SHORT FICTION SPECIAL:
Maybe you already write short stories? Or perhaps you’re a new writer, and you are not sure how to start? Either way, this series of three articles will provide you with ideas and inspiration to help you write your first story – or find new ways of looking at a story you are already working on.
In this first article, I am going to look at how a short story differs from longer fiction, what makes a good story, and how to create a first draft. The next article will look at writing ‘the turn’ and at creating dialogue and subtext.
The final article will look at why you need to create a sense of place and how you can do that. It will also investigate endings and suggest how you can edit your story so that it glitters. Along the way I will be sharing tips and exercises which will support you as you write.
How does a short story differ from a novel?
Word count is far from the only difference between the novel and the short story. As someone who has judged short story prizes, I see too many stories which fail because the writer has treated the short story like the summary of
