“To the racetrack,” Mary said, trying to figure out whether John was too upset to let her get away with it this time.
“Not again,” said John, wondering how they would make that month’s rent. “We are already maxed out on our credit cards.”
Write Meaningful Dialogue Labels
“John asked nervously” is an example of “telling.” The author could write “John asked very nervously” or “John asked so nervously that his voice was shaking,” and it still wouldn’t make the story any more effective.
How can the author convey John’s state of mind, without coming right out and telling the reader about it? By inference. That is, mention a detail that conjures up in the reader’s mind the image of a nervous person.
Any of the above would work. |
John sat up and took a deep breath, knowing that his confrontation with Mary had to come now, or it would never come at all. “Wh– where are you going?” he stammered haltingly, staring vulnerably at the tattered Thomas the Tank Engine slippers Mary had given him so many years ago, in happier times. | |
Beware — a little detail goes a long way. Why would your reader bother to engage with the story, if the author carefully explains what each and every line means? |
Setting moves readers most when it contributes to an organic whole. So close your eyes and picture your characters within desert, jungle, or suburb–whichever setting shaped them. Imagining this helps balance location and characterization. Right from the start, view your characters inhabiting a distinct place. – – Laurel Yourke
Setting includes the time, location, context, and atmosphere where the plot takes place.
Our sojourn in the desert was an educational contrast with its parched heat, dust storms, and cloudless blue sky filled with the blinding hot sun. The rare thunderstorm was a cause for celebration as the dry cement tunnels of the aqueducts filled rapidly with rushing water. Great rivers of sand flowed around and through the metropolitan inroads of man’s progress in the greater Phoenix area, forcefully moved aside for concrete and steel structures. Palm trees hovered over our heads and saguaro cactuses saluted us with their thorny arms. |
Plot is what happens, the storyline, the action. Jerome Stern says it is how you set up the situation, where the turning points of the story are, and what the characters do at the end of the story.
A plot is a series of events deliberately arranged so as to reveal their dramatic, thematic, and emotional significance. – Janet Burroway
Understanding these story elements for developing actions and their end results will help you plot your next short story.
Brainstorming. If you are having trouble deciding on a plot, try brainstorming. Suppose you have a protagonist whose husband comes home one day and says he doesn’t love her any more and he is leaving. What are actions that can result from this situation?
The next step is to select one action from the list and brainstorm another list from that particular action.
Conflict is the fundamental element of fiction, fundamental because in literature only trouble is interesting. It takes trouble to turn the great themes of life into a story: birth, love, sex, work, and death. – Janet Burroway
Conflict produces tension that makes the story begin. Tension is created by opposition between the character or characters and internal or external forces or conditions. By balancing the opposing forces of the conflict, you keep readers glued to the pages wondering how the story will end.
This is the turning point of the story –the most exciting or dramatic moment.
The crisis may be a recognition, a decision, or a resolution. The character understands what hasn’t been seen before, or realizes what must be done, or finally decides to do it. It’s when the worm turns. Timing is crucial. If the crisis occurs too early, readers will expect still another turning point. If it occurs too late, readers will get impatient–the character will seem rather thick.- Jerome Stern
Jane Burroway says that the crisis “must always be presented as a scene. It is “the moment” the reader has been waiting for. In Cinderella’s case, “the payoff is when the slipper fits.”
While a good story needs a crisis, a random event such as a car crash or a sudden illness is simply an emergency –unless it somehow involves a conflict that makes the reader care about the characters (see: “ Crisis vs. Conflict “).
The solution to the conflict . In short fiction, it is difficult to provide a complete resolution and you often need to just show that characters are beginning to change in some way or starting to see things differently.
Yourke examines some of the options for ending a story.
The Writer’s Block Comprehensive Web site that offers solutions to beating writer’s block such as various exercises (not necessarily physical), advice from prolific writers, and how to know if you really have writer’s block.
Overcoming Writer’s Block Precise, short list of ways to start writing again.
Learn through Schooling Some online colleges and universities offer creative writing courses. Look for ones that offer creative writing courses that cover the plot and structure of short stories.
Dec. 2002 — submitted by Kathy Kennedy, UWEC Senior (for Jerz’s Advanced Technical Writing class) Jan 2003 — edited by Jamie Dalbesio, UWEC Senior (for an independent study project with Jerz) May 2003 — edited by Jerz and posted at Seton Hill University Jan 2007 — ongoing edits by Jerz May 2008 — reformatted Sep 2010 — tweaked Writer’s Block section Mar 2011 — reformatted and further tweaked Jun 2017 — minor editing. Are “Keds” still a recognizable brand of kids shoes? Feb 2019 — Removed “Keds” reference, beefed up the “bad” shoes example; tweaked formatting.
Archived discussion of “Short Stories: 10 Tips for Creative Writers”
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gorgeous gorgeous girls struggle to write short stories
bro what LMAOOOO
Wow. This was super helpful. I’m a writer myself and this was all very fun to read for me.
