Short Stories
So. Hello. This is the short stories post. Short stories sounds kind of official, doesn't it? I know that, at least for me, sitting down to write a short story can be pretty intimidating, especially with the added pressure you may put on yourself to make it *perfect*. But, as you probably know logically, there is no concrete definition of perfection. So, in an attempt to possibly relieve some of that apprehension, let's just dive into what a short story is and how to write one.
A short story is a short story is a short story. If you take a second to just let a short story be a short story (if that makes sense), then already this arduous task seems a lot simpler. As humans, our race been that of storytellers from the very beginning. Just take a look at how many stories exist in this world today. Fiction or nonfiction, old or new, heartwarming or sorrowful. These are the realities we gift one another with, pairs of shoes crafted for our experience. A story is a story. Now just make it shorter, also known as less than 7,500 words (any longer than that is a novelette). No biggie. Let's look behind the writer's workbench and see what we need.
Supplies:
- an idea
- a method of getting it down
Method of getting it down? Why, that can be practically anything. Crayon and scrap paper, a quick notes app on your phone, a haphazard recording where you say "um..." wayyyyyyyy too much. Although, for practicality purposes, I suggest sticking to an online medium, especially since some short stories can get rather lengthy. Plus, it also makes it that much easier to edit (which is VERY important).
Here's a how-to from an excellent short story writer and an acquaintance of mine, Ashlyn Hayes, also know as Fire_Hazard on NaNoWriMo YWP. You can read tons of brilliant stories on her blog, which is linked here.
I think she sums it up quite neatly here, but I'll just highlight a few points.
First, recognize when you have an idea, even if it doesn't seem that good, and GET IT DOWN. Of course, aim to flesh the whole story out right when inspiration hits, as that will likely yield the best results, but worst case scenario make a quick doc during school (doc.new is a lifesaver) and come back to it later. This method of trying to reheat the inspiration sometimes gives you icky results, but sometimes you'll get delectable microwave pizza. You never know until you try!
Along the same lines, if you're having trouble with the intro or "hook", skip it! Aim to pin down the bulk of the story, and you can go back and figure out you hook later.
Lastly, from my personal experience, try to stick with what you know, or do research first. For instance, I tried to write a truly awful murder mystery once, where a guy dies via choking on an eggshell. The next week, I lazily left some egg shell in my egg sandwich (which is really good, btw) and miraculously lived. Obviously. This isn't meant to deter you from fantasy or sci-fi short stories, but if you're going to write about it, make sure that before or after you flesh it out you do some research and make the effort to either get your world down pat (fantasy) or get your facts straight (sci-fi). Google was created for a reason, and the FBI joke is definitely a super relatable one within writing communities.
And.... I think that's a wrap for this short story overview! I know a lot of y'all out there are fantastic short story writers though, so feel free to comment or contact me if you think I missed something. Otherwise, go forth and write!
2 comments
Thanks so much for the shoutout!! I also love your other tips here! :D
ReplyDeleteAnd alskdfjalsdfj;laksdf I just saw this blog, and AHHHH this platform is built SO well!! I also love your other content as well <3
Keep up the great work!
Of course! You summed up the process beautifully, and saved me quite a bit of time there. Thanks for letting me use it!
DeleteAlso, thanks for linking it to your blog! Hopefully I can finish a few more posts and start getting this out to other young people who are interested in writing :)