On Writing a Short Story
By Mike Apodaca, High Desert Branch
I was surprised one morning when a writing friend of mine called me asking for help with a short story he was writing. He told me the basic outline of the story but said that something was off. This launched a wonderful conversation that stimulated our thoughts about stories told well. Here’s what we came up with. Hopefully, this will help you as you write your short story for our coming anthology.
- Good stories are not overly simple. A story where a protagonist overcomes their
problem by making a good choice leaves the reader little to chew on. The best stories are complex, with unsurmountable difficulties and surprising endings.
• Characters in our stories must be multi-dimensional. Paper-thin characters are boring and inauthentic. Real people are a conglomerate of conflicting ideas and motives.
• We can be self-destructive and governed by past wounds. To write authentic characters, we need to know their history and their context (family, friends, lovers, etc.). We need to know how they feel and respond to what is happening to them. We need to know their personalities and their voice.
• All parts of the story must contribute to the story. You may like unicorns, but if they serve no real purpose in your story, get rid of them. Especially with short stories, the reader should be able to say in the end that they knew why every part of the story was included—but we have to know this first.
• Don’t give away too much too early. Readers like to be surprised. Set up your story for a great twist at the end, something the reader will not expect. The best stories have unpredictable endings.
• Know why your story is important. We learn how to live by the stories we store deep inside us. They form our world-view and make us who we are. If we want a better world for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren, then we need to tell better stories. You really are doing something that will change lives—even your own!
• Be brief. Although, as writers, we enjoy spending a lot of time describing every flower and toadstool, we must resist the temptation. Short stories are meant to be short. Don’t weigh it down with unnecessary description.
• Write well and have someone who knows what they’re doing read your writing. Hopefully you are in a critique group where growing writers who care about you and your writing are partnering with you through this difficult journey. I submitted the story I’m considering for the anthology to my critique group. I‘ve already received some invaluable feedback and have changed my story accordingly.
• There is great satisfaction in creating a well-written story. Best wishes as you put your mind, your imagination, your heart, and your determination to this honorable process.
“On Writing a Short Story” originally appeared in the March 2023
Inkslinger, newsletter of the High Desert Branch.