This really helped, Thank you
Thanks so much for this very informative article! It was exactly what I looking for today. These hacks will definitely help me to become a more creative writer online. Thanks for sharing :)
This is really helpful
i want to make an story
Could someone answer what was they made them a memorable?
Great job on theses tips. These will be with me for generations.
wow i love this
fishman is here to go fishing yeah yeah
Yes this is pretty cool, cool
Such helpful tips. Thank you.
ok yall, I need help with a school assignment.I have to write a story abouth anything and I don’t know how to start, can someone tell me how to start a story.
IDK, right here on this page I’ve put my “emergency tips,” which is the best advice I have to offer.
You have to come up yourself with what it is your protagonist wants and all the other details. One theory is “write what you know,” so that if you are a cancer survivor or grew up in a military family or you spend time around horses or at steel mills or playing basketball, then it makes sense to write a story that includes the details you already know.
Great writers steal. Find a story that you like, and mix it up to make it your own.
Pls help me I’m about to write a book the title “school day “help me with some content an stories. Thanks
i can tell you how to
Daniel thanks for insightful tips
hey anybody interested? to make a movie on me
Professional have to do that, plus you aren’t famous and nobody can reallly make a documentary on someone who hasn’t even shown their face on here
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So amazed by the info and help of this site. Well done to you all and thank you for furthering my knowledge of writing! Thank you again and great work!
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Some great tips and advice here. I’ve been reading several websites about advancing ones creative writing career. Some blogs, websites and forum’s offer very different views on self-publishing. I’ve noticed websites and publishers with authority in the industry, strongly argue that a serious writer should not enter into self-publishing. This can be damaging and seen as vanity. What are your views on this? Thanks!!
Thank you so much! These tips are awesome. I’m planning on writing a short book and this cleared up a lot of what I needed.
I am happy. It’s Give me good information and tips about how to write a short stories.
Based on how many times I had to say, “OMG, that’s so truuuue!”, this one’s a really great article. Worth the read!
I am a compassionate interested person wanting to engage in writing i have always had this itch if you like to write stories from the early twenties in my life this itch to write has always been there about stories that the average person can relate to and therefore become an interested reader , however , i am now at a point in my life that i am in a position to put more time into learning the craft of writing stories that have a mixture of fiction and fact and that i may also write a memoir because that is the one thing i know will be interesting . Kind regards Mark
Quite helpful ideas. The site is shown on html though, is it right? Creative writing techniques are helpful ways to write, but more important thing is to acquire a writing habit.
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Very educative Thanks
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this is ssoo cool le epic le epic
hey, hope everyone is copacetic. have been trying to improve my writing but still don’t see any improvement in my struggle, is there anyone who help me to overcome my this issue, hope you people will help me because most of you have experience. keen to write as good story writter and also interested in writing novels but suffering from writing. help me
I am elated that I have come across this.
way of navegating around. The concept of a short story is that something goes wrong and the character must fix it, even if it is a Utopian world. There has to be something that goes wrong or has been wrong the entire time. Examples of this is that the authority that everyone trustic began putting random people in prison. Another would be that everyone relies on th main character for protection becuase he or she has a special ability but the main character doesnt know how to use this ability.
oh great. it’s NAVIGATING, by the way.
I make typographical errors, too.
I am mark thank you
Gave me a really good help …… thanks a lot
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thanks so much! its verry help full.
I have a love story which is inspired every people like any age in human life but skill is concurrence and disburse with sparrow and peacock animals situation and also crow life…… I just want to know the right concern person email ID to send the story details and further I suggest a song like tital song & stage show song, said song.
Thanks & regards Dhananjay bathe
now this is epic
Thank you Kanye very cool
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hey who are u cool?
this is so very cool i cannot believe it
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Mary became a workaholic which made her.children unhappy.so they went to live with their dad. Then Mary moves to another city and got a new job. Her ex-husband and Mary agreed to sell their old house. Mary then met a psychiatrist and fell in love with him. But then her ex-husband came back to her and she accepted him back- at first – but then rejected him.
So she committed suicide. Then her ex-husband commited suicide. Her parents buried her corpse in the basement.
I dont think this form of the making a character really helps. First off, people dont like characters who are strong and can do anything, they like characters that have weaknesses that slow them down such as being blind or not being able to walk. They idea must be something that uses this weakness. The character must also be or become more capable of doing things towards the end. Such as if they couldnt see, they would develop a way of navegating around. The concept of a short story is that something goes wrong and the character must fix it, even if it is a Utopian world. There has to be something that goes wrong or has been wrong the entire time. Examples of this is that the authority that everyone trustic began putting random people in prison. Another would be that everyone relies on th main character for protection becuase he or she has a special ability but the main character doesnt know how to use this ability.
Hope this helps anyone that is still confused!
