HOW TO WRITE A SHORT STORY

All traditional short stories follow the same rules in terms of structure, format, and content but how to write a short story that stands out of the crowd? The best short stories that impress publishers always have something special, something that grabs their attention and will surely keep the readers interested. So what is the winning storytelling mix? While there is no universal answer to the question ‘How to write a short story?’ there are definitely some industry secrets that can make your piece distinguishable. Here they are: 

Endow Your Story with a Heart

If you do not know how to begin a story, start with a story outline. A quick brainstorming session will get the ball rolling. Now, after laying the foundation of your short story, think about your motives and goals and try to understand the main purpose of your writing. After that, just stick to the central message you want your story to convey. Including tangential discussion, you jeopardize not only the readers’ interest but also the attention of the publishers. Here is the answer to the question, ‘How long is a short story?’- It should comprise no more than 3,500 words. Beware including unnecessary distractions, otherwise, the plot will be overloaded and the crucial plotlines might be raw. 

Think Out of the Box

Interesting short stories have interesting points of view. An original point of view is crucial to a compelling story. One of the most essential creative writing tips at this point is to give the narrating function to a character who is interesting (not necessarily central), rather than unimportant and boring. Inexperienced writers often choose to narrate their stories through nonessential characters, thus making their piece rather confusing to read.

Keep the Balance

Remember to include people and events that prevent the protagonist from achieving his or her main goal. The readers will find it intriguing and unconventional. Apart from that, you can approach the events from an unusual perspective. In fact, all short story elements will benefit from nice twists, be it dialogues, setting, or character development. After all, there is no need to remind you about the nature of the creative writing definition.  

Give Your Masterpiece a Promising Title

While writing short stories, you will notice that creating a title is almost as challenging as writing a story itself. Should it be short or long? How intriguing should it be to attract the potential readers’ attention but at the same time not to give out too much? To craft a successful title, you need some inspiration. For example, ask your friends which words in the story seem to stand out. Often, such phrases make perfect titles. Nevertheless, steer clear of brief two-word titles not to make your editor think that you have found the easiest way out.  

‘S’ Is for ‘Short & Sweet’

If at first you did not know where to start, right now, it might be hard to stop. Going on forever is another mistake of inexperienced writers. Nevertheless, the shorter your short story is, the higher the chances of selling it to a publisher. 

Now that you know how to write a short story, grab your laptop and start creating that breathtaking masterpiece your publisher has been dreaming about!