As a newbie writer, writing a short story can be a great way to find your niche in the writing world. Taking steps to becoming the author you always wanted to be can be tough, but I’m going to help you and explain how to write a short story in a way that will set you up for your writing future. Writing a short story is a great way to practice the writing techniques you know, but haven’t gotten a chance to really explore.

How to Write A Short Story Effectively

 

As you begin writing your short story, you want to start off with a great opening paragraph or chapter. Short stories are… well… shorter than other books, so you’ll want to reel your audience in as soon as you can. Start with tension or a conflict to get your story going as soon as your readers open to the first page. You’ll also want to develop your characters in a believable and relatable way. Create backstories for them, create a character profile, and give them a history that drives their present decisions. Creating a character with realistic traits really gives your readers someone to root for and relate to, this will help your story gain momentum amongst readers. You will also have to choose a point of view and write meaningful dialogue. Don’t just tell your readers how someone spoke, show them. If you can describe how your characters are acting as they speak, you can really give your readers a vivid image of what is happening in your short story.

Conflict and theme are both huge aspects of what makes a short story great. You don’t have the full length of a novel to flush out your theme, but you can give it a spot front and center in your story. The theme of your short story is what gives it heart. It is what shows your readers that your story is more than just words on a page; it has a deeper meaning. Writing a story isn’t that much different than writing longer works, you just have to condense your themes and create a tighter plot. You can contact me through my website Write One Publications and I can help you with how to write a short story!

NEXT: The Elements Of A Short Story