My lifelong journey as a writer began with writing short stories. I have written countless stories in my life, some of which I have shared with the public, while others never saw the light of day. I know a handful of writers who don't like to write short stories because they believe they are limiting. Myself, I find shorts give me profound freedom to create.
Back in 2021, I made the case for the importance of writing short stories. Today, I share with you my top tips for writing short stories, so that they can bring creative freedom in your life, too.
Keep the length in mind
Let's start with the basics. It wouldn't be a short story if it was 30,000 words long. If you want to write a short story, stay somewhere between 1,000 and 15,000 words. Anything less is called flash fiction, anything more is a novella. Of course, 15,000 words make a novelette. But if you plan to submit the story, I'd say go with the guidelines of the literary magazine. If they accept over 10,000 words, there you go. Guidelines differ and some magazines only accept short stories of 1,000-3,000 words. If you're working on a short story collection, however, it's all up to you.
Keeping the length of the story in mind helps with figuring out where to begin. You don't want to waste vital words by describing the weather or the city if they aren't relevant to the story. However, you don't have to worry about word count as you are writing the story because can you always delete words while editing it.
Start with one central premise
Since you are writing a short story, you have to stick with one single premise. It could be a scene, an accident, a writing prompt, or a memory. One thing the story revolves around. After you have done that, and you feel you can afford to add another premise or even a subplot to your story without the risk of ruining it by making it shallow, then go ahead. After all, it is your story and you can present it however you want to.
Keep it simple
Working with a short story means you cannot afford to add multiple characters or an extensive plot. Keep it simple. Stick to a few well-crafted characters, a simple plot, a single theme, and a simple conflict. If you must make it complicated, I'd say choose only one: characters, plot, theme, or conflict. You can't have multiple levels of complexity in a few thousand words.
Write now and edit later
This is always a good rule of thumb. Don't think about grammar when you write your story. Ignore the errors. Care less about if your sentences make any sense. Just write it all out. Get it on paper or screen, and complete the story. And then you can edit it. Editing the story is what gives you unlimited options as to how you want to tell the story. If you find yourself exceeding the word count limit, that's okay. The editing process helps you correct that.
Be creative
Just because you are writing in a shorter form, it doesn't mean your story should lack depth. Add layers to your story without increasing the word count. Be creative and have fun with it. It might seem difficult at first, but you are the storyteller. It is literally your job to figure out how to present a story and make impossible things happen.
Keep the length in mind, start with one central premise, keep it simple, write now and edit later, be creative, and of course, take your time to enjoy the process of telling stories. Don't forget to practice, practice, practice. Don't forget that you're writing for yourself.
Now go write a short story.
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