How To Write A Good Short Story

With the rise in self publishing, writers everywhere are embracing the challenge of having something to sell to fans. But if the idea of a full length novel scares you, perhaps you might want to write a short story instead. It can be difficult to know how to write a short story that is not only fun to write, but other people will want to read. So this article will look at some tips for making your fiction exciting and saleable.
Choose a Point Of View
Your first decision is what narrative point of view you are going to choose. The two most common views are ‘first person’ where the story is written through the eyes of your main character, or ‘third person’ where you write about the thoughts and observations of many different characters.
Whichever narrative that you choose, it still makes sense to have just one main character – your protagonist, for which the main plot of the book will revolve around.
Create Some Conflict
Once you’ve decided on your protagonist, it’s time to create something to write about. And the best way to do this is to create a conflict that he or she needs to overcome by the end of the story.
There are many different types of conflict that you could choose including:
conflicts between different characters, the most common being a good guy versus bad guy battling it out;
an internal dilemma, where the hero might have to do something that goes against what they believe;
a natural disaster that causes a problem for the hero or those he/she loves;
a problem with society or community, whether that might be as simple as change in the law to something extreme like being taken to a different world and having to adjust; or
religious or fate based conflicts, in which the protagonist is unaware of their destiny and how they deal with it.
Don’t worry too much about how silly or farfetched the problem you create for your character might be, as long as your keep your CHARACTER real and believable, which includes making them react in realistic ways and talking good dialogue, the situation often becomes much more believable.
Increasing the Tension
Building tension is the key to good stories, and the best way to do this is to have your main character have some attempts to solve their problem, but fail. It could even be that their decisions make the situation worse, until right at the end when they finally come up with the solution that saves the day.
It’s usually the last crisis that forms the catalyst where the hero must show their true colours that makes a good climax and resolution for your story.