Friday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts

ONE GREAT WAY TO WRITE A SHORT STORY 

By: Jimmie Kepler 

I am a "second-rate" short story writer. 

Why would I say that? "Exhibit A" shows the answer. It is a certificate documenting my second-place finish in the short story writing contest of the East Texas Christian Writer's Conference. I have never won a short story competition, but have finished in second place. 

I have written and even sold short stories. Over the years, I have entered short story contests. I am still seeking that elusive "first place" in a short story contest. 

In my quest to win a contest, I have become a student of the short story form. Here is what I call "One Great Way to Write a Short Story." It begins with planning. 

PLANNING IS ESSENTIAL

I would never start writing a short story without at least a rough outline to tell me where I am going. I recommend jotting down the answers to a few questions. The answers provide the framework for where the story is going. 

The first step in writing a short story is a planning exercise. Plan your short story in advance by answering questions in three areas:

• The subject – Who is the main character? What is the problem?
• The story –What is the character’s motivation to solve the problem? What actions occur to solve the problem?
• The resolution – What are results of the character’s acts to resolve the problem? What change does the character undertake because of that action?

HOW I DO IT – STEP BY STEP

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Read the full article HERE!

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If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:

1. Genre Hopping: Genius or Fatal Mistake? http://ow.ly/DdpiK
2. Worldbuilding A Religion - Part Three: How Religion Shapes Characters | Fantasy-Faction http://ow.ly/DdpMa
3. AuthorCulture: One Great Way to Write a Short Story http://ow.ly/Ddq46
4. QueryTracker Blog: The Challenges of Writing a Sequel http://ow.ly/DdqaQ
5. Reference For Writers, How to Do Research for Your Novel http://ow.ly/DdqxG
6. The Creative Penn Blog: Helping you write, publish and market your book | The Creative Penn http://ow.ly/DdqIK
7. Books and reading | The unreliable vs omniscient narrator http://ow.ly/DdqO2
8. The Write Conversation : Brainstorming for Writers—Use Social Media to Get Unstuck http://ow.ly/DdqTp
9. 5 Marketing Mistakes That Beginning Fiction Writers Make by Jason Kong — The Book Designer http://ow.ly/Ddr0J
10. Patricia Stoltey: So You Want to Publish An Anthology? Read On... http://ow.ly/Ddr6Y
11. Book Marketing Tips: 10 Steps for a Successful Ebook Price Promotion http://ow.ly/DdsIz
12. The Kill Zone: How To Get Out of Story Stall http://ow.ly/DdsUT
13. ThrillWriting: Code Blue: Information for Writers with Sarah Clark http://ow.ly/DduBX
14. How to Use Traps to Create Suspense in Fiction - Marcy Kennedy http://ow.ly/DduMk
15. Ask Jami: Whose Point of View Should We Use? | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author http://ow.ly/Df27t

Happy writing and running, Kathy