Tips for Writing Short Stories

When it comes to making a story as stellar, you should create a riveting plot in it that will capture the imagination of readers as well as editors. An ideal story must have a beginning, middle, end, and above all a flow. You might be already aware of this fact, but story writing still seems a herculean task, and that’s why writers seek guidance. Well, there are no hard and fast rules in writing a short story, but following suggestions can help you make your writing piece standout.

Read Short Stories

One of the main problems that writers face while writing stories is lack of ideas. The reason is obvious that you are not a good reader. Reading is a must for understanding the creation of a plot and the style of writing dialogues. Another problem faced by writers is the incorrect time to unfold the layers of secrets that spoils the mystery.

Identify the Core of Your Story

Determine the crux of your story and what you want to tell in your story. Your story word count should be about 2500 to 3000 to avoid jadedness and dilation. Prepare a rough sketch of your story plot and the directions from beginning to end to avoid being side-tracked while writing.

Think of an Eye-catchy Title

This is the most intricate – but the most important – element of a story. Think out of the box to decide an eye-catchy title. Consult your friends and ask them which phrases seem noticeable to them. Try to stay away from one or two-words titles that editors can interpret as taking the easy way out.

Write in One Sitting

You should write a short story in one sitting because this helps in creating a flow. Just create a rough layout of a plot and start penning down. Before writing, you need to discover the process – where you will start from – where you will end the story.

Edit Your Story

Once you have finished your story, edit it like an expert editor. Your first draft is a vomit-draft so don’t share this with anyone. Read your work and improve sentence-structure, clarify the characters, and plot of the story. Once your second draft is ready, reread your story and polish it up to make it a perfect piece.

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