staticsilence27's Journal

Short Stories

--Short stories are one of the easiest things in the world to write - If you know how to write them. Here is a short guide to short stories.


1. A short story can usually be read in a short period of time. Don't make it a long piece of work, but not poetry length either. If it can be read in one normal sitting, then that's a good marker.

2. Make sure the story flows smoothly. Beginning, Middle, End. Make them all flow together.

3. Remember - ONE STORY LINE! You don't have enough room to develope 67 different sub-plots. DON'T TRY!

4. A short story usually leaves readers with a single emotion. Is it a sad story? Is it a humorous story? Is it a story about anger? What are you trying to portray in this story.

5. Give your characters...well...character. They are what the story is about - make them real. (I may do a characterization tip later. Tell me what you want.)

Who the heck has senioritis as a FRESHMAN!? Oh. That's right. Me.

Dang. this year has been very very long. I'm ready for summer. I hope next year is way better than this year has been.

Update on writing tips! I thik the next one is going to be over short story writing and stuff like that. Tell me what you would like me to do tips on, though, and I will surely do it. All you have to do is ask! I don't bite, I promise.

Also, some people have asked me questions. I am considering doing an FAQ so if you have questions, get them in.

I take finals on the 21st and the 22nd. That's next week. Then after that I will probably be on more. Please tell me what you want my opinion on!

Is there a feature you'd like me to do? A picture of the week? Video? Author? Story?

Tell me. I need something to do with my time this summer!!

Have you ever been so angry with someone or something - sometimes nothing at all - that you can feel yourself begin to stop functioning? I'm going through that right now. I am starting to ignore things I have never ignored before, all because I am angry at someone. It's driving me crazy. - More writing tips coming soon.

On Friday, I made a decision to go to a concert/thing that night. I never thought it would be as fun as it was. It probably would not been as fun had I not been able to convince my friends to come down to the floor with me. What concert? Well...it was The Freedom Experience. You might have heard of it, you might not have. But basically it's different groups going around doing shows and talking about their faith. Yes, I am a Christian...a Catholic to be exact, but I'm not going to shove my beliefs down your throat. If I ever talk about my beliefs on here, it will be the title. Moving on. They had people such as Tim Byrne (one of the best skateboaders....ever). Brock Gill (an illusionist). And a BMX group(Outcast I think it was.) As well as a couple of bands, my favorite of which was Casting Pearls. If you're into Christian rock. be sure to check them out. If you ever hear about the Freedom Experience...do NOT be afraid to go. It is a pretty fun night. And make sure you get on the floor right in front of the stage.

Browsing my way through Quizilla! is actually very enjoyable...

Except for one thing.

I can almost NEVER find anything to read.

"But Static (I will reveal my name later) there are so many stories on here!"

True, there are. But ask yourself this: How many of them are well written?

I'm not going to pretend I'm an English major, but I do know quite a bit. Here are a few tips regarding what makes me decide to read a story or not.

Titles
This is one issue I have been DYING to address. Please, take the time to make your title appear somewhat professional. I guarantee you, if I do not like what I see in the title I won't give the story a second chance.

When typing your title:
~ Capitalize letters that must be capitalized. The general rule for this is you capitalize all the words except for short ones like "and" "but "or" "in," and so on. HOWEVER!! Do not capitalize everything! Here's a sample using a song title:

Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
ELDERLY WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER IN A SMALL TOWN
elderly woman behind the counter in a small town

Which looks more professional to you? The first one, yes? If I were looking at three different stories with the same title, I would surely choose the first one. (I also realize that consistently capitalizing the first letter of every word gives the same effect.)

Another thing:
While these ~!@$^#$%#$%*$%@$#@$#$^%^*%&*$%^#$%#$%#$ may make your titles look "pretty" do not load them on! Use them at the ends of your titles:

[[Give Me a Shot to Remember]].

Try to avoid putting them within the title. It makes it look (and sound) choppy.

Give [[Me]] a Shot to [[Remember]]

These are just a few tips. And like I said...I am no english major yet, but when people ignore common things like capitalization...and punctuation...it makes it hard to find a good story.

I will be more than willing to proof-read any of your stories. Regardless of the theme or plot or characters. Make sure, though, that if a word is spelled a certain way within the theme you are writing about, that I know so I do not change it before sending it back.

Happy writings and don't kill me please,

Angela