Now, not just any six words will do. For example, take this one from Buzzfeed, “A lover of all things beautiful.” What can infer about the subject of the story? The characters? The actions? This story is too vague and the reader can infer nothing beyond the sentence itself. Compare that story to this one found on Six Word Stories, “‘Wrong number,’ says a familiar voice.” Just from those six words, we can infer that there is some tension between the protagonist of the story and the person being called because the protagonist recognizes this person, but this person either doesn’t remember the protagonist or doesn’t want to speak to them.

Let’s take another example from Six Word Stories, “‘Total media blackout,’ agreed the President.” Again, this sentence alone infers a lot that is unsaid, mainly that there is some sort of conspiracy or crisis at play if the President is ordering a media blackout. In order for a six-word short story to pack the punch that Baby Shoes has, the words should allude to a more complete story.

So, now that we know the rules, we’re challenging you to a two-part writing exercise.

Write a Six-Word Story

We know the task can feel daunting at first, but know that it doesn’t have to sound eloquent or complex. In fact, the simpler the better because you don’t have a lot of words to fool around with. Focus on accomplishing the task of inferring more than is actually said. If you’re struggling, look up examples from other writers- this should give you some ideas and also remind you that it’s not as complicated as you think. Come up with a few six-word stories and then pick your favorite one from there.

Create a Story From Your Story

Now that you have your six-word short story completed, we challenge you to flesh out that story into an actual short story (no word count limit). Wouldn’t it have been interesting if the author of Baby Shoes had fleshed out their tiny story into something bigger since there’s so much there already? Do this with your six-word story! Give it a protagonist, a plot, a character arc, and a resolution/choice (just like any short story).

WARNING (for people who like to cheat and look ahead): Do NOT do this in reverse, I.E. think about what you want to write and then try to think of a six-word story to match it. You’ll not only be robbing yourself of your best six-word story, but you’ll likely stumble upon a nasty case of writer’s block. Good luck, happy writing!

The post Writing Prompt: Six Word Story appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Character Arc

Even though you’re working with a fraction of the page length and word count that novelists work with, short story readers want to see some character arc- at least from your protagonist. If you’re including, let’s say, a group of friends in your short story, your audience won’t be expecting character arc from every single member of the group. That would be a ridiculous expectation for a 30-page story. Simply hone in on your protagonist’s story and brainstorm ways to make sure they’ve changed by the end of the story. Remember, your short story should be selected to take place during a time of character growth for your protagonist. Focus on how the events of the story will change your protagonist as a person- for better or worse.

As few characters as possible

Because your page length is very limited and there’s a lot that needs to happen, you’ll only be shooting yourself in the foot by trying to include dozens of characters. You won’t be able to fully realize your protagonist’s development and the plot of the story if you’re focusing on establishing all of these different characters and their unique traits. Not only that, but your readers will be frustrated. Even in a novel, it’s difficult to have several characters introduced at once- let alone in a story less than 1/4 the size.

Emotional Impact

It may not happen often, but have you ever watched a commercial or music video and found yourself bursting into tears? Even though you’ve been viewing this tiny story or advertisement for a mere few minutes, what you watched was so simple and touching with its own little story. You leave surprised something so short could impact you so much emotionally. That’s exactly how your short story should feel. All of the best short stories, similarly to these mediums, hone in on the emotional core of an experience and, because they’re short and can get right to the point, have a way of being extremely touching. Stories like Why the Sky Turns Red When the Sun Goes Down and Delicate Edible Birds are just a few of hundreds of stories to use as examples of how to do this well.

Clear theme

Whereas novel writers can touch on several themes or topics throughout their stories, short story writers are encouraged to hone in on one and focus on dissecting it. And it can’t be a general idea like simply love/relationships, politics, or war- hone in on a specific aspect of these big ideas. For example, Jhumpa Lahiri’s A Temporary Matter focuses on the relationship between a couple who suffered a miscarriage and how it affects their relationship.

Less exposition, more action/imagery

Though novel writing will inevitably involve some exposition, in a short story you should include as little as possible. Focus on showing the details of your character’s internal state and their feelings through setting, observations that the character makes, objects they see, people they interact with, and body language. For example, let’s say your protagonist’s dilemma is trying to decide whether they want to have kids. Maybe throughout the story, as they maneuver through life, they observe different kid/parent interactions- some sweet, some sad, some annoying. This way we aren’t being told how the protagonist feels, we get to see them noticing things and their body language or reactions can tell us how they’re feeling about what they’re observing.

The post Writing For Your Audience: Short Stories appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.