One of my main ways to improve writing is by writing a lot of short stories. How do I come up with these ideas? Why do I come up with these ideas? In this post, I go into details about creating short story ideas with a twist.
Short Story Ideas – Simple Words
Writing a good short story is an art. It’s a process. A process to write, constantly revising, editing. For me, it starts with words. Choose any word or words and then start writing. I trust my mind, instinct when it comes to writing. So it all begins with a word or two. Example – The beach, The lake.
Once, I write down those words on the page, there are a few questions I ask.
- Why have I written those words?
- How were things related to these words different in the past?
- How will be things related to these words in the future?
Once I contemplate for few minutes, I start to write and let my hands do the work without any interruption. As Ray Bradbury said, “Don’t think“.
What If I’m Stuck
Sometimes, I’m stuck. And it is ok. What is not ok is to not write or think it is writer’s block. Writer’s block is nothing but laziness. Take a break. Go for a walk. End your day’s writing if you are stuck. Come back later with fresh views and thinking. The goal is to write without thinking. Thinking only helps when you’re editing a story. So do not pressure yourself if you’re stuck. A mind is a great machine. It unravels the daemons on its own.
In the last few years, I’ve written a number of short stories. Most of those started with words like “A Train to Nowhere”, “Acid Rain”, “The Hitchhiker”. The short story ideas based on these words don’t come with complete ideas. Just the words. Words come first, short stories happen later. The short story evolves as I write more and more.
Don’t be too ambitious when writing initially
Writing shouldn’t be a hard task. If you find yourself in a conundrum of not enjoying the writing, then you’re doing it wrong. Just don’t force yourself. The joy, the pleasure of writing is in the action, but not in thinking. Thinking is detrimental to progress. Keep your goal simple. Simple goals help your mind too. Too ambitious goals are the culprit to start with. Small goals, small achievements initially.
Let your ideas flow. Ideas can be plenty. Short stories can take time. But writing a lot will only produce great short stories eventually. It takes time and work. Slow and persistent efforts are better than doing those things one time for a longer period.
Words – Writing short stories – Editing short stories – Polished short stories
That’s the process.