The Man in Black

I was wondering if y'all had any idea what my problem is. I just can't seem to write a decent short story. I've written a few longer things, mostly for fun with no intention of being published, but everytime I settle down to get started on a short story, I get discouraged and quickly lose interest. I'm not sure if it has to do with not being able to compress the story, or not being willing to try different things, or maybe I just havn't read enough short stories and don't have a firm grasp of what makes a good one.

Coming up with good ideas that can be explored in the relatively short space is another problem I have. I'm going to be taking a class on Short Stories in the fall, so hopefully that will help, but if anybody has any suggestions before then for things I can do to warm myself up to the form, I'd really appreciate it.

__________________
The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.

Selorian

The first thing I would suggest is reading as many as you can. You may be right that you haven't read enough to understand what it takes to make a good short. Even if that isn't it, a writer can never be hurt by reading more. Do a search on google for short stories and read a variety of them. Good or bad, you'll learn from them. Another resource to look at for reading material is Project Gutenberg.

__________________
Utopia can only exist in a violent society.

Writing Discussions... New look and features.
Litsters... It's coming, are you ready?

Mike C

Read. It's hard to write if you don't know what you're aiming at.

__________________
My writing
My Photo Blog
Web design for Writers
The Oddville Press