The Basic “How to Write a Short Story” Post

This article first appeared over at Write Anything.

With the overload of information and advice still ringing in my ears from a recently attended writers festival and seminar, I thought it might be useful to share a basic “How To…” from my notes.

Short stories are … short – so ensure that a reader feels that their time was not wasted by:

• Starting the story as close to the end as you can. This will assist you in the timing of the story.. and hopefully keeping the word count down by cutting out unnecessary back story.
• Ensuring your story has a point and not a collection of actions. Most readers are looking to be entertained, informed or enriched by a short story. Gift them a message or an experience rather than waste their time with ‘boring bits.’
• Including at last one character they can strongly identify with – either negatively or positively.
• Ensuring each sentence either advances the action or reveal character motivation or traits essential to the story.
• Ensuring that each character included needs something – even if it was to deliver the paper.
• Vary the lengths of sentences and paragraphs, but generally, keep them short or at least in line with the tempo you wish the story to travel along.
• Metaphors are a great tool – but keep the related to everyday life – or you will lose your readers on an esoteric trip. Analogies and Metaphors are a better tool used in longer stories, novellas and novels where your word count doesn’t need to be cut to the bone.
• Write to express not impress. If your average reader needs to keep a dictionary beside them to look up a word in every sentence, you will quickly lose them.
• Avoid needlessly complex terms or explanations. These are better utilized in longer pieces ( if at all) One of the charms of short stories is the mystery of back stories.
• Know your basic audience and avoid lengthy jargon and acronyms which may alienate them. In saying this – a sprinkling of these are useful to flesh out a character quickly (i.e military or corporate terms within a conversation can immediately “dress” a character)

I know I have a tendency to complicate things and pile unwanted or unneeded things around me in projects and in life – and have identified that this is also true for the times I approach writing a short story. With many skills, its often best to do a clearing and just start again… from the basics. I have found that this often produces a clearer and more pure creation, unmuddied or sullied by baggage.
Although this is just a very short list of things to be mindful of when writing your basic short story, are there any other basic pointers you believe are important to include here?

Image by texasgurl via Flickr

Writers Festivals as Professional Development

This article first appeared on Write Anything.

Regardless of where you are on your path as a writer, attending a writers festival aught to be one of the priorities of your professional training. Surrounded by the friendly conversation of authors; with the feeling of inclusiveness and being part of a quiet social movement, is sure to delight the most stoic writer. Writers Festivals round the world offer a crash course to time poor folk into the workings of the writing world and thus aught to be considered a vital piece within the jigsaw of your learning path.

One of the most difficult things to remember as a writer is that you are always a learner; else you find yourself in a rut or circular pattern and in a ‘comfortable’ spot. Professional development promises to push you out of these ruts and spots. Generally PD refers to skills and knowledge attained for both personal and career advancement. These are often offered through a range of activities including workshops, retreats, online or face to face learning, coaching and mentoring. I seriously include attendance to a festival as part of your professional development as it has the opportunity for:

• individuals to upskill or take on new information
• the industry to promote quality practice and encouragement of open discussion within advisory or focus groups.
• promotion of both professional and social networks
• individuals to test out or experience new technologies.
• individuals to seek out mentors in a relaxed environment.
• a new storyline be presented through the conversations or observations an individual will invariably undertake.

A few months ago, I attended the Byron Bay Writers Festival and was amazed by the array of authors and events available, with a mix of information, promotional and common interest sessions throughout the days. The difficulty was choosing what to go to; without missing anything.( very difficult to achieve) I am certain that the format it undertook is very similar to those around the world and briefly will describe for the festival virgins out there what one might entail.

Book launches offered festival participants the opportunity to meet the authors after they had conducted short readings or had spoken about the inspiration behind their work. Workshops held in either full or half day formats presented concentrated information similar to short courses within a more formal educational institution. Panels of authors were interviewed and gave participants the opportunity of an open mike to delve in more details on a specific subject area. Children’s sessions burst with laughter, fun and further insights as authors read snippets of their book, backed with large helpings of audience participation.

Lining up to hear the speakers

There was a completely delightful visage of writers from dapper individuals bedecked in bowtie and hats in jaunty angles to those disheveled ‘deer caught in the headlamp stares’ as newly published authors; hard to fathom that their manuscript had caught the imagination of a publishing house, clambered onto stage to face hundreds of admiring fans. There were writers clutching manuscripts and businesses cards; desperate to network , promote their writing or to meet others who were either struggling or feeling elated with the progress of their work in progress. Although writers come in every imaginable shape and form, it would seem; at least from the thousands who attended this festival, that there are some distinct constants. The bloodstream it would appear, requires constant tipping up with caffeine; this judged by the four coffee outlets lengthy lines at any time of the day, and heaving crowds, standing patiently for their brew. Another vital prop was the pen attached permanently to their hand and the other either clutching or frantically searching for a dog eared notepad invariably labeled with the month or simply ‘ideas’.

There is a weariness as an overload of information settles on your brain and it came as a relief when some sessions were a light hearted discord between panelists. Any resentment I may have felt when I discovered that the session I was attending, was not a “how to” as I had expected, but an informative discussion, soon faded as the joy of simply being part of an interesting conversation ( albeit shared with several hundred others)

As part of your professional development, I’d urge you to attend a writers festival as it will expose you to those practicing the craft and to those weaving the art. For those who write as a pastime, for those who wishes it paid (either some or more) for those deeply involved or published already and for those who are dreaming of being a writer – participation and attendance to such events is vital to your professional growth. The heart of professional development is within your interest in lifelong learning and increasing your own skills and knowledge.