank you!! i love writing and this was super helpful:)
November 30, 2021
Thank you, this will help me with my 11+ preparation this was so quick to read yet so informative.
November 30, 2021
The tips, outlined here, are written with passion and captivating explanation. I like this article. It is just what I needed right now!
October 25, 2021
This is really great!!! Thank you so much đđđ
October 25, 2021
I like the tips that given its help me a lot to make a short story being a student
October 25, 2021
Thank you very much. These tips are made crystal clear to everyone. I read from beginning to end with great interest. I will start writing from today.
October 15, 2021
The tips really help me a lot. Thanks..
October 15, 2021
Thanks for all the wonderful tips. I sincerely would like to try my hand in writing short stories.
October 04, 2021
thank you i am very gratefull for the help i am in a english class and have to write a short story
October 04, 2021
Hi! I was born talking Northern Sotho itâs my parentsâ tongue, used tips .it really helped me alot. Now Iâm enjoying writing my own short stories.
October 04, 2021
I really appreciated the availed tips and realized that ââ Reading always a great way to learn how to write clearly and consistently. True indeed.October 04, 2021
Thanks for this.
A guide indeed.
September 05, 2021
I really enjoyed this piece. I want to start publishing my short stories and this piece will go a long way for me.
September 05, 2021
this article really helped me out for my project! thank you!
September 05, 2021
Hello! My mother tongue is Spanish. I speak English so bad (think in English is my karma). However, I can read and write short stories for my own pleasure. This article was been very useful for me. Has been part of my practice. Thanks!
September 05, 2021
It helpful thank u đđ¤â¤
September 05, 2021
All points are relevant and straight to the core as you mean, thanks for this practical and yet useful tips. Will start my practise imminent .
September 05, 2021
Good read of good information. Any advice on where to start looking for places to sell my short stories? Thank you.
September 05, 2021
I really gained a lot , l was at a loss with regard to short story writing, but now l know where to start. Thanks.
September 05, 2021
I like it
July 15, 2021
Amazing article. I write posts and comments on social media and your steps will definitely make my writing more relatable. Iâm also looking to write nonfiction to inspire businesses to take action. Your steps will be used in all of the genres that will be written. Looking forward to reading more of your articles. Do you write blogs or articles for magazine publications?
July 08, 2021
This has opened my eyes about what it takes to be a writer and I am excited to apply these methods to my short story ventures.
July 08, 2021
I am happy that I discovered this article.
July 08, 2021
Iâve been a Gamemaster (DM) for over 40 years â this is great stuff! This is also a great way to write an RPG adventure.
July 08, 2021
This was so informative and really helped me improve as a writer. Thank you!
July 08, 2021
This information really helped me to write a short story on Medium. Thanks for the tips.
July 08, 2021
Thank you! These tips are very useful!
July 08, 2021
Thanks for the tipsâŚ..I will succeed hereâŚ.show me the money
July 08, 2021
Iâve been reading a lot lately about short stories, but this article is by far the most complex and complete!
Thank you! All the advice in it will be put to good use, as I am currently working on a short piece for a competition.
March 04, 2021
This article has really helped me as a short story writer. It is an eye opener. Big up!
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November 07, 2022 4 min read
October 31, 2022 7 min read
Renee Sinz
November 07, 2022
this information really help me is your tips are very use for thanks