I have a vacation coming and wanted to attempt to write a short story. I have the basic plot and some characters already in my mind but I am struggling to transfer that into some form of structure. Can you recommend a website, free software or any form of inspiration to help me out?
2007-06-12 01:54:03 · 7 answers · asked by Mark S 6 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
Writing a short story is like telling a lie. You simply fabricate a happening that never really occurred. Telling a story is fairly easy, but writing it out is another thing. I can tell by the way you wrote your question out that you definitely aren’t illiterate, so there should be no problem with you sitting down and making up a story. If you have to, go to the library and take out a book of short stories and just look at the way they start out.
If you find you enjoy writing stories, there will come a time when you will sit down to write a short story and end up with ideas floating around in your head that just won’t quite. You’ll find that your short story is rapidly becoming a novel. I’ve done this once or twice before. I stuck to the short story, but I kept the ideas for another novel.
Give it a try. You already seem to have the education to write correctly.
I wish you well.
2007-06-12 03:56:40 · answer #1 · answered by pj m 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Here's a secret: you don't have to write the story in the order it will be read. For now, write the parts as they come to you. Later on, when you feel you've written enough, you can sort them and put them in an order that makes sense. The important thing is to get it all down. You can't revise without a rough draft.
2007-06-12 04:37:00 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Describe your main characters in detail. Describe looks, mannerisms, background, etc. Write the details down - or even sketch them if you are a visual person.
Then take your main character or characters and imagine them in some odd/out of the ordinary places or scenarios – anything goes! Write down ideas on what would have to happen to your type of character or how they would react to the scenario you placed them in.
This may seem futile, but it will help you flesh out your characters further and give you insight into what you may want to happen to this type of character in a potential story. You may even come up with multiple story lines and can see if one of them just seems to be the best or easiest to continue
Strong well-crafted main characters can inspire readers to love your story as well as drive you to write a great story for these imagined beings to be in! :-)
2007-06-12 05:09:33 · answer #3 · answered by Ralph 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
get the book "Writing from start to finish" by John Schultz
Columbia College Chicago runs a whole department based on it and claims fame to many published authors via this discipline.
I took one fiction class and sometimes shrank from some of the methods. when some one tells you to write now....there is a natural rebellious response. but like the earlier answer if you don't just sit down and start you'll never get it out. throw it all down then cut paste rearrange. but form let's see, the first form they started us out with was the letter form. start out like your writing a letter telling someone the story with lots of details visualize the place the person give atmosphere conditions quality of light is very important. if you want more get the book and you will get model telling, fairy tale folk tale, opposites etc. another suggestion from the book and other classes get a little notebook/journal to carry with you everywhere and write down anything and everything, could be diary like interspersed with story ideas just keep journaling it is a great place to mine for story's and characters
good luck
2007-06-12 02:23:53 · answer #4 · answered by Donna P 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
No computer can help you with that. You just need to start writing your story by doing this:
First a short synopsis off your story.
Then the describtion off the main carracters in it (like age, sex and what they do related to eachother)
Then do a outline. A outline is a step by step roadmap to your story like first hapend that and the that and bla bla bla in marks or steps that you can use while writing it.
Then you have to write your story. Remember if you change anythin while vriting check the outline after things that needed to be changed. Good luck Johan.
2007-06-12 03:21:04 · answer #5 · answered by Johan from Sweden 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Simply write down what you are thinking and use a word processor to shift things around and refine the idea. That's a start.
2007-06-12 01:59:53 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Some people use tarot cards to help lay out a story.
2007-06-12 02:28:21 · answer #7 · answered by redunicorn 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