Short Story Tips: 10 Ways to Improve Your Creative Writing

Title: Short Story Tips: 10 Ways to Improve Your Creative Writing

Author: Dennis G. Jerz (great lit blog)

Full Text & Source: http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/creative1/shortstory/

The Internet, Online, 10/6/2015

Sample Text:

Writing short stories means beginning as close to the climax as possible — everything else is a distraction. A novel can take a more meandering path, but should still start with a scene that sets the tone for the whole book.  A short story conserves characters and scenes, typically by focusing on just one conflict, and drives towards a sudden, unexpected revelation. Go easy on the exposition and talky backstory — your reader doesn’t need to know everything that you know about your characters.

 

Contents

1. Get Started: Emergency Tips
2. Write a Catchy First Paragraph
3. Develop Your Characters
4. Choose a Point of View
5. Write Meaningful Dialogue
6. Use Setting and Context
7. Set up the Plot
8. Create Conflict and Tension
9. Build to a Crisis or a Climax
10. Deliver a Resolution  …      read the rest of the article online ……..