Advice On Writing Short Stories

posted on 02/11/2009

The best fiction writers are natural born liars. If you have the ability to make characters live on a page, then only your will can stop you. Below are a few tips on how to get started on your own short story.

How Should I Start?

Start with a character. This is always the best way. If you start with a conflict or situation in your mind and then create a generic character to fit the situation, the story may feel artificial to your reader. A good way to start is by answering the following five questions.

1. What does your character look like?
2. What is your character's worst fear?
3. What humiliating secret is your character protecting?
4. What is your character's worst - or best - childhood memory?
5. Your character walks in to a room and sees the last person they want to see. Who is it? Why that person?

Now that you have a good start on your character, just get started. Get something down on the page. Some of the best fiction writers in the world say that they don't know what is going to happen to their main character until 10 lines before it does. It seems natural this way. If you have created a good character, action or conflict is sure to take place.

Avoid speaking in abstract terms. People experience life in concrete images and details, so write like that. If you finish writing your story and you cant think of one memorable image from your story, go back and edit it. The images you use do not have to symbolize anything, but the simple presence of them will make your story more believable and realistic to the reader.

The character's personality and shortcomings should drive your action. This stems from starting your story with a character rather than a situation. Fiction is about trouble, and the most interesting trouble is when the character brings it upon him or herself.

What Makes a Good Ending?

You will know when your story is complete when a complete dramatic action has occurred. This is often misunderstood as the situation must be resolved. Au Contrarie - some of the best stories leave the reader hanging. A good story must, rather, culminate in a full sense of who the characters are, not a resolution of their circumstances.

Start with a character, and let the story come to you. The best advice is, don't force it. If you think something is fake or unrealistic, the reader will always read through it. A rendition of reality isn't enough. The rendering has to be in the context of the character and their circumstances.