Sunday, October 16, 2016

Things To Know To Submit Short Stories

By Peter Wilson


To write a short story means to put down a piece of prose that does not take long to read. Most of them require a maximum of fifty hours to write and should not be more than 6000 words. On the other hand, a piece of prose that is more than 6000 words and need up to two weeks or more of consistent writing can be better classified as a novel. It is good for writers who want to submit short stories to know these basic features before they begin.

It is good to start up with a premise. A premise can be anything to give the reader an overview of what the story is about. The premise should comprise few sentences to describe a basic point or lesson that the story intends to give. You may say one or two things about the evil of corruption or the benefits of hard work. By the time your story ends, it is important that everything in it agrees with the premise.

You are supposed to get things set before you start writing. You should spend a considerable amount of time in your first sitting so that you can pour out your thoughts at once to avoid any possible loss of idea. The more breaks you have, the more the possibility of getting tired to finish what you have started. You can prevent this by having a comfortable chair, table, enough books, pens and dictionaries.

Ideas to your story may not come the time you want it. Actually, inspirations for your short story can be gotten anytime. Once your mind is made up to do this, you are encouraged to carry along a pen and jotter where you can note any idea that comes your way. By having many of them, you can come up with a summarized writing that can win a prize.

Character development is perhaps the most critical moment of a story teller. Not defining them well will make the piece of prose difficult to understand and the reader may find it boring. The actions they take should be consistent except when another lesson should be learned from the story.

A small story should not take more than two plots. In fact, with just one plot, the narrator has a better chance of grabbing the prize over someone with two or more plots. Also, the events should not occur within a wide time frame. It is better to write for a season, a month or a year.

Choosing the narrators for the story is also critical. There are pros and cons for any narrator you chose so you should weigh them appropriately based on what you intend to write about. The first person style is easy for new writers but it does not tell much about the characters. On the other hand, third person usage is more difficult but can better explain the purpose of the prose.

Writing a short story may be difficult especially if it is the first time. The best way to encourage yourself to do this is by writing a catchy first sentence and paragraph. The first paragraph should not be the summary. Just think of something that can arouse the reader's interest and propel him to go on without stopping.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment