It may feel lofty to get all Inception on your story’s conclusion, but specificity trumps a confused reader every time. Have a clear conclusionįor some reason, a lot of writers seem to have a lot of love for the ambiguous story ending. Short stories just do not have space for meandering. If a piece doesn’t serve this purpose, cut it. Every paragraph, every sentence, every word should take the reader closer to the climax. In short stories-emphasis on short-your plot needs to build efficiently.

When it comes to Artsiness, I have a personal rule: If I find myself deeply in love with my words, that’s a good sign I need to come back to that section and make some cuts later. Don’t give me Artsy-Artsy does not beget art. You can stuff your flowery prose and philosophical dialogue and ambivalent phrasing where the sun don’t shine. Tell us what we need, right when we need it. There’s no need to give your reader buckets of backstory.

This issue is most stereotypically associated with fantasy, but I’ve seen it across the board. Pull your reader to the heart of the story’s conflict right away. In a short story (especially flash fiction) don’t waste time setting up your scene or sharing your hero’s musings. Here are five important elements many writers in my short story submissions overlook: 1. I’ve noticed that regardless of genre, from romance to horror to sci-fi, the main reasons for why I have to turn stories down are often then same-there’s a few recurring elements writers across the board seem to struggle with that hold them back from a successful short story. Photo by identity chris is (creative commons).

Good short stories to write a paper on