Tips for a Short Story

adapted from 10 "Easy" Guidelines to Writing the Compelling Short Story" by Kate Robinson (January 2000 issue of The Fiction Writer Online Literary Magazine) 

Good writing creates the illusion that spoken language flows naturally from the narrator or characters.  Good dialogue can provide information, reveal character, drive the story, create a sense of place and summarize events. Good dialogue between characters is believable and creates the tension that moves the story along. Avoid unnecessary dialogue and make sure to describe the way the character speaks/the tone of voice/attitude/gestures (s)he makes.

Description enhances the story. Be specific. Use original imagery, touch on distinctive and vivid characteristics of setting. 

 Maintain subtlety in the presentation of your story. "Show, don't tell" is a rule of style that falls under the term. Being subtle also implies not telling if you're already showing, and not describing anything you don't have to. Don't underestimate the readers' participation in the story by hitting them over the head with unnecessary or repetitive information.

Compelling stories contain some sort of conflict, even if the conflict is so subtle it can be defined as tension. Without tension, there is no story. Tension may be manipulated to keep the reader involved in the story.

The length of the story must be appropriate for the scope of the material. Don't try to stretch a theme appropriate for a short story into a novella.  Likewise, be sure to fully develop characters and plots to their full capacity.  Don't limit yourself to a short piece when a compelling story requires a longer one. For the purposes of our assignment, your story must be a minimum of 3 pages.

Mrs. Ell's Instructions:

• play around with your genre - think outside the box, avoid the expected, combine genres
• include at least one static and one dynamic character - remember, characters don't have to be people
• your story should not read like a movie script - description should outweigh the dialogue
• use the "Words that Replace Said" worksheet when writing dialogue
• develop all stages of plot, including the background and exposition - do not gloss over the setting; spend some time to place the reader's imagination in your story; often, the character is a product of their environment
• use creative and original figurative language (similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, oxymoron  juxtaposition, etc.)