For a few years now, I have taught a workshop on “How to Write a Novel in 30 Days” where I share the tools and attitude necessary to write a complete novel in a month. The workshop runs sixty minutes, so it covers some broad concepts in a short amount of time, from the actual physical tools you need to write, to basic story structure, to the mindset and strategies that make the process easier.
Writing a novel assumes that you know how to write a story. It took me awhile to realize that a lot of people decide they want to start writing, and well, they have read a lot of novels, so they’ll just write one of those.
And then they try to write a novel, struggle with it (“Why won’t the characters do anything?”), and eventually give up.
(I was one of those people, and I have the awful partial first draft of a YA fantasy novel to prove it.)
It can be an incredibly frustrating process, and with so many books and videos and workshops out there, it can also be frustrating trying to find a straightforward answer to “So how the heck do you write a story?”
I know about those frustrations because I went through a lot of books, watched a lot of videos, and took a lot of courses trying to find the answer to that one question.
“How to Write a Short Story” is my attempt to help aspiring writers avoid the frustration and get to the joy of writing.
In this book, I talk about the core components of a story, regardless of length. These basics are the building blocks for all fiction. Then I discuss the nature of the ‘short story’ and how it is different from a novel (not better, not worse—just different), and then wrap up with strategies to use when you get stuck with your story. These strategies also work well with longer stories, so wannabe novelists would get helpful information from this book, as well.
Looking for a compact no-nonsense guide to writing fiction, with a heavy dose of snark on the side? Look no further!
“How to Write a Short Story” is available as an e-book and paperback at the usual online retailers.