5 Short Story Tips

Short Story Writing Tips - tips for writing short stories

Today I found a site with excellent tips on writing short stories. I often have trouble writing short stories because I find it difficult to condense a story into such a short length. Looking at the tips on this page, I think this is due to a couple of factors--characters and theme. Too many characters invariably complicates the plot and turns it into a novel-length story. Then, without thinking of the theme I want my short story to embrace, I find that my plot loses focus and falls apart.

I will definitely be keeping these tips in mind as I write my newest short story, The Barefoot Prince. I think it may help tremendously in both writing and editing the piece.

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Perhaps My Brain Is Finally Waking Up...

After scrapping several ideas, I have finally settled on a plot for my short story, The Barefoot Prince. Now it's a matter of fleshing out the details and sitting down to write it. Of course, with a 3 month old and a 3 year old, that is easier said than done.

Well, suck it up, Buttercup, right? I will get this story done, somehow. Eleanor is counting on me.

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Never Read Ahead--Even If It Is Your Own Book!

I don't know what's more discouraging: the realization that I have not come as far in typing up my book as I thought, or the realization that my villain is overshadowed by a secondary "evil" character. I never should have looked ahead in my notebooks. Ignorance truly is bliss.

Now the editing and rewriting process promises to be more of a pain than ever. There will be a lot to fix before my book is marketable. My hopes of having the manuscript ready to send out by 2011 look much dimmer.

Well, maybe I just need to type faster, eh? Onward I go!

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Submitted!

I sent my vampire cows story in to the Writer's Digest Popular Fiction contest, under the fantasy category. It's entitled Put a Stake in It! It was somewhat inspired by my friend Morgan, who suggested similar titles that didn't quite fit. So that's what I finally came up with one morning while watching my daughter. My husband doesn't like it, and informed me so today. He was then subjected to a short rant about how I didn't care if he didn't like it, it's my story and my title and I like it, which is all that matters.

Then he said, "Boy, once you make up your mind, you really don't budge, do you?"

Usually, no. Especially when I didn't ask for your input to begin with. Ahem.

Figured out some new stuff for my nanowrimo story. I have a small, brief character profile for my main character, and I have a sketchy idea for the ending of my book, which is (as always) subject to change.

Now I just need to figure out my other characters before the contest starts...

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