Writing Fiction & Poetry : How to Write a Short Story

[HeSpeaks7]

Good vid. Fitting with the theme of short story you made a short video? lol You gave great points anyway. Though, it would be cool (if you have the time) if you could make longer videos? Well either way thanks for the upload.

[LinkinParkInfection]

Thank you Santa.

[micanikko]

Thanks for the tip. =)

[badcat225]

i think this guy is great

[mnaazmy]

did anyone notice his sketch behind him

[marjama02]

fanks

[3CheersForVirgins]

True dat!

[Jac0b130]

hard to pay attention with that pink shirt..

[trendycoretv]

no you dont.

[gabv25]

Thanks for the advices.

[mnaazmy]

hi guys get some more cool tips at flarexz.tk tc

[dylan96unearth]

Santa?

[cuzitsnecessary]

I love how he just cuts you off at the knees early, "You are probably never going to write anything as good as Chekov..." translation "Chekov is legend so give it up!"

[whatsamsn]

Thanks Santa.

haha.

[benesh1000]

Why do you think I probably won't write as well as Chekov, and even if it's true, why tell me?

[trmptdreams]

Quite enjoyed this, Short Stories are my least favorite form of writing, and now you have explained why, partly because of the task, and partly because I never read them and find no pleasure reading them! I would much rather read poetry or a novel :)

[SkylarkGSX]

No, you don't have to read a whole bunch of other short stories in order to write your own!! That's regergitated hog wash!

You write a short story simply by writing, not reading. You don't read a story by writing your own either!

Can you learn from reading? No shit! But if you must read a story in order to write one then you're a fake, a phony, a fraud! And you should stick to an essay.

Plain and simple, other wise sit down and write it baby, cause you already know how! Sit down and write.

[killaDBZfan101]

@SkylarkGSX I think what he is getting at is that you need to find the inspiration and what your looking for in your own story. Its like, finding credible sources, when I write, I read, it gives me the feelings and also allows me to seek out what to write and what should it be about. It does not make you a fraud unless your stealing an idea completely. Which, if you were publishing, wouldn't work. You should look for deeper meaning inside the advice, people see everything differently.

[AsTimeDilates]

It's "novella" not "the vela". Nice video.

[9lk00583]

probably the best advice expertvillage has ever given

[catawba909]

Thanks for the advice...I'm not much of a writer so I just use a website called STORYJOIN You start a story and other members contribute to your story. It works for me, lol.

[bryngOneOn]

also i dont think you should have the mentality of "i'm not going to write anything as good as the greats" like you say you can see what they've done b4,which plus ur own talenbts enables u 2plunder their mechanics and in that way you have an advantage over them. if you think all the time is this good enuf or should i do that ur never going to move the genre on to the next level, shoulder's of giants and all that.

[bryngOneOn]

it's not that i'm lazy, it's more of a fear of not being able to pull the rabbit out of the hat on command again, so i put picking up the pen, til "hey presto" comes, today for avoidance i have meandered around the how to write vids on utube, so hilarious, wannabees who need some gratification, this video is how ever rather good, i'm treating a prologue as a short story, but with relevence to the main, i think the unnecassary though should be applied to all works not just short stories

[bellatrix336]

I have to write a short story but i have no idea what to write about!! wish you could have helped me with this!!!

[madmethod21]

I meant change the direction not chance lol

[madmethod21]

Um, I'm just moving away from poetry and trying my hand at short story and/or novel writing but I would say if you hit a wall and you can't relate to your character then chance the direction of where their heading. How can you write about something that you can't relate to?

[ZenBarracuda]

@madmethod21 I can't even relate to myself, much less my stories. lol.

[HauntedGril]

I like what u said !! but as the other here i wish it was longer

[thegaystnameonutube]

@HauntedGril knowing all the english Bullshit they talk about,

he was probably trying to reflect how to keep the text short and to the point.

[HauntedGril]

guys! didn't u notice that he is talking about caracters as if they r already t here? like when sayin' : you have to know your caracter and his/her problem ans stuff"????!!!!

[Funtertain]

I greatly appreciate the tips and advice :)

[ZenBarracuda]

Help! I write short stories and I've written sixteen pages of something I hope will be special but I've hit a wall. It's not writer's block. For some reason I can't put myself in my character's shoes. I can't place myself in his situation. How can I work through this? Suggestions please. Incidentally, I appreciated your advice about reading lots of short stories.

[charlotteamalie]

@ZenBarracuda: Read books that were written about people in your character's situation. For instance, if your writing about a soldier, read "All Quiet on the Western Front" etc. Read everything you can get your hands on and then project your individual's character onto this situation and create dialogue or situations that make up your story. Imagine what it would be like sitting in a trench shooting at the enemy and then start writing: the smells, the sounds, the sights, the conversations...

[ZenBarracuda]

That's good advice, Charlotte, and I thank you for it. I'm just about to go out and buy a new book now. Your comment has proven to be very timely. I'm writing a story about honesty at the moment. Seems to me that every time I say anything to anybody it is a lie. Maybe that's why I woke up in the night gasping for air.

[charlotteamalie]

You say that every time you open your mouth you lie?  Are you sure you're not a Democratic politician?

[ZenBarracuda]

@charlotteamalie I guess I could be any kind of politician. I'm writing a story that will serve as an attack on polite society. When people say "How are you?" do they really mean it? All of these little lies really add up. I think a huge amount of strees would be dropped from our shoulders if we all had the strength of character to be ourselves. It's a theme I'm exploring right now. If only on the page.

