How do you write a short story?

RoughDraft · May 29, 2012

I've always wanted to get into writing short stories, it seemed like it would be an easy way to showcase various worlds/settings for my larger works. Everybody loves short stories and it seems like a way a young aspiring writer could help himself break into the writing field, by getting a few published.

Here's my problem, however.

I like to write fantasy, which means my interests tend toward the epic. I have difficulties trying to shove so much story into such a little format.

So how do you do it? How do you introduce a character, introduce a conflict and have your character solve it, all in such a few pages?

phineas12gauge · May 29, 2012

Start with a hook line, you want a really interesting sentence that is going to make you reader want to read the next. A lot of people recommend startimg 'in media res' or with some action - introduce your conflict immediately.

Cut down on description, present only what is essential to your theme or story. I know a trademark of epic fantasy is epic description but you really need to be concise with such a short medium.

Read short stories, and a lot of them. I am reading at least one short story a day now.

Smish · May 29, 2012

phineas12gauge said:
Read short stories, and a lot of them. I am reading at least one short story a day now.

QFT.

Shadow_Ferret · May 29, 2012

RoughDraft said:
I like to write fantasy, which means my interests tend toward the epic. I have difficulties trying to shove so much story into such a little format.

There are fantasy short stories. Somehow other writers have figured it out. So, as the others above have said: Read.

And read.

And read.

There are several good fantasy magazines out there, including the top one, Fantasy and Science Fiction.

alimay · May 30, 2012

Ditto what others said: read, read, read. I also recommend taking a look at Black Gate, which tends towards more adventure/high fantasy than most other 'fantasy' mags.

Also for learning for to write trad fantasy (with a female perspective), take a look at the Sword & Sorceress anthologies. Mainly trad fantasy and very good.

But I've found the market for traditional high fantasy short stories somewhat limited. Consider branching out into other genres, as this will really open up the available markets or darkening your fantasy writing. There was a really interesting story (dark but still trad fantasy in my mind) in the latest issue (I think), of Apex which I initially did not have pegged as a magazine which would accept that sort of fantasy (which just shows why it's as good to read as many issues as possible)

But as for your question:

How do you introduce a character, introduce a conflict and have your character solve it, all in such a few pages?

Pretty much what phineas12gauge said: 'in media res'. Start as close to the conflict as you possibly can. Keep the number of characters as small as possible, and don't necessarily pick a conflict as epic as one you might choose for a novel.

Description is a trickier one. While I agree you don't want to use as much as you would in a novel and don't describe everything, with high fantasy short stories because the market is fairly small, I think it's important to make the world as strong and distinct as you possibly can. Cutting it down to the bare bones might not be a good idea.

Again, best way to learn? Read.

Ali

FOTSGreg · May 30, 2012

As someone once said, the short story does not allow much, if any, room for world-building. Start with the assumption that your reader knows as much as you do, maybe only slightly less, about your world then write your story doing only as much world-building as is absolutely necessary.

The short story is about the story, not the world. A novel can make some (a few) allowances for description and world-building, but a short story cannot.

Just dive in the deep end and write the story the way the characters experience it. All else is trivia.

jaksen · May 30, 2012

Smish said:
QFT.

Yah, I second, third and fourth this.

I read a few stories in a magazine my aunt left at a family cottage. (I'd read every book in the house; it was raining; I was looking for stuff to read.) And after I put it down I said (to myself) I can do that.

I just sort of followed the format most the writers in the magazine used: start the story right away; keep character descrip. to a minimum but keep the descrip. you do have short and punchy; throw some clues around; end on a twist or somewhat twisty.

That's how I did it. Actually see that paragraph up there? I didn't do that consciously, but I knew I did it years later when I got all analytical and tried to figure things out.

Good luck with this. According to the experts, it's not easy to write a good short and it's even harder to sell one.

(Luckily, I didn't know that when I wrote my first one.)

Jamesaritchie · May 30, 2012

As others have said, read. It's the only way. I highly recommend the various Year's Best collections. These are great: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2009/09/announcing-lemgyears-best-fantasylemg-9

You can also find many wonderful stories in The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror. I think the collections have been discontinued, but I think they did twenty-one massive volumes before this happened.

I'd also recommend The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction: http://www.sfsite.com/fsf/index.html

And for somewhat higher fantasy, try Realms of Fantasy. It's now out of business, but many issues are still available, and all are, in my opinion, wonderful. http://www.rofmag.com/

WildScribe · May 30, 2012

RoughDraft said:
I like to write fantasy, which means my interests tend toward the epic.

Allow me to just mention quickly that these things do NOT necessarily correlate.

Anyway, yes, read. Read much.

Silver-Midnight · May 30, 2012

RoughDraft said:
I like to write fantasy, which means my interests tend toward the epic. I have difficulties trying to shove so much story into such a little format.

I'm going to echo everyone else and say read a lot of short stories, even ones that aren't Fantasy.

