Tips, Tricks

Apologies . . . I think I’ve been working too hard or need a vacation or something. The tip just totally slipped my mind.

Descriptions: Know Them All; Share Them Sparingly

This week, we will chat about descriptions and short stories. When it comes to all types of fiction, you need to know everything about your story—the characters, the background, everything. However, in a short story, you need to know which descriptions to share with the audience and which to keep to yourself.

While in novel writing, you may want to describe your surroundings in detail, in a short story, you just won’t have the space. At times, you will only able to get in a line or two. The point: make sure whatever descriptions you give have a purpose. Of course, this is true in all aspects of writing, but I think it’s especially true in short story writing.

Then again, this tip is coming from a writer who considers herself primarily a novel writer and looks up to short story writers immensely. As such, take this tip with a grain of salt; I may be wrong. If you are a short story writer and you feel the need to correct me, please feel free to do so.

May Theme: Tips for Writing Good Short Stories

I will get to summaries eventually . . .

However, this month I tackle short stories. Short stories are something I struggle with—I am a long winded writer—but I have managed to write a few. This month I will share how I did it.

Week 1: Keep it Short
Week 2: One Incident Only
Week 3: Descriptions: Know Them All; Share Them Sparingly

One Incident Only

Okay, like I said, I am not primarily a short story writer. However, there are a few tricks I follow when I do write short stories. I am aware that there are other ways to do this—this is just the way I found to help keep my stories short.
On to the tip.

Last week, I mentioned that I like to think of short stories as a snapshot in time. Think about a photograph. It shows a single moment in time. It tells a story about what is happening at that particular moment. There is a backstory, and there is a future, but all you see is that moment.

That is what I mean by “one incident only.” In a novel—at least when I write one—one problem turns into several. There is one main story and several side stories that need to be resolved at the end.

When I write a short story, I try to stick to one incident. There usually isn’t a side story—just the main one. This means that my short stories are only shown from one character’s POV. Having one incident and one POV helps keep the story short.

That’s my tip. Hugs and kisses. God bless.