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Keep a writing notebook. Whenever a good line or story idea comes to you, jot it down in a pocket notebook. When you sit down to write, these notes will inform your story.
Read great short stories. Next to actually writing your story, the thing that will help you write a good story.
Make an outline. You can organize the events in your story using an outline, but don’t rely too much on it. You will discover your story as you write it and rewrite it. “Let the story write itself,” as they say.
Hook your reader. Your opening should snag your reader’s interest and make him want to reader farther.
Create conflict. Without conflict, there’s no story. If your main character doesn’t run into an obstacle, there’s no story.
Have a climax. The climax is the high point in the story; the place of ultimate decision or confrontation, where the action comes to a crisis of sorts.
After climax, denouement. This is the wrapping up of the loose ends after the climax is confronted and finished.
Develop character. If your characters are flat, your readers will be uninterested in their adventures. Flesh them out; if you find them interesting your readers will too.
Write it. When you have an idea, write the first draft of the story without stopping – get it down on paper. Then you have something to work with, and you get work it over and revise it.
Cut out unnecessary action. Every word in the story should contribute to the whole narrative; if a scene is irrelevant to the plot or to character development, get rid of it.
Rewrite it. After the first draft you can sculpt the story to what you want it to be.
Write meaningful dialogue. Make your characters talk normally; say their lines to yourself to see how they sound. You need to make these people seem believable to the reader. The dialogue must reveal character as well as contribute to the action.
Concentrate. A short story is not a novel. Don’t try to cover too much or introduce too many characters.
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