Re #7: 1. Your quote by Burroway should be Janet Burroway not Jane. Fact-checking us vital. 2. Story elemrnts for developing actions and their end results should be Exposition, not explosion. As it stands this is false and misleading information that will trip many unsuspecting/new writers up.
Thanks for noting the typo — I fixed it. I am not sure that exposition is, by its nature, very hooking, so I’m leaving that as is.
I really like and value this page, I my self a middle school-er found it helpful w/ saying that i already new all the tips, but alas it was still a great reminder. Also remember to keep you sentence, punctuation and dialog varied. This will help keep the reader interested
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Just about to create a short story and it has been a while, great advice to get me back in the mood.
Would love to write short stories but just can’t get myself started. Needing an affordable directed course with assignments and deadlines and tutorial comment feedback. OU looks good but WAY beyond my means. Have plenty of ideas and have read copiously (and still am). This site particularly helpful, thank you. Ray
It is all quite informative.
Filled with error Syed.
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With creative writing, as with any kind of writing, your reader is your most important consideration. You need to know and understand whom you’re writing for if you’re to do a good job of keeping them interested. Thanks for sharing a great post.
I think you should think about what your characters very well and not try to change things about them.
I have my english term exam tmrw and these tips have givn me a good idea of short story writing~though I m good at writing but short story was not my speciality… So, thanx for these excellent tips… You r jst gr8!!!
A good writeup. Love it.
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Great! Thanks so much! This will help me in my Creative Writing class I am taking this summer!
Terrible advice
To what, exactly, are you referring Tyler?
Dennis you’re the writer now?
I did assign the topic and format to a student in my technical writing class, I served as the student’s client, and I have been updating and maintaining this document since 2002.
Noice? Ohhh Marilyn
Really helpful
Elated??? Look at # 7 haha shd commits duicide but moves back with parents lol Also re resolution lol. Conflict is resolve not resolved lol. These are jyst drongos copying and plagiarising other peoples’ work and not getting it right.
It was informative and educating.
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RT @Chris_Oldham: Need a hand polishing up your short story? Try these emergency tips! https://t.co/5XrFzKU5rH #amwriting https://t.co/Dgfb…
Need a hand polishing up your short story? Try these emergency tips! https://t.co/5XrFzKU5rH #amwriting https://t.co/DgfbrqAotX
10 ways to improve your short stories. https://t.co/UJMpkku02Y #writing #amwriting #shortstory
cannot read so much but i think its good for the ones who have so much time to read.
The blank page is not taunting me any more, thank you. PS have you ever read Amanda McKittrick Ros – the greatest worst writer who ever lived? I think she should be added to every creative writing curriculum.
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You spelt a couple of words wrong mate
It’s possible. If you spotted any errors, I’d welcome specific notes. Which words?
Ur dumb Rohan
lien delicieux >> Short Story Tips: 10 Ways to Improve Your Creative Writing https://t.co/YAOYCeD4xJ
RT @carolinezoids: Looking for #shortStory tips, I found this great article by @DennisJerz: 10 ways to improve your #creativeWriting: https…
Looking for #shortStory tips, I found this great article by @DennisJerz: 10 ways to improve your #creativeWriting: https://t.co/uzNG1NrfVC
RT @Dream_Craziness: Short Story Tips: 10 Ways to Improve Your Creative Writing | Jerz’s Literacy Weblog https://t.co/QgVX3gUEZL #writingtip
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Welcome to the University of Gloucestershire Short Story website
Here, we showcase all the work of our talented UoG students, and we also offer sixth formers and college students the chance to submit their writing to us. We’ll look at every submission, offer helpful guidance, and choose the best ones to publish on our site. At UoG, our students are mentored by professionals across the creative writing fields to hone and expand their skills in poetry, playwriting, prose, and critical writing.
We’d love to read your stories if you’re a student here at the University of Gloucestershire, or a school or college student considering a future degree in Creative Writing. We’ll read every submission, and publish the best, and we’ll try to give helpful feedback where we can. We have limited time and space so please don’t worry if you have to wait a while.
