Tips for writing short stories
And March events
In the Midwest, spring (or, as I assume it will be, the first false spring) feels like it is upon us. With warmer weather comes new inspirations.
As the Anthology Path started last month, there was a focus on how to write short stories. So, here’s a few tips from last month’s meeting!
Short Story Writing Tips
Short stories tend to range from around 1,000 words to 7,500 words, which might not sound like a huge range when a novel is considered to be at a minimum of 50,000 words, but it is! Writing a 1,000-word story is very different than writing a 5,000-word story. And both are wildly different than writing a novel.
But what really sets apart a short story from its longer counterparts other than size? Well, size. Not just in length (word count), but typically, if you are working with a shorter word count, you want to consider having fewer of everything. Fewer characters, fewer or only one plot point (no subplots), and a far simpler plot structure (Setup - Conflict/Main Event - Resolution), fewer scenes, fewer (or one) point of view. You get the picture.
Having helped edit several anthologies with our group, one of the hardest things can be to take a fantastic idea and pair it down to a story that fits within what could be as long as a chapter in a novel yet tell a complete story.
Sounds so easy, right? Why is this even worth talking about? Well, lots of things are easier said than done. We watch television shows or movies and are generally more exposed to longer-form fiction (novels), all with larger casts of characters, multiple plots running linear to one another, and so on. When working on a story, the media we’re exposed to often helps us form how we see and create our own stories.
What is the media equivalent of a short story? I like to think of the Pixar shorts. You might see many characters, but there is one plot point that will be resolved. We know these characters. Here’s an example you can watch if you have access to Disney+: Toy Story Short Partysaurus Rex. We already know all the Toy Story Characters; they’re rather beloved. In this short, we see Rex gets called a party pooper. He’s then brought to the bathtub, played with in the bath, and left behind. He parties with the bath toys, who don’t know him, and he decides to be fun until he uses his “not fun-ness” to save the toys from an overflowing bathtub. Ultimately, his new friends find him fun, and his longtime friends are confused. The end. That’s it.
When writing a short story, it can be helpful to brainstorm the core problem you are trying to solve. If there is more than one, can you separate the plot points into two different stories, or do they have to be intermingled? Can your cast have fewer characters if you have a lot? Finding a critique partner can help as an outside opinion and can shed light on what is necessary in the story and what can be removed.
Most importantly, you must be ruthlessly purposeful when creating a short story. Tell the story with only what is necessary and remove what isn’t. I’m reading a series of short stories connected by the location and theme. Characters are rarely described, and locations have few details… these items are not inherently important to the story as the story relies on emotions and the character’s story of what brought them there.
Ensure dialogue drives your action, plot, and character development too!
These are just a few of the tips we went over. Please drop a comment or join us at our meetings to find out more or ask any questions you might have about the short story writing process.
Tropes and Habit Building
For our March meeting this Saturday, March 1st, at 12 PM CST, we’ll be discussing Trope use across all genres and Habit Building!
The Writing Journey is based in Chicago’s Suburbs, but most activities are hybrid and held online via Zoom! Joining is free! Check out this link on how to join the Writing Journey!