Write About Your Own Avatar Constructively like James Cameron or Ray Bradbury and Handle Its Criticism

James Cameron made movie history by being the writer, director, co-editor and co-producer of the two highest-grossing films ever made, Avatar and Titanic. In total, Cameron's directorial efforts have grossed more than $1.5 billion in North America and $4.5 billion worldwide. Ray Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th century American writers of speculative fiction, as well as for many of his short stories.

We can't all be James Cameron or Ray Bradbury's, but getting a handle on the structure of writing a short story, is the first step. More so, finding a way to begin your story can be the most difficult. It might be easier for some than for others, but almost everyone has to work hard to write well. Your muscles and bones might not be tired when you're through writing, but your brain will be.

That's why it can be so hard to receive criticism. When you've put all your mental energy into your work, it can be hard to take negative comments from an editor. When you invest time and effort into something, you want praise, not correction. Accepting criticism requires a great deal of humility. You must believe that the best way to grow as a writer is to learn from your mistakes.

Before writing a story, let's examine its definition, this will help you evaluate and include the vital components of your tale. Short stories have their origins in oral story-telling. With the rise of the comparatively realistic novel, the short story evolved as a miniature version. Nineteenth-century writers well-known for their short stories are Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Edgar Allan Poe. Short stories were a staple of early-19th-century magazines and often led to fame and novel-length projects for their authors.

Some authors are known almost entirely for their short stories. Authors such as Kurt Vonnegut, Nathaniel Hawthorne, William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, and Ernest Hemingway were highly accomplished writers of both short stories and novels.

The art of storytelling is likely older than the record of civilization. Short stories tend to be less complex than novels. Usually a short story focuses on only one incident, has a single plot, a single setting, a small number of characters, and covers a short period of time.

In longer forms of fiction, stories tend to contain certain core elements of dramatic structure: exposition (the introduction of setting, situation and main characters which gives the audience or reader the background of the characters and the present situation); complication (the event that introduces the conflict, difficulty, problem, change, etc.); rising action, crisis (the decisive moment for the protagonist and their commitment to a course of action); climax (the point of highest interest in terms of the conflict and the point with the most action); resolution (the point when the conflict is resolved); and moral teaching or practical lesson contained in your fable, tale, experience, etc.

Once you've written your short story, get a competent reader or an editor to read your writing and give you constructive feedback. Some of that feedback will be positive. Your editor will usually try to point out what you do well. But a good editor's feedback will also include pointing out mistakes and making suggestions for ways to improve your writing. Quality editors don't just invent assignments to keep you busy. He (or she) will do it because he thinks it will help you write better.

If you find yourself getting discouraged or feeling picked on, let your editor know, see if they improve, and if not find a new one. Sometimes editors can forget to emphasize the good things in your writing, or they can be more critical than they need or intend to be.

Tell your editor to do their best to be kind, positive, and friendly if you respond better with encouraging feedback. Your end of the bargain is to listen carefully to the comments you receive and believe that he or she's on your side, trying to help you grow as a writer. If you'll make that commitment, you'll not only learn, but you just might enjoy it too!