Visit the UoG Creative Writing pages for more information:
If you are interested in submitting your work for publication here then see our current submission status below:
You can find further information on submitting your work at https://uniofglos.blog/creativewriting/short-stories-submission/
by Thomas Bennett of John Kyrle sixth form. This was one of two stories shortlisted from our schools’ competition, July 2020. Commander Jeffrey Noble collapsed to the ground. He’d manually prised open the enormous weight of the shuttle door, designed to be moved by powerful—now broken—motors. His hand instinctively came to hover over his eyes. So long had Noble stared into the emptiness of space that the explosion of colour and light that stretched before…
by Finlay John of Wyedean School. This was one of two shortlisted stories in our schools’ competition, July 2020. It was another day walking down the road for Mitsuki. The wind softly brushed her hair as she walked home alone. She was independent and self-reliant. Her eyes invited friendships, but she never allowed them. In her house, a group of people were making themselves at home. They were people she’d seen around the town: a…
by Iris Davies In a world with a famous and legendary song which no-one dares listen to and is known to cause the listener to commit suicide. Antonio, a pianist in New York City, is forced to contemplate the laws of reality. It is known throughout all cultures that the song is deadly. The Greeks called it the siren’s song; the Irish called it the Banshee’s Wail. It is a fact as far ingrained in our…
by Alexandra Vyvyan I am 16 years old and I do creative writing for fun, I have had small pieces of writing published and enter competitions irregularly, I write more poetry than anything else and enjoy losing myself in writing. A teenage girl feels trapped and drowning in the mass of useless information forced upon her. I wondered if anyone else noticed how pretty the sky was today, how the darkness was bright and soft…
by Caitlin Hasson I’m sixteen years old and doing an English Literature and Language combined A-level at Cirencester college. Edward has lost his prince, his family, and his friends and now wants to take revenge in this reimagining of the Sleeping Beauty story. It was raining. It hadn’t stopped raining for three days. The battle had started three days ago, and it hadn’t stopped raining. The ground was slick with mud, dark with blood, and…
by Amber Wright. Ten years after becoming a trusted mentor for a younger student and having to part ways when school ends. The mentor gets a surprise knock at the door. Jack looked down at me. I could see his eyes watering as he frowned and straightened his oversized puffer jacket in a failed attempt to maintain his “I don’t give a fuck” attitude. The past five years had flown by and this date was…
by James Pearson. 1986. A new beginning for some but an end for others. Cassiel doesn’t know when he begins university (again) that he would be studying the greatest explosion in history- but he is. England is a vastly different place now in 1983, with more riots ruining workers’ rights and unemployment skyrocketing- not surprising based on the corruption that occurs behind the solid aged brick of parliament. Being only two years since the system…
by Harry Moore. I am H.L. Moore and I am an sports fiction author. The Team Talk is one of my finest pieces of work and will no doubt be a huge box office hit once it hits the big screen. I am soon expected to become a New York Times best selling author. My inspiration is the legendary, creative mastermind Mr Jeff Kinney. The championship playoff final, the game where you end up 170 million pounds…
by Zelma Bowers. My name is Zelma Bowers and this is the first instalment of a trilogy about mountains. This is a differing topic to my usual books because I usually stick to hills. Multi-coloured flags fly in the harsh wind. Each thread being pulled in every direction, unravelling the hard work of the local women and dancing up to the highest point on earth. Each thread taken by the wind is a prayer to…
by Lily-Mae Harrison. Being increasingly interested in the flow of order in society, observation of how people adapt to situations has always been a point of interest of mine. But what if you flip the world on it’s head? I’m a sixth form student at Christopher Whitehead with a fascination in the dystopia genre and a passion for creative writing, with an aim to make you question. In this dystopian world, all anyone could do…
by Rex Daniels. My name is Rex Daniels and this is the first instalment of my pasta themed trilogy. This book explores the dangers of spaghetti and its deeper meaning throughout life. This is my first time delving into the world of pasta because I’m used to more serious topics. Vomit. Disgusting rancid barf. It’s all I can smell. It’s all I can see. It’s all I can taste. It’s all I can feel. It’s…
by J.C.B. Digger. I am J.C.B Digger and this here is the first introduction to my trilogy of books called “Stories of the Egyptian God”. Speaking from the view of a professional writer I believe this story is truly fascinating. Breaking news! Here we are January 31st, 2019 the last day of the Premier League transfer window, live at the Tottenham Hotspur training ground waiting for a surprise guest to complete his medical assessment and…
by Eleanor Diamond. I am a sixth form student who studies Drama (BTEC), Classical Civilisations and combined English Language/Literature. I have mostly been interested in acting for a large portion of my life, however, writing novels or doing the odd piece of creative writing has been a hobby of mine since I first learnt to form a sentence. Four days. Those I had called friends, comrades, acquaintances, gone. For our whole lives, up until those…
by Eleanor Cottrill. ‘If only’ is a fictional dystopian piece about the possible close future and the ‘end of the world’, however it is based off both climate change and the seemingly insignificant problem of bees going into decline, a brief overview of what would happen if they were allowed to go extinct from the point of view of a teenager who loses the future that the adults around her promised her from a young…
