15 Key Pieces of Writing Advice

Keep it Simple

Don’t crowd a story with too many characters. Loads of different names confuse readers.

Yes, I’m a drummer and have the attention span of a tiny fish, so I favour simplicity. But having only 1,000 to 5,000 words (ish – most short story competitions have word count limits between these figures) doesn’t give a lot of room for character development, especially if you’re introducing a reader to an entire football team.

One, two or three central characters seem to work best in my experience.

Choose Character Names Carefully

Don’t confuse readers by using names which sound too similar.

If you write a story about Ken, Len and Ben, it’s going to be hard to keep track of which character is which. Carter, Bronson and McGregor will be much easier for a reader to identify.

Use Novel Characters in Short Stories

If you’re writing a novel, use the book’s characters in your short stories. You’ll be so familiar with them, they should be easy to write and add believability to your short tale.

This gives you the opportunity to test them out. Do they work? Do readers identify with them? Did they help you win a competition or get noticed by a magazine editor?

If so, that bodes well for your novel. If not, you can catch problems early and fix them.

You can also use simplified sections of your novel’s plot for a short story, again, testing them out. Most novels have sub plots which will often make decent short stories.

Short Story Titles

Give your story title the attention it deserves – if you don’t take the time to come up with an interesting title for your story, why should anyone take the time to read it? Make the title enticing and entertaining.

If you need inspiration, buy a short story magazine and see which titles stand out. Which stories do you feel drawn to, just by reading the title?

Beginning a Story

Try and make the first few paragraphs of your story gripping. Use hooks to grab the reader’s attention from the off. A good way of doing this is by providing a question the reader will want answered early on. For example:

I’m tied to a tree, living a nightmare set amongst a panorama of beauty. Over the past week I’ve been dragged up a mountain by my captor, his cruel eyes betraying a desire to which he’s unable to succumb. He needs me as he believes me to be – untouched.

This is taken from my story, The Treasure No Thief Can Steal. It was published in Scribble.

This opening paragraph sets the scene and places questions in the reader’s mind:

• Why has the narrator been dragged up a mountain?
• Why must she be untouched?
• What will her captor do when he finds out she isn’t virginal?

My aim is to engage with the reader from the off, making them want to read more.

Dialogue & Speech

Dialogue can develop character and drive the plot forward. Use it to do both. For example:

‘I’m sorry to interrupt at such an ungodly hour,’ he says, his voice as deep as hell’s gong. ‘Put the gun away. It is useless to you.’

I do as he commands, not because I want to, but because I am unable to disobey. There’s a mesmerising quality to his voice which I realise I will have to fight if I want to act of my own free will.

‘You are Sergeant Joshua Purvis?’ he says.

I’m aware that I’m gawping. I try and say, ‘Yes,’ but all that emanates from my mouth is a kind of slurping mumble. I decide to forget talking for a moment and just nod.

‘Do you know who I am?’

‘Satan?’ I guess, pleased that I manage not to drool as I force the word from my mouth.

He snorts laughter, smoke spiralling from the holes in his face which I assume must be nostrils. ‘No,’ he says. ‘My name is Colin.’

I hear myself snigger.

‘I’ve taken a human name to seem less threatening,’ Colin continues, in a tone that suggests he is only imparting this information so he won’t find it necessary to tear my head off. ‘Names aside, you must concur, my master has excelled with the physical manifestation conjured for my eternal servitude?’

This is taken from another one of my stories, Devil’s Crush. It was published in Writers’ Forum.

Joshua, a legless war veteran, has just discovered Colin, a demon, in his kitchen. I’m trying to allow the reader to learn about Colin through his speech, interspersed with the visual hints necessary to maintain the image of a demon in the reader’s mind. At the same time, I’m attempting to push the story forwards, by imparting information in the verbal exchange which builds character and plot.

This is an important technique with short stories as, with strict limitations on word count, you have to make every word count. Throughout, I’ve also tried to use humour, keeping the style consistent.

Have I succeeded? You tell me.

Ensure dialogue sounds convincing. If you’re unsure, read it aloud. Speaking the words can help you determine if the dialogue is working with you or sabotaging your plans with the deployment of excessive commas, adverbs and the use of perfect English even though no one ever says it that way out loud.

