Short Story Writing Tips

Do you have any tips for writing short stories that you'd like to share? post them here!

I will start:
One piece of advice I hear a lot is to have the story end with a 'revelation' about your character, either the reader finds out something unexpected about the character or the character finds out something about themselves. Pretty sure its meant to be like a shortened version of character development, since there's not enough time in the story for them to have a full on character arc.

I enjoy writing shorter pieces; it’s a challenge since I also tend to be verbose, lol.

Every word must count, so eliminate unnecessary phrases, sentences, and descriptions—even the ones we love sometimes have to go.

Get straight to the point; avoid meandering at the beginning. Capture the reader's attention within the first two lines and maintain that momentum.

The storyline should be simple enough to resolve within the word limit. It doesn’t need to be a grand "save the world" plot; even small stakes, like finding a set of misplaced keys, can be effective.

World-building is important, but in short stories, we have limited time for extensive detail. Exposition can hinder your word count. You can hint at historical references, but avoid lengthy explanations.

Those are some tips I've picked up. If I think of more, I’ll share. Good luck, and have fun! Short stories are fantastic; more people should give them a try!