What Makes A Good Short Story?

Hello Writers!

by: Writerslife| Writing

Writing a short story may seem like a piece of cake if you’ve ever written or are attempting to write a novel. However, writing an excellent short story takes considerable skill. Regardless of the genre, certain elements are essential to include, and taking the time to perfectly craft each one can make the difference between a short story’s success or one that fails.

So what makes short stories successful? Let’s take a look.

Diving right in

The whole point of a short story is that it is, well, short. This means you’ve got to go for it. Jump right into the heart of the conflict, the very essence of the story, the center of the action. If you waste valuable words trying to set up the scene and prepare the reader for what’s really going on, you’ll have run out of space before you’ve got anywhere. What’s great about short stories is they give you the freedom to start in a blaze of glory, so make sure that your opening is full of action and conflict right away.

Trimming the fat

A short story needs to be active and present. By that we mean don’t bother with tonnes of backstory. We don’t need to know every single detail of your character’s history, there just isn’t time. This means writers have to be more intelligent about finding ways to get the reader to care and to understand the motivations of the characters, but it’s far better to keep the pace up, tell readers what they need to know then and there rather than getting carried away with something that isn’t all that relevant or necessary to what’s happening right now.

Being creative (but not artsy)

A good story is packed with powerful description and arresting imagery. However, a short story doesn’t require flowery prose, detailed descriptions, philosophical musings and so on. You have one job, and that’s to tell a fantastic story – so just do that. That means cutting anything that’s unnecessary, irrelevant or doesn’t drive the story forward.

Building to a climax

Just like in a novel, a good story needs to build to a climax. However, when writing short stories, this needs to be done as efficiently as possible. Therefore every single sentence should be building, layer upon layer, towards that climax. Don’t let your readers wander around in the world you have created, keep them focused, keep moving until you finally reach the peak of your story.

Creating an ending that satisfies

Just because you are writing a short story does not give you an excuse to create a weak ending. The ending should be satisfying, resolve any conflict and tie up and loose ends. An ambiguous ending or one that leaves the reader hanging will not be well received.

Mastering the art of the short story can be incredibly satisfying and is excellent practice for writer’s who want to write longer pieces too. The condensed form of the short story forces readers to be economical with language and to focus on what’s essential regarding plot and characterization. Be ruthless, smart, and efficient, and you can write an effective, compelling short story that delights and satisfies your reader.