[charlotteamalie]

Trust me, you would not want to live in an "impolite society" where people never politely inquired how you are feeling. We must train ourselves to always look on the bright side but have enough strength of character to work through our own problems. If you are feeling down about something, you can talk to a parent, a priest or a trusted counselor. The huge amount of stress can be dropped if we learn to accept our situation as being the best possible for our own growth.

[ZenBarracuda]

I don't like the word 'polite.' I've got a problem with it. I am always polite - and it rips me to pieces. Politeness is the brick wall that encases me. False sentiments, forced smiles, growing anxieties. I feel like a robot. What I desire is real authentic communication. No barriers, no walls, one life. You talk about stress. Well, I'll be honest: it's got me by the throat.

[charlotteamalie]

I assume you are single by the way you talk because the kind of "authentic communication" you long for only really comes out in a marriage. I would hope you would stay polite in your job because you want your patients to trust you. Writing is a great way for self-expression. You can let your inner voice speak on paper in ways that you can't with real people in the real world. 'Please' and "thank you" are important in any language and culture. Don't discount the importance of good manners!

[ZenBarracuda]

I am single. You're right about that - and I'm a learning disability nurse. I work with young people with mental health issues. Unbelievably, I'm one of the most polite people you could ever hope to meet. As far back as I can remember people have called me a nice guy. I think the reason I'm so hung up on polite society is because I'm getting deeper into Buddhism and my perception of reality and who I am is beginning to change dramatically. I really am going down the rabbit hole.

[charlotteamalie]

@ZenBarracuda: The most important thing you have to remember is that whatever your goal in life is, whatever you hope to achieve, whether professional, marriage, kids, writing..whatever, there is a "yetzer hara" inside of you, or a "evil inclination" as exists in every man, that will try to spoil your dreams & make you fail so that you won't succeed. Your job in life is to fight the yetzer hara and work hard at achieving what will make you a fulfilled person. That is all you have to remember!

[ZenBarracuda]

@charlotteamalie Is it truly evil, or could it better be described as false? My own interpretation is that the "yetzer hara's" role is to draw man away from The Truth. Therefore, concepts such as bad, evil or wicked, might better be described as 'distraction from finding The Truth.' Does that sound right?

[charlotteamalie]

The word "ra" means evil. The goal of the yetzer hara is to pull man towards evil pure and simple.

Anytime you give in to this impulse you stab yourself in the back and get further away from your goals. Case in point: Tiger Woods. He gave into all his evil impulses and destroyed his life; hence, the yetzer hara succeeded in destroying him!

[ZenBarracuda]

@charlotteamalie Evil leads to evil-doers, evil-doers lead to an evil one, and the evil one is 'THE DEVIL,' in one impish form or another. He is of course a purely cultural villain, with a different costume for every occasion. He's a belief, and beliefs only exist to do battle with opposing beliefs. What other purpose would they have?

[figocooldude]

@charlotteamalie Destruction is a part of life.

[bryngOneOn]

charlotteamalie i assume you are a female by the way you talk because the kind of "authentic communication" you long for does not come from the husband, did ur husband today feel comfortable telling you he checked out the bottom of a girl he was walking behind on the way to work and did he tell you you didn't look as nice as you sometimes do in that new dress, never is their so much with held in a relationship as in marriage. it's a thing husbands do called emotional management

[charlotteamalie]

Maybe the behaviors you are describing exist in your marriage but definitely not in mine. Authentic communication can flourish in a relationship where neither has to pretend to be someone else and you don't bring third parties into the relationship and you can express your thoughts freely, but respectfully, never in a demeaning fashion. It's not always easy but the payback is MORE than worth the investment.

[BardofCornwall]

These are good little introductions.

[dustinkahlil]

" A Good Man Is Hard To Find" is also very well paced and very well told. She's also one of the best writers of short fiction that ever touched a pen.

[futurediva222]

The best way to become a writer is to read a lot of books. Read a lot of New Yortk Times best selling novels and see what elements made it a sucess. Also, I personally feel that it is important to be diverse in your reading habits. Read books from different genres to accquire various skills. I have done this and am amazed at how much my writing ability has progressed. Also, a thesaurus is a great tool to help you with preventing the use of repetitive words.

[texasberry]

If you really want to know how to write short fiction, read Flannery O'Connor's Mystery and Mannners. Charles Baxter's Burning Down the House is also helpful.

[aytches]

i've always loved writing but i've never gotten very far.

lately i've been taking it very seriously.

i'm trying to write a novella.

so far i have 7000 words... and i'd think i'm almost half way through the story.

[like this video said... i know the problem... i just don't know where the story is going yet]

[GeoButter66]

I just recently started writing short stories, and I have to say, this video actually helped. Thanks.

[NoirHammer]

I liked your video but it was brief. I'd like for you to discuss how the old pulp writers managed to hammer out a short story over the weekend while getting paid for it?

Thanks.

[douginamerica]

That's the whole point! Wow, it was suppose to be short and without any wasted words.

[viledischarge666]

does anyone know where there is a short story community online where you can post your stories for others to see and read others as well?

[ampleoppourtunity]

Dad, thanks

[mickylad1]

Thankyou for this video it helped me lots!

[SHRINA17]

Thank you so much for this information!