As far as actually writing Fantasy, the best advice I've been given is pretend everyone already knows everything relating to the world, i.e they know about magic, dragons, and etc. Truthfully, I write Urban Fantasy, not High/Epic Fantasy so, the things that work for me, may not work for you. But I would first suggest starting there: the world already aware of the magical, more aware than it already is.

wonderwords · May 31, 2012

A short story doesn't necessarily need to be short per se; usually, anything up to 20,000 words can still be classed as a short story - you can fit a lot of detail into 20,000 words!

I approach short stories in the same way as I approach a full-length work, the principles are the same. The only thing I usually then do is slim down descriptions and maybe cut a few extraneous characters. In my opinion, the key to a good short story is focused storytelling.

lorna_w · May 31, 2012

Nothing like close analysis of award-winning published works in your subgenre/length for learning, imo. Not only read them, but think it through, make notes, compare and contrast, get out the highlighters, apply the analytical mind to the stories.

But also, here's Robert Sawyer on beginnings: http://www.sfwriter.com/ow01.htm (Though I once did, I no longer write short or f/sf, but I think most writers in most genres could benefit from Sawyer's pithy articles on the craft of writing.)

Also, haven't you ever done backstory for your characters and thought of an incident in their old lives that was entertaining? Perfect fodder for a short story.

Jamesaritchie · May 31, 2012

wonderwords said:
A short story doesn't necessarily need to be short per se; usually, anything up to 20,000 words can still be classed as a short story - you can fit a lot of detail into 20,000 words!

I approach short stories in the same way as I approach a full-length work, the principles are the same. The only thing I usually then do is slim down descriptions and maybe cut a few extraneous characters. In my opinion, the key to a good short story is focused storytelling.

Very, very, very few places would call 20,000 words a short story. They might just call it a story, but it is not a short story. At that length, it's a short novella. For the great majority of markets and genres, a short story if from 2,000 to 7,500 words. A novelette is from 7,500 to 17,500, and a novella is from 17,500 to 40,000 words. Anything longer than this is a novel.

In some genres, a novel actually starts at 30,000 words.

Cathy McDowell · Jun 5, 2012

I've always been told the best part of a short story is description, description, description, description.
The reader wants to be able to picture it not just read it so describe in detail! Good luck.

drachin8 · Jun 5, 2012

Cathy McDowell said:
I've always been told the best part of a short story is description, description, description, description.
The reader wants to be able to picture it not just read it so describe in detail! Good luck.

I think the important thing with description is to make your readers think they are receiving more description than they actually are. Paint with precise brushtrokes to give the impression of a greater picture so that your reader's mind fills in all the fiddly bits while you get to return to your story and not bog everything down in detail after detail after detail.

-Michelle

Cathy McDowell · Jun 6, 2012

drachin8 said:
I think the important thing with description is to make your readers think they are receiving more description than they actually are. Paint with precise brushtrokes to give the impression of a greater picture so that your reader's mind fills in all the fiddly bits while you get to return to your story and not bog everything down in detail after detail after detail.

-Michelle

Scenes, people, places get description. . . . I wore a purple short set, the tiki bar has a grass roof, my sandals hurt my feet, I rub them to ease the pain.

Picture in mind of reader: woman wearing purple shorts outfit, sandals off rubbing her feet at a tiki bar with a grass roof.

To leave out detail the story would say.

I went to the tiki bar.

drachin8 · Jun 6, 2012

I think perhaps you have misinterpreted what I said.

I did not say that description is bad, just that detail after detail after detail can bog down a story and detract from the things that are important. Readers will generally fill in the unimportant details just fine.

-Michelle

Josie Cloos · Jun 7, 2012

I agree with Michelle. You have to give the impression of detail without going all into it. In short story format, you have limited time and space to make the reader care about the characters and the story. Throwing a bunch of details out at people isn't going to help you accomplish that goal.

The average reader isn't an idiot. They know what a playground is, no need to describe it unless the details are important to the story. Even then, you stay focused only on the aspects that matter, and you do it quickly.

If there are children in the playground, you don't have to mention it's a nice day outside because that's the immediate impression the reader will get. If the weather is extreme, then you mention it, but if that's the case, the weather really should have an impact on the story.

In summary, you only describe what wouldn't be obvious to the average reader and what is of importance to the story. And you do it in as few words as possible.

Cathy McDowell · Jun 7, 2012

Josie Cloos said:
I agree with Michelle. You have to give the impression of detail without going all into it. In short story format, you have limited time and space to make the reader care about the characters and the story. Throwing a bunch of details out at people isn't going to help you accomplish that goal.

The average reader isn't an idiot. They know what a playground is, no need to describe it unless the details are important to the story. Even then, you stay focused only on the aspects that matter, and you do it quickly.

If there are children in the playground, you don't have to mention it's a nice day outside because that's the immediate impression the reader will get. If the weather is extreme, then you mention it, but if that's the case, the weather really should have an impact on the story.

In summary, you only describe what wouldn't be obvious to the average reader and what is of importance to the story. And you do it in as few words as possible.

http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/creative1/shortstory/

link says differently.

I have had a dozen or more people tell me they like my stories because they can picture everything from my descriptions.

