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A. General — a short story writer must understand the requirements of
both a mystery and a short story —the short story is not "the same as
a novel, only shorter"; it has its own structure, and its own "dos and
don'ts" —because of its length, the short story tends to be more character-driven
than plot-driven
B. Types of Short Stories
1. locked room — the traditional form, made famous by John Dickson Carr,
Ellery Queen, et al; if you're going to do this, you need a new technique
2. deduction (examples would include Sherlock Holmes, Nero Wolfe, Miss
Marple, and most PI stories) —here, the pertinent clue comes out of what
a witness / suspect says, and then the sleuth must realize the significance
of the clue to reach the solution 3. "criminal makes a mistake" —suspect's/witness'
story misses a fact, or an alibi doesn't hold up, or evidence is left
behind but hidden
4. "confusion / red herrings" —the clue is obvious, but its meaning is
misinterpreted 5. "suspense / thriller" —uses a method to shorten time,
like a deadline or a ticking bomb; or the killer and/or the target is
known, but will the protagonist stop him/her?
C. Structure
1. like a novel, a short story's beginning must capture the reader's/editor's
interest quickly, while establishing the setting
2. depends on the type of story you're writing; for example:
—if a PI story, could start with scene where the PI is hired —if a police
procedural, generally start with crime scene and cops investigating
—if a suspense/thriller, could start by establishing the stakes / target
3. generally, no subplot —unless the story is greater than 4,000 words
—or, if there is a subplot, it must minor and handled quickly
4. no more than one to three scenes, depending on word length
5. often, the ending is the climax, without any resolution or tying up
(or if there is a resolution, it must be very short)
D. Writing Techniques
1. know the ending first
2. know the beginning second
3. figure out how to get your protagonist from one to the other
4. small number of characters (2, maybe 3 suspects)
5. Bob's approach:
—plot:1. introduce the character; 2. beat him up, let him come out of
it; 3. beat him up again, let him come out of it again; 4. beat him up
a third time, let him win
— setting: use exotic locations
— characters: use interesting / unusual characters
E. General Problems
1. for series characters, short stories tend to be more difficult, because
you write more short stories than novels, so you need to continue to find
new angles and new situations in which to place the character
2. continuity can be a problem also, so RT uses "The Rules", a series
of notes that reminds him of things he's done before, so that he's consistent.
submitted by Chuck Brownman.
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