Situations & Characters

Concentrate on how the situation and the events in the story affect or change the central character.

I received this writing advice when I attended a ‘how to write a synopsis’ course at the Folk House in Bristol. It was run by a published writer called Billy Muir and was well worth the money. He suggested treating a synopsis like a short story – as you have so few words, use the central character to show how the events of the plot affect and change them.

Interesting and sound advice – it works, and helped my short story writing greatly.

Sadly, I still can’t seem to write a decent novel synopsis, but that’s a different story…

Maintain Believability

Don’t make a character act in a certain way to suit your plot. Keep characters in character at all times.

Let the character react to the situation as they would react, not as the plot dictates to be necessary. This helps believability and will make your story stronger.

Avoid Cliché

Always find a new and interesting way of saying something, rather than going for hackneyed phrases which have been used a gazillion times before.

The only time I intentionally make exceptions to this piece of writing advice is in dialogue. If I feel the character is likely to use clichés, then I use them. This is still best used sparingly.

Writing with an End in Mind

I’m not a fan of excessive plotting as I find it can be too restrictive on the imagination as you write. But having an end planned helps you drive the story in the right direction as you create it. Without an end goal, the plot can twist into an unsalvageable mess.

How to End a Short Story

Make the end of the story satisfying for the reader. Stories which fail to answer the key questions raised or resolve the situation / conflict can be disappointing.

I know, this is a matter of taste, but satisfying endings appeal to the majority of readers. No, I’m not a fan of David Lynch.

Hopeful endings seem to work well. Again, this is personal taste and not appropriate for every occasion, but I’ve found tales that offer hope deliver a satisfying conclusion for the reader and have a good success rate in competitions.

You’ve written a masterpiece. What should you consider when entering competitions and approaching editors?

Obey the Rules

When entering a competition, read and obey the rules. If you don’t, you’ll be disqualified. When approaching a magazine editor with your work, read and abide by their submission criteria. If you don’t, your work will not be considered.

See what I mean about the bleeding obvious? Well, I mention this for good reason.

I run the To Hull And Back humorous short story competition. Every year, the amount of entries I receive that don’t comply with the rules is astounding.

By undertaking this simple step, you put yourself ahead of about a fifth of the competition.

Correspondence

If you have to write covering letters (more common with approaching magazine editors than short story competition judges), keep them concise, informative and professional. And give it the same attention as your stories. A covering letter filled with typos looks awful.

Personalising a letter, rather than just sending a generic ‘to whom it may concern’ type creation, can also mean your work is more likely to be read. If you can slip in a genuine, researched compliment, the person you’re writing to is likely to appreciate it. I’m not talking about a ‘your magazine is great’ kind of comment, I mean an ‘I particularly enjoyed the story by Mavis Von-Dinkle-Burp in your last issue – I was impressed with the realistic dialogue between the spider and the fly’ kind of comment – something that shows you’ve actually read the magazine.

If you are fortunate enough to receive feedback from short story competition judges or magazine editors, read and learn from any constructive criticism they might offer. If you become angry and write snotty, argumentative replies, you destroy relationships. Be thankful they have taken the time to reply to you. In these rare instances, the criticism is coming from a professional. Read it. Learn from it. Use it in a constructive way. Thank them for it. If you think it’s appropriate, ask if they’d be interested in considering the story again once you’ve edited it.

Never Give Up

If you think a story is worth writing, write it. Don’t listen to anyone else, including the Demon of Doubt who whistles his merry tune inside everyone’s head from time to time. Just do it.

If you don’t win the first competition you enter, don’t give up. What fails to appeal to one short story competition judge or magazine editor may still appeal to another. You will see that a lot of the stories on this website have been entered into many competitions before winning anything.

If you gain any feedback from competition judges or editors, take it on board and see if you can improve your story before entering it in the next competition.

43 Writers’ ‘Rules for Writing’

Here is some additional writing advice for you. A US based writer friend of mine, Geoffrey Graves, sent me a useful resource written by Emily Harstone. It lists links to famous authors talking about the rules they apply to their writing.

It’s a fascinating read, full of good writing advice, so I thought I’d share it here: click the link to read 43 Writers’ ‘Rules for Writing’.