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To avoid pitfalls and mistakes in writing short stories, there are some important factors to keep in mind, especially if writers have hopes of achieving high grades in the classroom or going on to publish a short story.

1. Avoid misconceptions
Many people believe it's easier to produce a short story than to write a novel - until they begin the task of writing a short story. Within a short period of time their eyes open to the reality that writing short stories takes more time, thought, planning, organization and dedication than they had realized. When writing short stories, writers don't have the luxury of an additional word count, as when they are writing novels, so taking on the task of producing a high quality short story is enormous.

2. Show actions and emotions
Readers become more engaged in any story when action and the emotions experienced by characters keep them turning pages. However, as writers, it's important to show readers what's happening as opposed to telling them. Don't tell readers that the alley John is about to go into is dangerous. Instead, use dialogue and have Stephanie shout, "John, you can't go in that alley! Last week, a guy got killed by a gang!" Readers learn why John shouldn't go in the alley, but they also learn there is some type of close relationship existing between John and Stephanie.

In another situation, the writer can show Jane is happy to learn she won the lottery by having her jumping up and down, laughing for joy, while hugging everyone in sight. It carries much more weight than merely telling the reader that Jane was happy when she won the lottery. Readers will be more interested in turning pages to see how the story develops.

3. Use dialogue
Too many writers feel that having a lot of dialogue in their stories is a negative thing. They couldn't be further from the truth. Dialogue moves stories and situations along and reveals so much to the readers about the major characters involved within stories. Through dialogue and actions, readers will be shown how (using the above example) John decided to turn away from the alley, that he grabbed Stephanie's hands, and they ran from the area.

4. Reality of characters
Do characters sound real or are they figments of writers' imaginations? If characters have thoughts and feelings, are able to differentiate between good and bad, and have a wide range of emotions, they will be more real to readers than characters who sit in a chair, remaining idle, without saying a word.

5. Point of view
The

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