Everyone who has ever written something knows it’s not easy, and that writing a good short story is even harder. A simple google search reveals that even though Pixar comes out with such great movies year after year, a film takes about six years to develop, and most of that time is spent on developing the story. While the writing tips in this article might not ensure a Pixar film worthy script, it will undoubtedly disclose secrets to pen the best short story.
Write fast
It is of utmost importance to finish the first draft as soon as possible. If you are indeed writing, try to finish the story in one sitting. Think of yourself as an archaeologist and the first draft as the discovery process. You’ll probably have an inkling about where your story is “buried” beforehand, but have no idea of what it might look like once it has been “unearthed.” Just one thing left to say on the topic - start digging!
Stephen King once said, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.” Good writers will always find the time to read, no exceptions. Someone who has never written a short story will obviously have an impossible time writing one.
Read
Stephen King once said, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.” Good writers will always find the time to read, no exceptions. Someone who has never written a short story will obviously have an impossible time writing one. Reading a couple of short stories, studying one or two up close, and improving your understanding of the short story form will definitely help.
Develop the protagonist
Every story is focused around a protagonist, and you will certainly not have a good story to tell without one. The fundamental feature for all heroes is the ability to make decisions, quick ones at that. Your hero, will of course, make impulsive decisions to get himself into heaps of trouble, and likewise, will act on it and decide to get himself out of said mess.
The secret to foster growth for the protagonist is to introduce characters such as the villain (the exact opposite of the protagonist), or the fool (the sidekick who makes a nuisance of himself, exposing the hero’s softer side in the process).
Create drama and suspense
The key is to set up a dramatic question to create suspense. Something like “Is she going to make it?” or, “Will he be able to get the love of his life?” Things like these sets the protagonist’s fate in doubt, and is a surefire way to make readers wonder what exactly will happen next.
Be warned though, to do this well, you must restrict information to the reader. Nothing destroys the drama and suspense like over sharing.
Write about death
Think back to the last five books you read, surely all of them had at least one character who died? Good stories often involve death. Best sellers like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, The Lord of the Rings and many more have had characters who died. Every person who has lived and will have ever lived, will die. It is the one universal rule of life, one that gives your story the slight feel of reality.
Opposites attract
What makes a story intriguing are the things conspiring against the central goal of the main character. This prevents your story from getting stuck and keeps your readers interested. Try to approach the main idea from an unusual direction by tweaking the setting, the characterisation, or the dialogues a bit. Basically tweak the areas that will benefit most from an unexpected twist.
Defeat writers block
Let’s face it, writers block is possibly the worst thing that could happen to any writer, especially when deadlines start edging closer. The inability to write can be perilous to say the least. The best way to defeat writers block is to just write, albeit forcefully. The writing doesn’t have to be perfect nor does it have to make sense, just make sure that words continue to flow.
Be true to your IQ
Core customers usually tend to be well educated and quite well-off. Quite unsurprising really when you think about it, educated people read and tend to buy books, and it is their income that enables them to do so. What’s surprising is that ambitious authors still dumb down their work, afraid to distance the potential reader they think they are writing for. This can be quite disastrous and you should never do this. The average person is actually quite smarter than you give him credit for, and dumbing down your story can be doubly devastating if potential agents and editors are unable to relate to your story.
Edit like a pro
Writing at least three or more drafts is quite common for most pros. “The vomit draft” is usually the first draft, obviously not shared with anyone. This draft is used to explore the story, outline the gist and pinpoint the flaws. The second draft is used to polish the embarrassing first draft and to outline structural changes, if there are any. The third draft is the fun part, the “deep polishing” stage. This is the stage when everything starts to gel together, the stage when the story is finally ready to be shared with others.
Share
Somehow, your writing seemingly gets better when you know someone else will read it. If you’re a closet writer, no one will ever know if you give it your best or not. But, when you share it with others, say close friends and family, the possibility of failing and embarrassing yourself will motivate you to write the best story possible.