Writing a Short Story for Amateur Authors

Have you ever read a novel that was so terrible that you thought, "I could write something better than that"?

Have you ever had a genius idea for a story, but haven't had the motivation to type it up?

Have you got notebooks filled with half written stories that you never got around to finishing?

If you answered yes to all, some or none of those questions, then this is the post for you! Writing a short story or novelette is simpler than you think and in this post I will outline five easy steps to writing an awesome story.

Step 1: Brainstorm

Before you even start thinking about writing a story, you need to have an idea of what it will be about. Take an idea of a character, event or setting and let your imagination run wild to form the beginnings of a plot. Brainstorming can happen in your head, but it is more effective when done through dot points or a mind map on paper. In a brainstorm, you don't need to go into much detail, but simply jot ideas down to develop your ideas. This will make the next stage much easier.

Step 2: Planning

Different people plan in different ways and for some people, brainstorming is enough preparation and they can jump straight into writing, but for most great stories, planning is key. The point of outlining a plan is to make actually writing your story simpler and less daunting. I usually do two plans, the first is a few sentences outlining events happening in each chapter. The second plan turns those sentences into dot points which go into detail about exactly what I will write and where I want things such as descriptions and dialogue. 

Step 3: Writing

After planning and brainstorming, beginning to write becomes less of a big deal. There is no need to rush the writing process since you have a plan to follow and if you don't write anything for a month, it is easy to get back into it by reading over your plan. During this stage, it is important not to worry about your word count so don't try to add or cut out paragraphs. Just write the story how you want it to be written. Be descriptive and pay attention to the details. Don't hesitate over spelling and grammar, you can worry about that later. Just write.

Step 4: Editing 

This is the most important part in my opinion. I pick a different coloured pen or pencil and go through checking spelling and cutting out unnecessary sentences or adding parts I may have missed. I will usually edit around 3-4 times and then get someone else to proofread it. Lastly, if I wrote it in a notebook, I will type it up then proofread the typed copy once more. I can guarantee that by the end you will be entirely sick of reading your story but it will ensure that your readers will have the best reading experience possible. 

Step 5: Sharing

Be proud of your work and share it with others. Send it to friends and family and ask them for feed back. Uploading it to a platform such as Wattpad will help share it with fellow writers. Take all feedback positively and note improvements you can make for your next story. 

I hope that this post has inspired you to write a short story and made the process easier. Check out my account on Wattpad: @thepenandinkpot to see some of my work. Come back next week for a new post. Till then, happy writing!