Any tips for short story writing ?

[pattricia 574]

I have loved reading short stories all my life, but how will I go on writing one?I should imagine its best to start with a really "short" short story.Also in my opinion, a good short story should have an unpredictable ending.

[redrobbo 10]

Hmm, a plot, a storyline, plus character development, a twist at the end ..... of dear, what have I let myself in for?

[Jabberwocky 46]

Short stories are devilishly hard to write. I would love to be able to pen one but its... Hard to put into words but, it takes a very complex mind, which I simply dont have.

[Mantaspook 14]

The 30 second guide to writing a short story

 

Little dog (1)

In the street (2)

Great big van (3)

Potted meat (4)

 

(1) Introduce your main character, do you tell the story in first or third person perspective?

(2) Introduce the surroundings to give background

(3) Introduce a conflict / dilemma / enemy for your character

(4) A twist at the end! Didn’t see that coming. (neither did the little dog)

 

Hope this helps

[redrobbo 10]

Mantaspook is brilliant!

 

I can stop worrying now about my first attempt at a short story. Though maybe I'll let you publish your story first!

[Mantaspook 14]

Ha Ha, Mantaspook uses a Trojan horse to get the first story on the group whilst no one is looking

[JoeP 11]

I'm not sure that a short story HAS to have a twist in the tale. Sometimes even when you see where it's going, the journey getting there is great! But here's my views on the 'twist in the tale' story (for what it's worth!!)

 

The short story is often 'event driven' because you don't have the space in it for full development of character. You might have the opportunity in a couple of thousand words to explore how someone reacts to something, thus indicating something about their life in general. Or, you might go for a story where plot is everything - for example, Roald Dahl and his many 'Tales of the Unexpected'.

 

One of the most famous 'Short Short Stories' in science fiction is by, I think, Eric Frank Russel and is oly a few hundred words long, describing the construction of a super-intelligent computer. The last two sentences are a conversation between scientist and computer :

 

Scientist : "Is there a god?"

Computer : "Now there is!"

 

A nicely delivered, short, sharp shock. The trick with such an ending is that it should flow organically from the text of the story, whilst still having 'impact' at the end.

 

Some surprise endings (especially in science fiction) are by now cliched because they're so popular.

 

You might lull the reader in to a feeling that the story is going in a particular direction, then suddenly shift it. For example - a quick short-short, which is almost certainly ripped off from somewhere - I THINK it may have been an episode of 'The Twilight Zone'

 

"Fred Bloggs stirred restlessly on his bed. A faint moan, and the words 'No....no....' escaped his lips as he dreamt, and the droplets of sweat rolled from his brow on to the pillow. He started suddenly, sitting up, his hands to his throat , eyes wide and panting.

 

'Same dream again?' asked his watchful companion.

Fred sank back on the pillows. 'Yes, the same dream....I manage to wake up just as they take me in to the room where the noose is hanging. Every time I've had this dream, though, I manage to wake up, Thank God.'

 

Fred lay back on his pillows and closed his eyes. Sleep came back to him, again accompanied by the dream; always the same dream. Every night, without fail. Being shaken awake, the short walk, the door opening, the swinging noose and the masked man waiting, the dream only ending when Fred shouted 'No....no...'

 

The following day, when they did take him to be executed, Fred couldn't work out why he couldn't wake from the nightmare, even after they put the noose around his neck and the masked executioner turned to pull the lever."

 

The end is probably pretty obvious, but it demonstrates the basic principles.

[redrobbo 10]

The end is probably pretty obvious, but it demonstrates the basic principles.

 

I didn't see it coming though! Hmm, methinks I have a lot to learn about this short story writing. Still, should be fun! Thanks for the tips JoeP

[Mantaspook 14]

I agree that it doesn’t necessarily have to have a twist in the tale, another variant is the short story liberally scattered with loose ends and red herrings that presents the reader with a “multiple option ending”

 

At the end the author has 2 options.

 

(1) Leave the ending unresolved thus forcing the reader to weigh up the options and conclude the story by themselves.

 

(2) Tying up the loose ends in the last sentence, thus giving the reader the opportunity to say “I thought so!” or even “I didn’t expect that!” ....and we’re back to a twist in the tale

 

For example

 

The detective smiled at the suspect “I know it was you that pulled the trigger Mr Jones, You shot your neighbour because of your long running dispute, the rifle was found on your premises, there was no way out and only you and your dog were found in here – I am arresting you for murder, please stand up”

 

As the old man rose, he clutched at a stick hidden by the side of his chair, for a brief instant the detective thought he may strike, but something didn’t add up, the stick was white. A

 

“So let me get this right” said the detectives wife, “The blind man trained his dog to bark when the neighbour was at the window so he knew when to pull the trigger” B

 

Where would you end the story? A or B?

[pattricia 574]

I dont mean a twist in the tale, I mean an unpredictable ending.They arent the same are they ?

[Jabberwocky 46]

These are actual opening lines form novels that were rejected.:

 

* For a corpse, she was surprisingly posable.

 

* The flash from his golden tooth caught her eye and, hypnotized, her gaze tracked inexorably down past his necklaces of gold to the tantalizing vision of silken boxers beneath the low-slung oversized trousers; here was a man of substance and style.

 

* Dusk settled over the landfill like some gargantuan pair of obese buttcheeks, as Clem gloved up for another adventure-filled night of treasure hunting.

 

* It was a time for heroes: when boys become men and men become legend -- but only those who can say, "Thank God I got my irritable bowel syndrome under control, just in case something scary happens," because sissy pants-crappers need not apply.

 

*The day I woke up and looked at my new, surgically constructed genitals, I knew that old Stephanie's problems were gone for good -- but little did I know that Dr. Life was already fashioning a whole new set of troubles for Steve.

 

I wonder if anyone will beat these.

[pattricia 574]

These are actual opening lines form novels that were rejected.:

 

* For a corpse, she was surprisingly posable.

 

* The flash from his golden tooth caught her eye and, hypnotized, her gaze tracked inexorably down past his necklaces of gold to the tantalizing vision of silken boxers beneath the low-slung oversized trousers; here was a man of substance and style.

 

* Dusk settled over the landfill like some gargantuan pair of obese buttcheeks, as Clem gloved up for another adventure-filled night of treasure hunting.

 

* It was a time for heroes: when boys become men and men become legend -- but only those who can say, "Thank God I got my irritable bowel syndrome under control, just in case something scary happens," because sissy pants-crappers need not apply.

 

*The day I woke up and looked at my new, surgically constructed genitals, I knew that old Stephanie's problems were gone for good -- but little did I know that Dr. Life was already fashioning a whole new set of troubles for Steve.

 

I wonder if anyone will beat these.

Follow that.!!!