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Home  Browse All Articles Fiction How to Write a Short Story
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How to Write a Short Story |
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Written by Rachelle Arlin Credo
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Tuesday, 19 September 2006 |
Everybody knows writing a story is not easy. Like the drama or the poem, it is imaginative literature that should appeal to the emotions of the readers. Since it communicates the writer's interpretation of reality, there must be an artistic use of language to signify human experience. But how do we write a great short story? What are the things to keep in mind in order to come up with a short story that works?
Here's a quick guide to get you started:
1. Read
Reading is essential to anyone who wants to write. In order to write a good short story, you must read other short stories first. This will not only give you the motivation and inspiration for your own story, but it will also help you learn how other authors made their impressions on readers and you can also use their style as a basis to create your own style and impression.
2. Get inspired
For seasoned professionals, there may be no need to obtain inspiration because thoughts naturally flow and they need only to put them into words on paper. But for novice writers, it is important to gain inspiration because it will not only help you begin your first paragraph but will also keep you going throughout. Your inspiration may take the form of an object, a person, or an event that you just can't seem to forget.
3. Conceptualize your story
Think of something you want to talk about with your readers. Let's say you want to relate a story about a couple who fell in love with each other. What about the couple? What is it about them that you want your readers to know? Focus on this idea and think of other concepts that you want to associate with this couple. Suppose the girl's parents disapproves of their relationship. What about the parents? What did they do to stop the two from loving each other? This could signal a good beginning for your story. From here, you would have a notion to begin writing.
4. Map out the scenes
In order to keep your writing aligned with your pre-conceived story events, it is good to briefly map out scenes of your story on a different piece of paper. Write down the possible characters of your story and list the main events in order. You don't have to put so much detail on them because this only serves as a rough sketch of how your story will look like.
5. Choose your point of view
Who tells the story and how it is told is very critical for a short story to be effective. The point of view can change the feel and tone of the story radically. Hence, you must decide carefully before finally choosing which angle to use for your story. But whatever you choose as the point of view, make sure it stays constant throughout your story to maintain consistency.
6. Conceive your characters
For a short story, create a maximum of only three main characters. Too many main characters will make your story confusing since each new character will provide a new dimension for the story. Each character should be more than cardboard caricatures. Make your characters speak naturally in proportion with their traits. Make them believable but mysterious.
7. Furnish a good introduction
When you have everything planned out, start scribbling your first paragraph. Introduce your main characters and set out the scene. The scene must be some place you know much about so that you'd be able to supply the necessary snapshot for a clearly described setting. Make your introduction interesting to hold the reader’s interest and encourage them to read on to the end. It is also important to hold back significant details and the greater part of the action at this point so the mystery is kept.
8. Build up a great plot
From your introduction, draw out events that will eventually create a problem or a conflict for the main character(s). Afterwards, begin laying out an array of clues to keep the reader interested, intrigued and guessing. Intensify the conflict as the story moves forward. This will not only make your reader enthused to read more but will also keep them riveted to your story.
9. Show, don't tell
The characters should be the ones responsible for expressing the story through their actions and dialogue and not the writer telling the reader what is being expressed. Rather than saying, "Annette was really mad at her best friend, Christina, for stealing her boyfriend", you might say "Annette felt an ache in her stomach and a strong pang of betrayal as Christina approached her and flashed her with a sweet smile. She breathed hard trying to calm herself as she spoke with suppressed anger. 'I hope you're happy now that you've proven yourself as a friend.' "
10. Use active verbs
Put as much life into your story as you can. In order to do this, employ verbs in the active voices in your story. Instead of saying,"The flower was picked by Johanna", say "Johanna picked the flower."
11. Use dialogue every now and then
Dialogue is important in bringing your story to life. Don't just use it to pad out your characters. Use it to convey your character to identify with the reader. Use it in direct quotes like "Go there!" instead of indirect quotes as "She told him to go there."
12. Keep references handy
A good reference such as a thesaurus or a dictionary is crucial in creating a good story. You can use them to check your spelling and to find the words which best fit your description. Instead of using one lengthy sentence or paragraph, you can utilize one or just a few words to convey what you want to say. Often, one strong word has a greater effect than a paragraph full of fancy language.
13. Conclude briefly
Conclusions are tough sledding. For a good ending, it is advisable to experiment and to add a little twist. Make your ending unique but not hanging in a loose end. Make it satisfying without making it too predictable. Keep in mind to make it short, but concise and lingering, so that the reader is left with a feeling of resonance. Your conclusion should wrap up everything from start to finish.
14. Edit and revise
After fashioning the last words of your story, it is time to begin the editing cycle. Carefully go through your work and fix all your mistakes regarding sentence construction, word usage, formatting. punctuation marks, diction, spelling, grammar, and descriptive analysis. Scratch out words, phrases and even paragraphs which don't seem to contribute to the basic elements of the story. After you're done, let it sit for a while for days and even weeks, then edit it again. Reread your story over and over again at different occasions. This will make you see various things you may want to change to make your story shine at its best.
15. Let others proofread
Have your friends take a look at your work. They may just be able to see mistakes which you have missed. For instance, they may be distracted with some words or lines which you adore dearly. In this case, you have to decide on changing it or cutting it off completely.
Writing a short story may not be easy, but it can surely be done. With some knowledge on the basic elements and some passion and patience, it's possible to pull together a story with just a few ideas. Just keep in mind that you're writing not because you have to, but because you want to. Keep the spirit up! Give it a go now!
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 23 September 2006 )
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