Yes, a playground is a playground but have you seen the one on 12th Street? I have and it isn't like any other I've ever seen.
Is the playground important to the story? Probably not but MY reader saw it in my words.

From the link:

Include enough detail to let your readers picture the scene but only details that actually add something to the story. (For example, do not describe Mary locking the front door, walking across the yard, opening the garage door, putting air in her bicycle tires, getting on her bicycle–none of these details matter except that she rode out of the driveway without looking down the street.)

Use two or more senses in your descriptions of setting.

Cathy McDowell · Jun 7, 2012

I need to add. I'm guessing everyone has their own way of writing. Everything I've read says to gather your ideas, chose characters, a place, what is going to happen? Is it a murder? Who will get killed? by whom? and so on.
I don't write like that at all.

I start with one or two words that pop into my mind and I write.
I'm writing my 16th story and I have no clue how it's going to turn out until I actually write it.
I've been told by many, to do that is a gift.

Example: One of my stories I had two words to go on.

Willow and comfort.

I wrote a 2247 word short story based on those two words alone.

virtue_summer · Jun 7, 2012

Cathy McDowell said:
From the link:

Include enough detail to let your readers picture the scene but only details that actually add something to the story. (For example, do not describe Mary locking the front door, walking across the yard, opening the garage door, putting air in her bicycle tires, getting on her bicycle–none of these details matter except that she rode out of the driveway without looking down the street.)

Use two or more senses in your descriptions of setting.

Enough detail, not every detail. Note how much time that quote spends telling you not to describe things that aren't important and don't move the story forward.

DidiBlue · Jun 9, 2012

The trick for me has been to narrow my focus. Whereas a longer piece such as a novel will concentrate on a longer timeline and more characters and subplots, a short story will take place over a shorter time with maybe only one major conflict.

Limit the characters. Think of the short story as a chapter in a novel. In fact, that's exactly what a short story is. But one chapter from the ongoing novel that is these characters' lives. A slice of life. If you want to compare it to television, a novel would be an entire season of a show, whereas a short story will just be one episode out of that season. There may be overarching themes and conflicts going on in the characters' lives, but the short story is only dealing with the here and now.

Also, start as close to the climax as possible. Basically, the story needs to begin just as the shit's about to hit the fan.

RobJ · Jun 9, 2012

Cathy McDowell said:
I start with one or two words that pop into my mind and I write.
I'm writing my 16th story and I have no clue how it's going to turn out until I actually write it.
I've been told by many, to do that is a gift.

I don't think I'd call that a gift, Cathy. It's a pretty common approach, particularly with short stories. A lot of people do the same as you. Is that a gift? I don't know. Probably not. I think it comes down to what you said prior to that:

Cathy McDowell said:
I'm guessing everyone has their own way of writing.

This is so true. There are different ways of approaching writing, any writing, including short stories, and what works for some people won't work for others. The end product counts more than the process. The reader won't usually care at all whether you plan in advance or make it up as you go along, the reader wants a good story. And let's not forget, readers are not all the same either, so one reader's good story is another reader's waste of time. Some readers like a lot of description, some don't. Many probably won't even notice how much description there is if the story is good.

Orchestra · Jun 9, 2012

RoughDraft said:
So how do you do it? How do you introduce a character, introduce a conflict and have your character solve it, all in such a few pages?

I actually try to avoid introducing anyone. Short story characters are often defined by their problems and their reactions to those problems. We don't need to know them as thoroughly as characters in novels; a lasting impression doesn't take much. I also don't want waste time setting anything up, I want the trouble to be there from the start. And the character doesn't need to solve anything for the story to be successful. Usually something needs to change but it doesn't have to be the situation the character is in.

Also, less characters, less events, shorter time frame, more emphasis on carefully selected details, more omissions and gaps, aggressive summarizing of events, terser writing and using symbolism and metaphors to carry meaning.

Try writing drabbles or set your own word limit, say, 1 000 words. It's good practice to write this way. And, of course, read plenty of first rate short fiction, not just fantasy.

Cathy McDowell · Jun 9, 2012

virtue_summer said:
Enough detail, not every detail. Note how much time that quote spends telling you not to describe things that aren't important and don't move the story forward.

Exactly. That is exactly what I am saying.

I don't say the water is a deep blue with little waves and white caps rippling down the stream.
It's water but when i am in a house I describe the room we're in. That gives the reader a sense of being there other than saying we're in the kitchen.

How do you write a short story?

RoughDraft

Amateur Tale-Smith

phineas12gauge

Smish

Reads more than she writes.

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

alimay

FOTSGreg

Today is your last day.

jaksen

Caped Codder

Jamesaritchie

WildScribe

Slave to the Wordcount

Silver-Midnight

wonderwords

lorna_w

Confused Alien

Jamesaritchie

Cathy McDowell

drachin8

post-apocalyptic bunny

Cathy McDowell

drachin8

post-apocalyptic bunny

Josie Cloos

Cathy McDowell

Cathy McDowell

virtue_summer

Always learning

DidiBlue

Penmonkey

RobJ

Orchestra

practical experience, GTFO

Cathy McDowell