by Carole May. I am a very mature student returning to university after a gap of many decades and fifteen years after retirement. At the start of this course I was worried about working with people who were so much more in touch with education, but have found that working with such clever young people is both fun and stimulating. Their help and advice is invaluable, particularly when it comes to IT. Both my brain…
by Joy-Amy Wigman. Joy-Amy is a mature student who has just finished her first year of the Creative Writing Degree. She is an award winning slam poet and runs a monthly comedy night in Cheltenham called Lemon Rocket for which she often MCs. The Park Keeper I stared at the polar bear and the polar bear stared back at me. “You are not wrong Gerald,” I said to him. The mess had started three weeks…
by Bethan Manley. Bethan is an English Language and Creative Writing student. She is also a poet with a background in slam poetry and prose. She is a singer-song-writer turned poet so her poems tend to flow and be heartfelt. If she’s not writing you can normally find Bethan anywhere with dogs! This is a prose piece adapted from one of her poems, and suitable for slam prose performance. There are nights when I still…
by Carol Hilton. Carol is a mature student completing the third year of her BA in 2019. She is a short story competition winner. Her poetry has been published in previous University Anthologies and magazines such as Snakeskin. Her short play The Waiting Game, has been selected by the Pirate Theatre in Gloucestershire for their showcase event, ‘Pint Sized Plays’. Out of Office From: Saffron Walsh <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, 6 December, 2018 at 19:20…
by Asha Sutton. Asha is a second year Creative Writing student at the University of Gloucestershire. Her stories show her passion for social issues and the treatment of the vulnerable in modern society. My name is Harry I swear that’s the man who worked at the local coffee shop. He spilled the sugar on the floor behind the counter, with an “Oh shit” expression. He rattled tall, skinny glasses, or turned on the coffee machine,…
by Oszey Calland. Oszey is a first year Creative Writing student at the University of Gloucestershire. He has travelled extensively and writes about a wide variety of subjects. The Simple Days of Chai and Plum Cake Mr Ramesh stepped out of the little shop into the intense heat, looking up at the bright blue sky. “Fort Cochin is getting hotter every year,” he thought. “The monsoons will come soon bringing cooling rains. The Indian Monsoon…
by Rita Bates. RJ Bates is currently working through the Creative and Critical Writing MA. She is a morning person, conscious about eating foods that will fuel her body and mind, but will never give up drinking red wine. She enjoys a challenge, mental or physical and loves people-watching, because sometimes if lucky enough, she witnesses random acts that would otherwise go unnoticed. The Fulfilment of a Promise I loved spending time with Ashanti. She…
by Carlie Chabot. Carlie is a Canadian student spending a year in Cheltenham to study for an MA in Creative Writing at the University. She is currently working on a novel about the murder of a young girl and the fallout it causes in small town. It fits within the theme of Northern Ontario Gothicism, and explores death, mental health, and justice. Natural Order ‘I am deeply appreciative of spiders, and everything they do.’ …
by Ross Turner. I write short stories, novels and poetry. I study Creative Writing at the University of Gloucestershire, and am a member of the Royal Air Force Reserves. The Undertaker’s Coffin ‘Prepare to feed,’ I say. ‘Feed.’ The six Pallbearers are lined up in three pairs. The Uncle and the younger Brother – the two shortest, and therefore the front-most pair – reach into the yawning hearse. They grasp the two nearest handles, on…
by Michael Moore. Michael is a mature student from Canada. He is currently filling his weekends teaching Computer Aided Design and 3-D modelling. he has been working at his writing for over twenty years. Bubbles She awoke to bubbles. Tickles and giggles and bubbles and bursts of frenzied fizzy feelings. As if she was about to pop right out of her skin. The tingles touched her smile and drew it wider. She was breathless, flushed,…
by Andrew Lafleche. Andrew is a University of Gloucestershire MA student in Creative and Critical Writing, studying on the distance learning programme, from Canada. He describes his work as a blend of social criticism, philosophical reflection, explicit prose, and black comedy. In 2016 he received the John Newlove Poetry Award. Please note that ‘In Memory of Casey Philips’ has adult themes including sexual assault. In Memory of Casey Philips “My uncle just moved in,” Casey…
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On this course we will take you on a journey to find or further develop ways to express your ideas in writing, either in the form of a short story or a passage from a longer piece of work.
Our evening course seeks to educate the imagination and equip you with the technical and practical know-how to fulfil your writing aims.
At the end of the course you will have:
On this interactive, discussion-centred course, teaching is delivered in a friendly and guided environment offering the necessary positive and constructive criticism appropriate to the emerging work of each member of the group. The sessions will be further supported by short extracts from great works of fiction and books on the craft, drawn from a diverse community of writers.
This course has a maximum capacity of 12 students.
These classes are not recorded
Successful completion of this course leads to the award of an Imperial College attendance certificate
Terms and conditions apply to all enrolments to this course. Please read them before enrolment
Course programme and additional reading.
Course Programme ( may be subject to some modification )
In the first session the group will get to know each other and we will explore your aims and aspirations in writing. From there, we will begin to discuss the practical and technical aspects of producing compelling narratives: finding the centre (finding our voice and identifying stories to tell), character development and consistency, narrative structure and plotting, world-building (evoking time and place), planning and improvisation, and more. Through discussion of published short stories and brief extracts from great novels and books on the craft, we will examine the key elements that combine to produce outstanding writing.
