Write Short Stories - and Get Them Published

by Fairbairns, Zoe

• ISBN13: 9781444124033
• ISBN10: 144412403X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2016-01-26
• Publisher: Teach Yourself

Summary

An experienced short story writer offers practical exercises and advice Ideal for anyone who wants to write creatively in a genre that is increasingly attracting attention from publishers, this guide will help writers unlock imagination and creativity, and discover stories they didn't know they had. It teaches writers how to observe the world around them more sharply, as well as to structure, shape, and polish a story. It is full of practical exercises that will inspire imagination and refine skills, and confidence-building suggestions and hints. It also offers strategies and techniques for securing a readership or even a publisher, and gives the very latest information on how to use the internet for maximum advantage.

Author Biography

Zoe Fairbairns is a short story writer whose work has been published in such magazines as Cosmopolitan and The Yellow Room. She has contributed to two collections of feminist short stories and to several anthologies. She teaches short story writing.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. x
Only got a minute?	p. xii
Where do I begin?	p. 1
What you need	p. 10
So what do writers need?	p. 11
Do writers need specialist equipment?	p. 17
What else does a writer need?18
What do short story writers need?	p. 18
The little black dress	p. 21
What has a little black dress got to do with writing short stories?	p. 21
The little black dress: early examples	p. 22
Another way to dress up your little black dress	p. 25
More accessories for your little black dress	p. 27
Whose story is this?	p. 29
Point of view	p. 29
Choosing your point of view	p. 33
Intensity	p. 43
How to achieve intensity	p. 43
Some dos and don'ts	p. 45
Enjoy	p. 52
Warming up	p. 53
Reading as a writer	p. 54
Which short stories should you read?	p. 57
Size matters	p. 62
How to write a story of a particular length	p. 63
Keeping it short	p. 66
Longer short stories	p. 69
Finding the plot	p. 73
When to plot	p. 74
Elements of plotting	p. 75
To plan or not to plan?	p. 79
Short story structures	p. 82
Narrative arc	p. 82
Predicament/resolution (but with camouflage)	p. 83
Circles	p. 85
A journey	p. 85
Pictures	p. 86
Ripples	p. 87
Lists	p. 87
The hero's adventure	p. 88
The end	p. 89
The people in your stories	p. 93
One character at a time	p. 94
Show, don't tell	p. 95
Get physical	p. 96
Give your characters things to do	p. 98
Use yourself as a character	p. 98
Allow for change and development	p. 99
Use contradictions and contrasts	p. 100
Avoid stereotypes	p. 100
Let them talk	p. 101
Dialogue	p. 103
Direct and indirect speech	p. 103
How can you learn more about writing dialogue?	p. 110
You can't believe a word they say-the role of unreliable narrators	p. 119
What is an unreliable narrator?	p. 120
Creating an unreliable narrator	p. 123
Creating an unreliable narrator-other approaches	p. 124
Documentary stories	p. 127
What is a documentary short story?	p. 128
Fantasy and the supernatural	p. 135
Magical realism	p. 136
Other tales of the supernatural: fairy tales and fables	p. 138
The horror, the horror	p. 140
Ghost stories	p. 141
Science fiction and fantasy	p. 142
What's the point?	p. 143
Research	p. 146
Researching what you know	p. 147
Researching what you half-know	p. 149
Researching what you don't know	p. 151
When should you do your research?	p. 152
Do not skip this chapter	p. 155
Getting it right	p. 157
Revisions, revisions	p. 162
Publishing your stories	p. 172
What does 'being professional'mean?	p. 173
Approaching publishers	p. 174
Should i send my stories in for competitions?	p. 177
What about Internet publishing?	p. 178
Self-publishing	p. 179
Short stories on the radio	p. 181
Public readings	p. 181
Why?	p. 183
Taking it further	p. 189
Books about writing	p. 189
Books about getting published	p. 189
For reference	p. 189
Magazines for writers	p. 190
Websites for short story writers	p. 190
Index	p. 191
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