Have a clear theme. What is the story
about? That doesn't mean what is the plot line but what do you want to say? Get
this right and your story will have more resonance in the minds of your
readers.
Focus. The best stories are the ones
that follow a narrow subject line. Keep it simple, otherwise you end up with a
novel!
An effective short story often covers
a very short time span. It may be one single event that proves pivotal in the
life of the character, and that event will illustrate the theme. If you go for
a long period of time, make it pass quickly ie ‘The next year...’
Don't have too many characters. Each
new character will bring a new dimension to the story, and for an effective
short story too many diverse dimensions will dilute the theme.
Write in episodes - short chapters in
effect.
Make every word count. There is no
room for unnecessary expansion in a short story. If each word is not working
towards putting across the theme, delete it.
John Dean
No comments:
Post a Comment