Brief in-class writing exercises will help you to develop your writing skills in general and will inspire and augment your work in progress. As we move further into the course, we will begin to discuss the central piece of writing (1,000-2,000 words in length) that is emerging from each member of the class. These workshops take place in a positive and supportive atmosphere, and are hugely valuable to the writing process as a whole.
Centred around discussion, and exploring both the practical and technical sides of producing excellent writing, Short Stories and First Chapters is suitable for both beginners and writers with some experience of life writing and/or fiction.
Additional Reading
There is no set reading list, but you might be interested in these publications on the craft:
His awards include a final year prize for outstanding achievement (UEA, BA), the Alumni Association Prize for Fiction (UEA, MA), two Arts Council Writers' Award wins, a Hawthornden Fellowship and a Wingate Scholarship. His fiction has been published in various anthologies and magazines, among them New Writing, A Little Nest of Pedagogues (in dual English and Chinese texts), The London Magazine and Esquire.
Martin has taught creative writing for the Arts Council England, the British Council, City University, the Kingston Writing School, UEA, and the Chelsea Community Hospital School. He has reviewed books for the Sunday Times, the FT and the Observer.
Lee Brackstone has written of Martin's fiction: 'I would struggle to find a writer of comparable talent in Martin's generation.' The late Deborah Rogers wrote: 'I think his is a voice of true originality and distinction, and one that will in time emerge as a major player in a new generation of British novelists.'
Martin recently completed his novel The Cost of Loving with the generous support of Arts Council England.
Weeks | Standard Rate | Internal Rate | Associate Rate | ||
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10 | Full price: £268 | Full price: £160 | Full price: £211 | ||
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It is possible to enrol on many of our adult education courses after the course has already started. For non-language courses this is subject entirely to agreement by the tutor. For language courses it is subject to agreement by the language coordinator conducting level assessment. If you want to join a course late do bear in mind there might be work you will need to catch up on, particularly in language courses.
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This course is eligible for allowing Imperial College students and staff to share their discount with their friends and family.
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10 | n/a | Week starting 13 January to week ending 22 March 2025* | n/a | ||
Enrolment via the blue booking link is open. Early-bird discounts are available until the end of 30 September 2024
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Online courses, short story writing, course details & fees, course details.
No. of lessons: | 14 |
No. of exercises: | 26 |
Average duration: | 9-15 months |
£395.00 | |
Deposit: | £100.00 |
Monthly payment: | £80.00 |
Number of payments: | 4 |
£420.00 |
Receive a certificate upon successful completion
Work with experienced novelists throughout your course
Work at your own pace and start at a time that suits you
Whether a short story is meaningful and gritty or light entertainment, a good one is a work of art. It’s a brief encounter. It’s a glimpse into another life. It’s complete and self-contained. With no room for padding, the short story also bares the elements of the writing craft – your writing craft – to scrutiny. It’s like illuminating a single painting on an otherwise empty wall.
The great thing about a short story is that it is short. Whether the word count is in the hundreds or in the thousands, completing it is within your capabilities. It doesn’t swallow up a year or two of your life as a novel might; there is one story strand for you to manage not several and there’s no room for a throng of characters.
Successful fiction writing normally depends upon a mixture of ability and technique. There are no opportunities to allow the characters to 'develop', or for situations to 'arise' as in a novel. Within a few hundred words the story must seize the reader's attention, develop and end - preferably with an unexpected twist.
‘Technique’ is where the London School of Journalism comes in. This course and the one-to-one contact with your tutor will provide you with what you need to develop your own style and skills and greatly improve your chances of becoming a successful published writer.
Lesson 1 : why are you writing short stories.
An overview of short stories, problem and resolution, central characters. Why and because...making writing fun. Presentation, spelling and grammar.
Where do we get ideas. The importance of titles. Making openings jump into action. Genres and themes.
Plotting and planning. The importance of structure. What is an idea and what is a plot? Writing an outline.
How to construct key moments, when are they important? Making satisfactory endings.
Emotion and motivation. History and biography. What other influences? Body language.
Get your characters to create and show the plot instead of telling it.
Characterisation is further examined, how characters can be made three-dimensional on paper. What people are can be revealed by what they say and therefore effective dialogue is reviewed.
What is it and why is it important? First, second and third person. Narrators and actors.
Using your own knowledge and experiences. Research without the info overload.
The building blocks that make good writing. Power and beauty of language. Editing and polishing.
Causing an impact. Types of conflict and how they affect your character.
Study the market. Magazines, short stories and serials.
How the written word differs from the spoken. Making the most of the medium.
Tips and suggestions with some words of advice.
Novel writing.
Thriller writing.
Writing poetry, english / other, improve your english, english for business, english history.
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When you’ve finished a novel or short story, it’s helpful to get feedback from people you trust. You may also have a critique partner, or be part of a writing group that offers reciprocal feedback. Here’s how to make feedback useful.
