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dotdotdot said
on 9/2/2009 A very generic plan...the short story is your canvas for the unusual, the delightful, the uncomfortable. Use it well, break the rules.
Cinderley said
on 7/4/2009 Nice article...thanks!
beaglesrule said
on 4/5/2009 Thank you so much for all the tips. My husband and I have just started to write our first short story together. Your tips have helped me keep a little better organized on paper and in my thoughts. Again....thanks!!!
clintinvestment said
on 3/3/2009 Good tips. I'm thinking about publishing a book of short stories. Thanks for sharing.
Kimberly Buck said
on 10/21/2008 I liked this article. It is a good reminder of the basics that stories stick to and reminds me of how I first learned to write short stories in grade school.
1337ERROR said
on 1/15/2007 Before hand try to go back and read some of your favorite stories then figure out what makes them so good and remeberable. Try to include what you find in your own short story.
Anonymous said
on 1/9/2008 Construct a plot rich in probability and characters not wanting in interest. Also,the desire to write does not make one a writer, but the difference one thrives to make with the writing makes one a writer.
Anonymous said
on 1/18/2007 If you're going to have a weird twist at the end of the story, make sure to leave clues leading up to it. If you don't the reader will feel cheated.
Anonymous said
on 8/27/2006 I find it easier to visualize a particular scene and begin building a story around it. For example, you might have a dream about how you learn that you can fly. There might be a part of the dream that sticks in your head where you first try flying and it is the best thing that ever happened to you! If you choose to write a story about this experience, you could always set the rest of the story around this scene!
Anonymous said
on 1/9/2008 There shouldn't be too much descriptive detail as readers tend to start skipping it after a while as they begin to find them boring. A touch of slight humor in even the most tragic of stories can be like the unexpected ray of sunlight on a cold, winter's day.
Anonymous said
on 8/8/2006 Make notes when you're in a hospital, a cinema or the park. Record the sights, sounds and smells, the feel of the air, the clothes you see around you, anything and everything. Listen to conversations. It is extremely helpful to do this groundwork so you have a ready reference when you need a setting to write about.
Anonymous said
on 8/8/2006 Don't get too caught up in the details and actions of the the characters, other than the main character. For example; If your main character's friend (lets say, Bob) were taking a bite of an apple while thinking about a bike he wanted, don't say something like
"Bob sunk his teeth into the apple and swished the sweet, tough chunks of the fruit throughout his mouth, gazing through the sports shop window with determination in his heart." Although this may work with the main character, you can easily make the readers question who the main character is.
Anonymous said
on 7/31/2006 Keep it simple, with witty dialog you might see having yourself with someone. We can all relate to what's real. Don't get fancy. It's not necessary.
Anonymous said
on 7/16/2006 Say each sentence your characters speak out loud before you write it down, and if it sounds wrong, change it. This will help you avoid awkward, rushed, flat or overly wordy dialog.
Anonymous said
on 6/30/2006 Stories don't always have to come from your own ideas. Any old story or fairy tale can be redone. Everyone has their own ideas of how something could be developed differently. One idea is to tell the story from another character's point of view. We almost always hear Cinderella from the main character's point of view. But as the saying goes, there is more than one side to the story. How would Cinderella sound from the stepsisters' point of view? The stepmother's? The prince's? Or, try writing The Three Pigs from the wolf's view, or Snow White from the dwarves view.
Another idea is to tell what happens after the original ending. What happened after the Three Bears found Goldilocks in their house, or what did Goldilocks do after she left the bears' house? How did the wolf react after falling into the pigs' fireplace?
Anything is possible from these ideas, after all, most people only know the basic story. Everyone's story will be different, as everyone has their own ideas.