Writing Your First Short Story

Are you interested in creative writing? You read so many novels and think to yourself, "If only I could do that." Well, writing a good story is harder than most people realize. First of all, if you're dreaming of writing your novel in over a weekend, you can give up those ideas right now. A novel is a constant struggle. If you want to be smart about this, start off with a few short stories to build your confidence and skill.

First, you're going to need to make a commitment to write every day. If you skip one day, it is a slippery slope to skipping a week or a month, then quitting altogether. So, make yourself write, or edit, or work on your story in some way every single day. A good way to make sure you do this is to plan a specific writing time each day. If you have open spaces of time to write each day, then mark those times down to write.

Next, you need to decide the story that you are going to write. There is no restriction or limit to your story. It could be done in any perspective, about literally anything. You will want to make sure that your story is interesting to others. That is key. If a story is meaningful to you than others will find that same meaning in it. So, write something that has great meaning to you. Also, a small tip that I would suggest is not to make your story to complex to start off. Center it around one or two characters, and make sure you're thinking small. Have you ever read, "The Stand" by Stephen King? Well, a story like that is not for beginning writers. Another good tip that I have found useful on numerous occasions is to buy a small pocket notebook to jot down ideas in. Ideas can hit you at any time of day, and it will make your job a lot easier if you can mark them down right when you get them.

Before you start on the actual story, decide on your characters. Decide on their place in the story, their attributes, their human characteristics, quirks, etc. The more you know about the characters, the more real they become to the audience.

Make sure you have a rough outline of your story before you begin writing. You can't just jump in and go wherever the story feels it should move. It's easy to get lost that way. Decide what is going to happen, if you change your mind later about it, that's fine. Just make sure you know where you're going in the beginning.

If you want readers to get lost in your story, describe things in detail. Make them see the world you see. Don't overdo it, though. You want to show your audience the world that you see, but you don't want them staring at one thing for too long. Give them details, but keep the story moving.

One of the most important aspects of a story is it's ending. If you don't have a good ending, then the whole story will be ruined. Don't make your ending up on the spot, like some separate event. Bring together events from around the story. Anton Checkhov once said, "If a gun hangs on the wall in the first act of the play, it must be discharged before the end." Remember that when deciding on your ending. Also, resolve all the conflicts and tie up any loose ends. Nothing will annoy a reader more than having to say, "But, what about this?" at the end of your story.

After you have written your story, re-read it over and over. Change plot points that don't make any sense. Delete sentences that are awkwardly worded. Perfect your work. Make it the beautiful work of art that you imagined it to be.

When, you're done, take a break. Have a glass of Coke. Get a good night of sleep. Then, when you've relaxed, start writing again.