Guides for Short Stories

[Snowman37]

Can anyone recommend some guides toward writing short stories? Writing novels takes a very long time. I'm thinking of taking some of my back-burner stories and reworking them into short stories. Maybe I can publish some short stories while I work on my three novels.

[MANICHAEAN]

My advice Snowman would be to submit one of your pieces under the Short Story Sharing Thread. Invariably you would find the advice you get constructive, and any criticism you might get couched in phrases of diplomatic encouragement.

Mind you, there are the odd pieces that get a reaction right between the eyes. But if taken in the right spirit, thats not always a bad thing.

Regards
M.

[sami_Iraq]

My opinion is you can keep your notebook in your pocket with a pen and write some sentences derive from your daily life situations . Also, write down your emotions about anything you feel likly .

I hope this opinion will help you .

[MystyrMystyry]

And leave out all adjectives and adverbs, every word ending in 'ing', every word with an 'a' in it, and then eat your own toes!

What Fightclub's referring to is practice disciplines. You need some, but nothing beats disconnecting the interweb, turning off the haunted aquarium, and actually sketching the story arc - where's it going? What's the climax? What's the motivation?

Once you've worked it all out, then begin on the first draft, then the second.

You're next short story will be just as hard, but now you'll know what not to do...

[MatthewFarlow]

Kurt Vonnegut listed eight rules of short story writing. I find that most of them are useful. Keep in mind that they are specific to short stories, and although he calls them rules, use them as guidelines (break them if you need to).


1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.