Search results
People also ask
What makes a good short story?
How do I write a short story?
What makes a good story plot?
Do you need a short story outline?
What are the elements of a short story?
What does it mean to write a good story?
May 7, 2024 · The short story is a fiction writer’s laboratory: here is where you can experiment with characters, plots, and ideas without the heavy lifting of writing a novel. Learning how to write a short story is essential to mastering the art of storytelling .
- Rosemary Tantra Bensko
Rosemary Bensko—writing as Tantra Bensko—has hundreds of...
- Rosemary Tantra Bensko
12 essential elements of a good story. Let’s take a closer look at each of these story elements and why they’re so important, so you can start writing a powerful novel or short story of your own. 1. A compelling hook
- Start with A Topic You Wish to Explore
- Identify The CORE of Your Theme Or Idea
- Ground Your Idea in A Specific Situation…
- Or Filter It Through A Particular Character’S Experience
- Consider How You Might Tell Your Story in Unexpected Ways
- Remember Your Story Structure Basics
- Roll Up Your Sleeves and Mercilessly Edit Your First Draft
The first step is simple: all you need is to identify a theme or topic that interests you. At this stage, your “topic” can be universal or very specific. There’s no need to transpose this topic into a particular character and a situation yet — just think about some of the issues that you find curious or feel strongly about. These could include aspe...
You don’t need to have a thesis to expound upon in your story — Les Misérables would be tragically reduced if you just condensed it into “stealing is bad,” and many works of literary fiction are similarly more complex than a single statement. Ideally, though, your work will be saying something. Take Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being, for examp...
Your next step is to come up with a specific character in a specific situation that hinges on your central theme. Say you want to write about “the immigrant experience.” You don’t need to come up with an astonishing hot take on what it’s like to live away from home, but you can depict a specific person’s experience in a moving, relatable, or entert...
Literary fiction is usually character-driven, and characters are best explored when an event takes place and reveals the finer textures of their personality. Though stories about stasis, where nothing happens, are acceptable in literary fiction, you’ll find that events help move your story forward, and give you the trigger needed to unpack your cha...
Literary fiction is associated with unusual and interesting approaches to storytelling — fractured chronology, unusual media, strange POVchoices... Think about it this way: poets are used to paying attention to the way they present their ideas, weighing up the limitations and opportunities residing in each form — literary fiction borrows this flexi...
No matter how strange, experimental, or innovative a story is, it still needs to be coherently structured. When considering the right structure for your project, establish what you want the reader to feel. The Fichtean Curve, for example, is ideal for narratives driven by suspense and tension, while Freytag’s Pyramid is suited to tragedies ending i...
Even if you feel your first draft is terrible, it can still emerge from the editing process as something you’re proud of. To master self-editing, check out our free course: And one final tip, specific to literary fiction writing:
- Determine Your Setting. Location is an enormously useful tool in novel-building. You should treat it as you would treat a character, allowing it to convey mood and letting it reveal more of itself over time.
- Make Memorable Characters. Character and event are inseparable, because a person is what happens to them. You might think of this as a distinction from films, where actors are cast into pre-existing roles.
- Understand the 2 Types of Conflict. Every story is made up of both events and characters. A story happens because a pattern is interrupted. If you are writing about a day that is like any other day, it is most likely a routine, not a story.
- Give Your Plot a Twist. Think Like a Pro. In his first-ever online class, best-selling author Dan Brown teaches you his step-by-step process for turning ideas into page-turning novels.
Sep 1, 2021 · Below, you’ll see how story structure, story ideas, and backstory can all inform a good plot. Follow this guide to sharpen your creative writing skills and get better at crafting a good story plot.
Jun 6, 2024 · But just to recap, a short story tends to be: 1,000-7,000 words in length; Focused on just 2-3 key characters and a few events; and. A vehicle for a single powerful message or theme. The brevity of short stories tends to create a more “intense” reading experience than novels do.
A short story is a fictional narrative that's between 2,000 and 7,000 words long. The hallmark of a short story is its concision. A great short story can evoke an emotion, convey a theme, or depict a moment in time in just a few thousand words. One common misconception is that a short story is just a novel squeezed into a smaller form.
