Of course, short stories are distinct from novels. Writing them requires a different approach and skills. What what exactly do you need? In an article for Writer’s Digest, Louise Marburg shares five tips for writing a great short story that will also help you understand the difference. “Stories are terrific for when you have a concept or want to explore a character without settling in for the long project of a novel, but they are definitely not practice for writing a novel: the short story is an art form unto itself and as such has its own rules,” she says.
Short stories are…short. You don’t have nearly as many pages to change your character or scenario. But how can you pack the same punch in so much less space? Marburg says:
- Consider your plot. Limiting the number of characters, days, and concepts will help you narrow your story to one that can be captured in fewer pages. “If you’re in the mood to write about a yearlong sea voyage you’re going to need more than 7,000 words,” Marburg says. “If your story is about a woman traveling alone who meets a man on a train, we likely don’t need to know about her sister, her boss, her best friend, unless these peripheral characters add to the plotline in an interesting way.”
- Put action over exposition. With so little room, leave the exposition on the floor. Let action drive your story.
- Keep dialogue precise. “Keep your dialogue both tight and revealing; cut and rework any dialogue that seems repetitive or unnecessary, and you’ll see how much more quickly the story moves,” Marburg writes.
- Be spare with description. Choose your details wisely. You need only enough to establish character and setting, so pick the most telling detail.
- Prioritize characterization. Trust the reader’s imagination. “You can tell the reader that a character is nasty, or better yet, you can make them behave or speak in a nasty way,” Marburg says. “Similarly, internal dialogue tells the reader a lot, as does a physical feature like, for instance, the character has body odor.”
