by Janet Blaylock

Created on: June 01, 2010

Are you ready for the challenging and exciting adventure of learning how to write a short story? It's challenging and exciting because you never know what kind of short story idea will pop into your head. When an idea does come to you, and you keep pondering it, you know that is what you are to write.

However, before you can start writing a short story, you will need to learn the elements of fiction such as settings, characters, narration, dialogue, and plot. You also need to think about the type of genre you want to write. For example, you might want to write a mystery, western, comedy, science fiction, fantasy, fairy tale, suspense, thriller, or another type of genre. After you have selected the genre you want to write, you need to think of the setting.

Before you begin writing your short story, you need to get some 3x5 cards or a small spiral notebook that you can carry with you, so you can write down anything that comes to you that you might want to include in your short story. You might want to take notes on a setting, a specific dialogue that you heard, or anything else that might spark an interest for your short story.

Now let's look at settings. Settings can take place anywhere. However, you need to think of the genre you chose for your short story and select the right setting.  For example, if you chose a legal thriller, you would want the main setting in a courtroom or a lawyer's office, but the crime can be committed anywhere.

After you have your setting chosen, you need to describe the building. What kind of outside environment is it? Where is the building located? What does the inside of the building look like? What is the interior decoration like? You can describe your setting as you move your characters from room to room. Readers want to visualize what the characters see, so you want to create realistic settings even though you may have a fictional setting. You can write down notes about your setting before you begin writing your short story.

Now that you have selected the genre and the settings for your short story, you need to focus on the characters.

You will have a main character who will come against some obstacles that he or she will have to overcome in order to reach his or her goal. You also want to create realistic characters, so that readers can relate to them. The main character is the protagonist, and you need to know the character outwardly and inwardly.  Asking yourself the following questions

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>