Know your genre. If you want to write short stories, READ as many as you can! Explore a variety of genres and styles and expose yourself to as much diversity as possible. We really do learn by osmosis, so allow yourself to absorb elements like story structure, plot and character development and impactful endings from your experience as a reader. In this way, you will find those approaches that resonate with you and that you wish to explore in your own writing.
While you can dig deep into the complexities of great writing, to begin with, keep it super simple. One way of doing this is as follows:
Name | Pets | Friends | Illnesses? |
Age | Religion | Phobias | Strong memories? |
Job | Hobbies | Faults | Something hated? |
Ethnicity | Single/Married? | Secrets? | Nervous gestures? |
Appearance | Children? | Favourite colour/food | Quirks? |
Residence | Temperament | Sleep patterns | Dreams? |
Short stories are certainly an art form and one that you can learn and refine with practice. Be curious and playful and allow yourself to experiment. Who knows, you may just be the next best-selling author!