When someone asks for your feedback on a piece of writing, whether it is a short story or a novel, remember that the writer requesting feedback has spent a lot of time laboring over their words, and respect the fact that they are choosing you for your opinion.
When you seek feedback for a piece of writing, it’s important that the feedback you receive is helpful. Telling your beta reader what sort of feedback you expect can ensure that the feedback is pertinent. Here’s how to give and receive feedback on your novel or short story.
While part of the writing journey is discovering the story that is within the writer, it’s only when stories resonate with readers that a piece of writing is successful. While you may not intentionally write to please others, the goal of telling a story is to engage the people who read it. The best way to know if your story or novel works is to find out what readers think.
There are many ways to find beta readers, people who read your work to give feedback before you send it out to an agent, editor, or publication. You may ask friends, family members, fellow authors, or you may seek out beta readers in other ways .
As a writer, you may be asked to give feedback on the work of other writers, especially if you are in a writing group where people exchange feedback, or you work with a critique partner. When different people read your manuscript, they may see things that you don’t notice, because you’ve been seeing them for so long. It’s always useful to get opinions on your writing, even if you may not agree with the feedback.
When you request feedback for a novel or story, you shouldn’t just send it to someone without giving some guidelines. Here are some elements you might wish the feedback to address:
Also, ask your reader to mention any specific points that stand out that you haven’t covered.
It’s best to ask your reader not to say anything about typos unless they interfere with the story. You will have to do several editing passes of your manuscript, and you should be able to find these yourself. You may even want to use an online grammar checker , chapter by chapter, to spot this sort of mistake. It’s not a good idea for your beta reader to get bogged down in minor details. What’s more important is hearing what they think about the story, the characters, the flow, the pacing, and all the elements that make a story or novel flow.
Remember to not take any feedback personally. Your reader may praise some things and criticize others, and their criticism is about the work, not about you as a writer. Feedback is a valuable tool for learning more about your writing, so use it wisely.
When someone asks you to give feedback on their work, they may not have enough experience to know what to ask for. The most useful type of feedback is that described above, but the type of feedback they need may depend on whether you’re reading a work by a new writer or someone who has published already.
The first thing to do when giving feedback is to start by saying what you like about the manuscript. Highlight what works well in the piece, whether it’s plot, character, dialogue, description, or anything else. Remember that you’re giving feedback to a person who may be sensitive about the months or years they spent writing, and it’s important to reassure them that their work is valid. Think about how you would like to receive feedback and apply that to the feedback you give to others.
Make sure your feedback is balanced; for every critical point, include a positive point. Don’t shy away from criticizing elements that stand out, but do this in a constructive way. Offer suggestions for points that seem weak, but don’t rewrite entire paragraphs to show how you would have written something.
It’s important that you understand the writer’s intent, and that you are aware of how their work fits in a specific genre. For example, a friend may ask you to read a novel that is not a genre that you generally read. In this case, you may not be able to give appropriate feedback on genre-specific conventions.
When giving feedback, it’s useful to ask questions if you don’t understand something, such as a character’s motivation or a plot point. This may be more useful than criticism, as the writer, in thinking about the question, may discover something they need to improve on their own.
Giving and receiving feedback for creative writing can be sensitive, because writers are often personally attached to their work. Doing this with care and sensitivity can help writers improve their work and move ahead toward publication.
Kirk McElhearn is a writer , podcaster , and photographer . He is the author of Take Control of Scrivener , and host of the podcast Write Now with Scrivener .
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Top 10 Story Ideas. Tell the story of a scar. A group of children discover a dead body. A young prodigy becomes orphaned. A middle-aged woman discovers a ghost. A woman who is deeply in love is crushed when her fiancé breaks up with her. A talented young man's deepest fear is holding his life back.
Fantasy short story prompts. 1. A thief attempts to steal a magical object from a powerful wizard's tower but is caught and forced to make a deal to avoid imprisonment. 2. A young woman inherits a cursed ring from her grandmother and must decide whether to keep it and its power or destroy it and break the curse. 3.
Here's how our contest works: every Friday, we send out a newsletter containing five creative writing prompts. Each week, the story ideas center around a different theme. Authors then have one week — until the following Friday — to submit a short story based on one of our prompts. A winner is picked each week to win $250 and is highlighted ...
How to come up with short story ideas yourself. We get it: writing prompts are an excellent resource, but you want to know how to come up with your own story ideas, maybe even for a longer project. Here are four of our go-to tricks when thinking of interesting things to write about. 1) People-watch: Hands down, this our favourite way to come up ...
It could be an observation you make while (discreetly) people-watching. We've create 69 short story writing prompts that flesh out an idea more thoroughly, giving you a good headstart for your story. 1. You get a new job, and your new boss approaches you on the first day with an invitation to the "After Hours Club.".
