According to Ray Bradbury, the average writer should hone his skills by writing short stories rather than novels. If one writes a short story a week, Bradbury says, one has many opportunities for success and accomplishment. On the other hand, if one writes a novel, he argues, one spends a whole year working on it, and in the end… it might not even be good.
I don’t want to argue with Ray Bradbury of all people, so I won’t, but I do think short stories are an excellent way for a writer to stay on their toes and keep their senses sharp. I’ve been working on polishing a collection of shorts I plan to release this Spring called Thoroughly Modern Monsters, and today I’m offering a few helpful hints for aspiring short story writers.
1. Work on that ending! A good short story ends with a bang and leaves the reader just slightly wanting more; never give the reader too much. Do this, and you’ll have a better chance of writing a short story that sticks with the reader after they’ve finished reading it.
2. Make every detail count! Every scene, every character, every line! You don’t have as many words to play with, so especially keep this in mind when editing. It’s important to trim the fat in a novel, but it’s even more important when you only have a few thousand words or so in the piece.
3. Listen to Hemingway! Hemingway’s famous Tip of the Iceberg theory should play a big part in short story writing. Flesh out every little detail of your characters, the world in which your story takes place, the backstory, etc., but only show your readers the tip of the iceberg.
4. Set goals! Tell yourself you want to finish one short story per week or five per month. Working toward these smaller goals will give you a collection of stories to work with in no time.
5. Go crazy! The length of a short story gives you freedom to try different things and get pieces done more quickly. Since a short story is not as much as a time investment as a novel, use this as an opportunity to really spread your wings.
Do you have tips to share for short story writers? Let us know in the comments!
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