There are several reasons why authors love to write short stories. Sometimes they view it as an outlet for their creative writing itch. Others prefer it because it takes less time to write a short story as opposed to a novel. There is also the idea of using short stories as practice for those who wish to write their own novel in the future. Occasionally, writers will become blocked during the course of their short story endeavor. If this is happening to you, there are a few tips you can use to get your creative juices flowing and turn your short story into something of value.
Brainstorm an Idea
Before you even begin the writing process, you need to brainstorm the main idea. Ideas can be found almost anywhere if you look close enough. Observe the world around you or pull from your personal experiences for characters and the overall plot. Once you have an idea, you can start writing because as many authors will tell you, finding a good idea is the most difficult part of creating any piece of literature.
Form an Outline
After you have idea in place, you can form an outline. Since you are writing a short story, the outline does not need to be large. Simply jot down several points that will give your story a general direction and of course, do not forget about your characters. Think about your characters' personalities and how they will influence the story line. Remember, the plot, conflict, and resolution are the three main aspects of any story.
Keep the Writing Flowing
As you are writing, it is usually not a good idea to stop and edit as this interrupts the train of thought. The best part about short stories is that they do not take as much time to write and therefore, you will not have to spend as much time editing. However, if you feel as if a plot point should be changed while you are writing, feel free to do so. This prevents you from wasting time with multiple rewrites.
Edit the Story
The second to last step in short story writing is the editing process. Many editors and authors recommend that writers walk away from their finished story and take a few hours to an entire day before editing. Doing this allows you to see your work with fresh eyes and subsequently, catch more mistakes. Always critique your writing with a professional eye. And if you are not pleased with any part of the story, fix it until it suits your liking. If you do not like it, chances are your readers will not like it either.
Tying Up the Loose Ends
After editing, read your short story for the final time. You need to make sure it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. There should be no stylistic or grammar inconsistencies. Allow someone else to read over your final product for an objective opinion. After your story has been polished until it shines, you can put it with your other writing samples and submit it to publications.
Schaum's Quick Guide to Writing Great Short Stories This guide to writing compelling, memorable short stories gives you all the essentials without wasted words. It tells you how and where to get ideas, how to establish and sustain excitement, how to create live, colorful characters, and how to plot, develop and bring home your story. It even includes
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The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories The thirty-three stories in this volume prove that American short fiction maybe be our most distinctive national art form. As selected and introduced by Tobias Wolff, they also make up an alternate map of the United States that represents not just geography but narrative traditions, cultural
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American Short Stories (8th Edition) With its historical thrust, chronological organization, and attention to "classic" works, American Short Stories offers a discriminating collection of both canonical and recent stories in a brief anthology made all the more flexible by its streamlined apparatus. Enriched Selection of
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Little Worlds : A Collection of Short Stories for the Middle School The purpose of this text was to make available a large collection of stories that are high in literary quality yet accessible to middle-school students. Its widespread acceptance in schools throughout the country attests that this anthology has indeed achieved its goal. It presents students with a
American Short Story Masterpieces America's most exciting and important writers are represented in this wonderfully rich collection of contemporary classics that date from the 1950s through the 1980s. Includes selections of James Baldwin, Bernard Malamud, Flannery O'Connor, Philip Roth and more. HC: Delacorte.
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Modern Arabic Short Stories: A Bilingual Reader Designed as a reader for intermediate students of Arabic and those who may wish to broaden their appreciation of leading Middle Eastern writers, this collection features stories in both Arabic and English translation. Prefaced by an author biography plus notes on context and background, each story
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Creating Short Fiction: The Classic Guide to Writing Short Fiction Distilled from decades of teaching and practice, this book offers clear and direct advice on structure, pacing, dialogue, getting ideas, working with the unconscious, and more. Newly revised and expanded for this Third Edition, Creating Short Fiction is a popular and widely trusted guide to
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The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway: The Finca Vigia Edition THE ONLY COMPLETE COLLECTION BY THE NOBEL PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR In this definitive collection of Ernest Hemingway's short stories, readers will delight in the author's most beloved classics such as "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," "Hills Like White Elephants," and "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,"
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The Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour, Volume 6 (Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour) One of America’s most beloved storytellers, Louis L’Amour’s vibrant tales of adventure bring the American West to life. Now, in this sixth volume of collected short stories, L’Amour takes us beyond the frontier with thirty-three gripping stories of crime, sports, and the murky world where
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