A short story may be the best project for a novice writer, as it is short (obviously) and complete within itself. Short stories can go from 55 words (incredibly short) up to around 5,000 words (fairly long), but the most common word count is around 1,500-2,000. Because it is so short, a single incident (not a lifetime) is the best subject. The story should still have a beginning, middle and end plus a nice little twist somewhere in there, perhaps at the climax.
Every word in this compact form of literature should have meaning. There is little time to convey your story, emotions and plotline. It's a good idea to read as many short stories as you can. O'Henry is the master of short stories and his The Gift Of The Magi is an incredible one. Read through that a few times to get the idea of how a short story is composed, the highs and lows, emotions and interest it conveys. You can write short stories in any genre. First, get an idea for your story and try and either complete it in your head, or jot down the plotline on the computer or in a journal. Once complete, start in on others.
Some magazines publish single short stories, but the best way to get published is to write several in one genre, then pursue the magazines or books that publish anthologies. You can still try and get single short stories published but it is good if you have a few of them ready to go just in case. Writing a short story can be accomplished in as little as half an hour, or weeks. It does depend on the complexities. Practice being economical with words by writing one of those 55 word ones, then go up to perhaps 500 words, then 1,200 then 2,000. This will enable you to see the development.
Short stories are great fun to write. And, you can work on them almost anywhere. Don't be afraid to get going o your first one. Seeing it completed on the page will give you confidence, and because they don't take much time to write, your confidence can grow my leaps and bounds, and perhaps lead to longer writing projects.
Susan Hart is a former literary agent, born in England, with the majority of her clients being screenwriters. After many years of helping others get their work published or up on the big or small screen, she is concentrating on her own writing in the areas of articles (of many kinds), short stories, novels and sceenplays plus editing and proofreading, Some samples of her work can be found on her website at: http://www.ifreelance.com/pro/49442
Articles Source: Short Story Writing - Tips to Help You Get Started
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