Ways That I Can Turn My Ideas Into Short Stories
Having an idea is the easy part; the hard part is morphing those ideas into words and sentences to make a story. It does not matter if the story is short; it requires just as much careful and thoughtful planning as a novel does. Before you can start crafting any well-constructed short story your ideas need challenging, depth and development.
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Plot Development
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Writers can sometimes get confused about whether their idea is a plot or a theme. An initial thought can often be just the underlying meaning of the story, the theme, which is usually something universal, such as friendship or not judging others too quickly. Once you have established the theme of your story you can start to sequence events into a plot which will reveal the theme to the reader. Just like a novel, short stories should include a conflict, exposition, climax and a resolution, but try not to be too predictable with the direction you take your story.
Character Development
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Without giving depth to a character, a story risks being two-dimensional and can make for a dull read. Once you have ideas for a simple character, ask yourself deep questions about his motifs and perceived needs. Then ask yourself questions about his past, his hobbies and interests, social status and his sense of morality. Add some quirks to make your character unique. Consider also how your character affects the story, focusing on their role within the conflict and moment of change.
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Narrative Perspective
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The narrative perspective of a story determines the amount of information revealed to the reader. Deciding whether your character is involved in the story subjectively or whether the story is being told by a narrator objectively is important. You can either write in first person, from the point of view of "I," second person, when the story is told directly to "you" or third person, when the story tells what "he," "she" or "it" does. Third person narrator's perspective can either be limited, by only telling the story from one character's viewpoint, or omniscient, where the narrator knows everything about all of the characters.
Setting
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Once you have developed the characters you need to choose the setting. The setting should be combined with plot and characterization and helps to deepen the depth, understanding and interest of your short stories. When deciding on the setting, think about context, time, location and atmosphere as well. Describe your chosen setting using succinct but creative descriptions, and don't forget to use the senses to involve the reader more into your story.
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References
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