Science Fiction Short Story Prompts. The Internet suddenly shuts down, and no one knows why or how to get it back running again. A struggling writer in the modern-day world gets an unexpected visit from her great-great-great-grandmother, who was a well-known author in the 1800s. A modern-day city kid with no concept of saving money time travels ...
A long list of creative writing prompts and writing ideas. 1. Symphony of the Skies. Imagine a world where music can literally change the weather. Write a story about a character who uses this power to communicate emotions, transforming the skies to reflect their inner turmoil or joy. 2.
4 Plot-Driven Prompts. Write a short story about a mystery that needs to be solved. Write a short story about a disaster that happens. Write a short story about a love triangle. Write a short story about a journey that takes the characters on an adventure.
Short Story Ideas and Writing Prompts to Help You Get Started. ... More Creative Writing Prompts. We have included some genre-specific short story ideas below, including fantasy, science fiction, and romance. Even if these are not your go-to genres, it is worth checking them out. In attempting to write one of the following, you may find ...
Take the 30-Day Creative Writing Challenge. Press the GENERATE button above. (If it doesn't work, refresh the page.) The text box will generate a short creative writing prompt or topic you can write about today. (If you can't see the whole line, use your cursor to highlight the text and keep scrolling to the right.)
Write a story or scene that includes "sound words" that set the scene. 19. Abecedarian. Write a story, scene, or poem that uses the abecedarian format. Start with the letter A or get creative and start anywhere in the alphabet you wish. 20. Apocalypse Now. Write a story or scene set during an apocalypse.
How to Write a Novel. Browse through hundreds of creative writing prompts — and enter our free short story contest to WIN $250 and publication. Kickstart your writing now! - Page 1.
44 Short Story Ideas
Adventure writing prompts. 1. A group of hikers must navigate a treacherous mountain pass before a deadly storm hits, all while dealing with internal conflicts and betrayals. 2. A group of explorers must navigate a dark and mysterious cave system to find a rare mineral and confront supernatural forces. 3.
PUBLICATIONS & AWARDS: To date, 30+ short fiction publications in print and online and 12 writing awards. Details on request. The first problem with this letter is that it isn't a letter.
9. Short story writing prompts . 1) Write a short story about a ship that mysteriously sank in the ocean. 2) Pen a short story about a girl who has synesthesia and sees colors around people. 3) Craft a short story about a mountaineer who decides to climb Mount Everest. 4) Develop a short story about a road trip gone wrong.
Your short story is 1000 to 7500 words in length. The story takes place in one time period, not spread out or with gaps other than to drive someplace, sleep, etc. If there are those gaps, there is a space between the paragraphs, the new paragraph beginning flush left, to indicate a new scene.
The Short Story, Fall 2020. 1 of 6 Creative Writing: Short Stories This handout will help you understand and analyze the formal craft elements used by writers in the creation of short stories so that you can effectively employ them in your own. Definition of the Short Story By its very nature, the short story is difficult to define.
Bypass the "before" and the "also related" and the "vaguely interesting thing that is also true of my character's life" snapshots. Make the plot obvious. 3. Keep up the pace. A fast pace is essential for short stories. Normally, the pace increases as the hero approaches the final conflict.
Thousands of Short Stories to Read Online
Jerz > Writing > General Creative Writing Tips [ Poetry | Fiction ]. Writing short stories means beginning as close to the climax as possible — everything else is a distraction. A novel can take a more meandering path, but should still start with a scene that sets the tone for the whole book. A short story conserves characters and scenes, typically by focusing on just one conflict, and ...
Above all, enjoy! Here's what you'll find in this post: Table Of Contents. List #1 — 55 Story Prompts, Creative Writing Prompts, and Story Starters for Kids. BONUS List #2 — 13 Finish The Story Writing Prompts. NEW! List #3 - 30 Story Starters for Student Writers. 367 More Story Writing Ideas.
The Deadly Song. by Iris Davies In a world with a famous and legendary song which no-one dares listen to and is known to cause the listener to commit suicide. Antonio, a pianist in New York City, is forced to contemplate the laws of reality. It is known throughout all cultures that the song is deadly.
Martin Ouvry is an extremely experienced teacher of creative writing.He began as a musician before studying English and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. His awards include a final year prize for outstanding achievement (UEA, BA), the Alumni Association Prize for Fiction (UEA, MA), two Arts Council Writers' Award wins, a Hawthornden Fellowship and a Wingate Scholarship.
Whether a short story is meaningful and gritty or light entertainment, a good one is a work of art. It's a brief encounter. It's a glimpse into another life. It's complete and self-contained. With no room for padding, the short story also bares the elements of the writing craft - your writing craft - to scrutiny.
When you've finished a novel or short story, it's helpful to get feedback from people you trust. You may also have a critique partner, or be part of a writing group that offers reciprocal feedback. ... Giving and receiving feedback for creative writing can be sensitive, because writers are often personally attached to their work. Doing this ...