: Re: How to plan a short story for a given word count? Many short story competitions, at least in Israel, set a theme and a word count: up to 2500 words, 2000-5000 words, etc. I often find myself

I've been mulling this too.

Short stories serve a different purpose, like a poem is different than a novel.

One idea is that a short story is: A Character, In A Situation, With A Problem ...

This idea is to structure the story differently than a novel. The story could be simply the resolution of a relationship between a dying man and his estranged wife. No big arc, just a character, in a situation, with a problem. And the story (the death and resolution of relationship) serves the reader differently than a novel.

That's my answer. Look at your structure from a gross and holistic viewpoint, if you know what I mean. If you are writing a novel ... maybe tell yourself that you are writing a poem, or something, to break the habit you are falling into.

Here's a link I am using for inspiration on shorts.

Load Full (0)

: How can I determine good comparative titles to include in my query letter? Typically, a writer includes one or two recent titles that are similar in some fashion to the story they are telling,

@LarsenBagley300

Load Full 0 Comments

: How to break up dialog if some of the dialog is not in quotes? I have a technical question. In my story, I've several chunks of dialog where one character's response is a grunt or a groan

@LarsenBagley300

Load Full 2 Comments

: Is it important to research the topic of your novel/story before writing it? Let's say you're writing a story about magic. Does it have to be based on real facts and real magic or can you

@LarsenBagley300

Load Full 7 Comments

: What makes for a successful resurrection? If you've seen Avengers: Infinity War, you'll recall the line "No resurrections this time" being said in the scene just after the first (arguably second)

: Re: How to plan a short story for a given word count? Many short story competitions, at least in Israel, set a theme and a word count: up to 2500 words, 2000-5000 words, etc. I often find myself

More posts by @LarsenBagley300

: How can I determine good comparative titles to include in my query letter? Typically, a writer includes one or two recent titles that are similar in some fashion to the story they are telling,

: How to break up dialog if some of the dialog is not in quotes? I have a technical question. In my story, I've several chunks of dialog where one character's response is a grunt or a groan

: Is it important to research the topic of your novel/story before writing it? Let's say you're writing a story about magic. Does it have to be based on real facts and real magic or can you

: What makes for a successful resurrection? If you've seen Avengers: Infinity War, you'll recall the line "No resurrections this time" being said in the scene just after the first (arguably second)

Login to post a comment!

0 Comments

Back to top