by Wayne Leon Learmond

Created on: August 26, 2010   Last Updated: August 27, 2010

It is said that in all genres of writing, the short story is the hardest to do. Why should this be the case, after all, a short story contains from 800 to 3000 words [compared to that of a novel which can contain 60,000 plus words or more]?  One would think that writing a short story would be easy with so few words to play around with - nothing could be further from the truth.

When writing a novel, because there are thousands of more words to use, one can afford to be economical. One can afford to use descriptive words, describing the surroundings, the colours, the smells, so on and so forth. One can afford to describe the conditions of the weather and other details, this is simply because there are so many more words that one can use.

However, when writing a short story, one finds themselves, confined to the word limit of that short story. For instance, within a 1500 word piece, one cannot afford to go into great detail into things and so has to be clever and economical in how to use the words at hand. Study short stories, and how they are written. Notice how good writers use and get everything out of the few words that they have. Good writers of the short story do not let any word go to waste, for every single word has to do its job.

Pay particular attention to character detail. Notice how good authors of the short story genre build their characters. Using as few words as possible a skillful writer can give you a sharp image in your mind, of how their characters are. All writers who wish to succeed in this genre have to be able to do this.

Also, pay particular attention to dialogue, and plot structure, for both must be realistic and believable. Creating plot structures, good dialogue [pay attention to accents here], and believable characters will see you go a long way in succeeding in this particular genre of writing.

When you are a writer, it is well-known that inspiration can strike at the most inopportune moment. Carry with you at all times, a pen and pad, for there are potential plots all around you just waiting to be written down. If you are standing in a queue, or going about your business, you will have no doubt overhead conversations about all sorts of subjects. Note these conversations down, as they can be used as potential plots for a great short story.

Your story should always have an exposition - this is to say that it should be a story leading up to a climax. It should also contain rising action [ which is an

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