How do I construct characters that live in the reader's imagination?

There is no correct way to write a short story. As an author, you are in control of your own created worlds and the people, place and plots can be whatever you want.

At the same time, stories only really come to life when they are read – the author is only a part of the whole process. This is where the challenges creep in. No-one wants to read stories where the people don’t engage our emotions and use dialogue which sounds like sermons, where the places are either flat or over-described, where the plots don’t hang together. And in short story competitions you have to be your own copy editor and make sure that you’ve weeded out the misspellings and solecisms.

Here, then, are some tips and tricks to help you give your short stories the best chance of success, whether that’s in competitions or in getting published.

1. Stick to the rules. If the competition or magazine asks for up to 3000 words, don’t assume that they’ll make an exception for your 8000 word opus.

2. Unless you have a great deal of experience, keep it simple. Don’t try to weave in a huge cast of characters that wouldn’t be out of place in War and Peace; don’t create such complex plots that the reader needs to keep notes to know what’s happening.

3. Make every word count. You don’t have the luxury of a novel’s 80,000 words so don’t waste any on unnecessarily lush descriptions or vapid dialogue that goes nowhere.

4. Keep the reader turning the pages. Not every story needs a James Bond plot but think about having enough tension and desire to hook the reader, to make her care about what happens next.

5. Be aware of the shape of your story. In general, think about a gradual increase in pace and tension – don’t start with your best scene and make the rest a disappointing also-ran.

6. You don’t have to succumb to the temptation to tie up all the ends. Sometimes the drama is best served by letting the reader fill in the gaps – as the author you don’t have to do all the work.

7. And finally, revise, revise, revise! When you finish writing, set the story aside for a day or more and then re-read it critically. Are your characters believable? Is their dialogue meaningful? Does every phrase, sentence or scene make a full contribution to the story? If not, cut it out. It may hurt but it’s for the best – good luck!

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