Every time I start a short story, I remind myself of two things: trying to get in touch with readers’ senses as much as possible by writing something to see, hear, touch, smell, taste and feel (emotionally) and to try to have I keep nine points in mind, specifically, when writing my story in the hopes of composing a well-written story that sticks in the minds of readers. Those nine points are as follows:
Focus: Some of the most successful short stories I’ve read are the ones that stuck to their themes and stories. They pushed me and kept me reading while keeping a strong focus. It seems that the more well written a story is, the better.
Theme: While every story I write won’t have some kind of deep, underlying message, I still like to wonder what exactly my story will be about. I try to answer the question in a sentence or two whenever possible, and find that when I do, I usually spend less time smoothing out a story, trying to get it to “say” what I want it to say. If your goal is a clear message, try asking yourself what that underlying message or statement is that you are trying to convey to readers. Knowing what you want to say can lead you to adjust your writing and perhaps end up with a story that will linger in the minds of readers.
Time Range: Short stories generally cover a short period of time. I try to remember to keep my stories short by staying focused on the theme of the story and working to paint a picture that explains the main event for readers. When creating three-dimensional characters, I work to keep all the emotions, thoughts, and actions of the characters relevant to the story.
Hook – “Start your story with a bang.” We’ve all heard that, haven’t we? However, with the short stories, I have noticed that most of the time it is wise advice not to. Starting your short story with a conflict, whether you choose to do it through action, dialogue, or atmosphere and mood, can hook readers and maybe keep them reading.
Description – In fact, I came across submission guidelines where an editor emphasized: “More story, less description.” Depending on the market you plan to introduce yourself to, story word limits may only allow a small amount of description across all of your stories. A post that wants more action than descriptive writing on stories, and posts that limit their word count to between 3,500 and 5,000 words, generally place strict limits on the number of words you can spend on description. On the other hand, posts with a story word limit of around 8,000 to 10,000 allow you to dedicate much more of the story to descriptive writing. Regardless of the word count, I try to remember to make every word count for the story by avoiding overdescribing settings, actions, or characters.
Characters: It is important that you remember not to include too many characters in a short story. Too many characters can cause the story to spiral out of control. Sure, you could solve this problem by extending the story into a short novel or novel. But if my goal is to write just a short story, I try to limit the characters. Two or three characters, or sometimes even one character, seems like enough for a story. Only you will know how many characters it will take to portray your story, but if it starts to seem like your story is spinning out of control when you don’t want to, try limiting the number of characters.
Setting: I recently read an editorial called “This Story Doesn’t Stand Out” and I thought it was a great insight into an editor’s mind. The editorial mentioned some of the reasons an editor might reject your story. One of those reasons was that many of the already accepted stories were set in similar settings, such as today’s world. The article also confirmed my suspicion as to why I was finally published on SDO Detective, an old online mystery publication, after several failed attempts – the last mystery tale I submitted was set in Ancient Egypt. Sure, mystery stories have been set in Ancient Egypt before, but there weren’t any in SDO Detective, at the time. So, I seized the opportunity and submitted my story, “Minkah’s First Case,” which featured a scribe who solved crimes. While the setting is still not my main concern when I start a short story, I make a conscious effort to try to place the story in a unique setting. Perhaps by doing so, the story will take an unexpected path and end up being better read as a result of the journey.
Twist – Every story doesn’t have to end with a twist, but an occasional twist can be fun. I enjoy trying to write some of my own stories with a different twist. You can surprise your readers with an ending they should have seen coming, and maybe even leave your readers guessing about your character’s fate after the story is over. I recently read a story that offered readers three different endings. It wasn’t an often-seen twist, so I really enjoyed coming across such a story. It was unpredictable and memorable, just like the most successful spins. Have fun trying to create your own story with a twist.
Outcome – I always try to finish my stories in a sensible and satisfying way. A reader who stays too in the dark at the end of the story will be an unhappy reader. As a reader, I don’t mind being left wondering a bit about what else could happen to a character after the story is over, but not to the point where I’m scratching my head over something that doesn’t make a lot of sense. in regards to history. As a writer, it is important that you try to write a logical, mostly unpredictable ending that ties up all the most important loose ends.
While I am sure I have not yet written that short story that sticks in the minds of readers, I will keep trying and continue to practice these nine points every time I write a short story. Don’t be afraid to tweak your story, start off with a “punch” or let your story have a message, a short span of time, a good description, interesting characters, a strange setting, and a twist. Happy writing!
© CM Clifton