How to write a short story?

Question

I am trying to write a short story for CLUE english but i am stuck
i have problems coming up with ideas
i would like to write about the beginnings of a battle like in helms deep in LOTR
i would like to begin with "it was a dark and stormy night..." but i am afraid it is too cliche
i would like to begin at the break of dawn and end somewhere around the first person getting to the top or something like that
i would like to leave an ambiguous ending and some irony would be appreciated
it does not have to be what i said but i would love it if it could be

I was thinking about it and thought-y not make it like in world of world craft so that when the dude is about to get killed @ the end it can say “error waiting on server” or some lag thing and then the irony will be out and every1 will laugh cause it was just a game even thought the beginning and middle was like a real battle like in helms deep maybe

Answer 1

a trick I use is to start the story as if you were picking up from where another one left off. if you are in Helms Deep and the **** just hit the fan, start out saying something like:

Bob Smith ducked out of the way of the speeding arrows at the last second. Yadda yadda yadda....

then seed in some details as you go. the reader will be in the middle of the story by the end of the first paragraph