Questions

Writing short stories online can be a great way of expressing yourself. They are ***?n and enjoyable and more and more ***?ople are taking to story writing and discovering a new world of creativity and imagination. With the help of this article, interested story writers can ***?in a better ***?rspective into the art of writing short stories.

Before you start to write short stories online, identify the audience for your story. Is it aimed at ****?nagers, children, women, scholars, or intellectuals? This will help you decide the tone of the story and decide the language that you are going to use for the story. For children, the style of writing will be simpler and more animated; for intellectuals you have the freedom to use longer ***?ntences and heavier words and expressions.

Another thing that is important before you start writing online stories is to do the necessary research for the story. While all writers have creative license, there must be some ***?ctual foundation that the story is based on. Even if you are writing a ***?ntasy, it might be worthwhile to research different mythologies and ***?ntasies.  

When writing online stories most writers start by providing a lot of details right at the beginning. It’s better to grab your reader’s attention from the start. No point in beginning the excitement from chapter number four. Most readers may never reach that ***?r, if the beginning doesn’t grip them.

Build the action and suspense in the story and engage the interest of the reader ***?ll the ****?max. The conclusion or the ****?max of the story is the right place for you to ***?e all the loose ends together. The ***?rfect end is like the ribbon that is ***?ed around a gift with great flourish.

The essence of writing short stories online is to have a concrete beginning, middle and end (like we were taught in school!). Whatever style of writing you may choose, the basics will remain the same. If the story is not ****?anized well, the reader may end up baffled and confused.


- Mikal Jhonson

I have been an avid novel reader and have mainly read thriller, mysteries, etc. I have enjoyed medical thrillers immensely although I have read some law and techno thrillers. All of the stuff without any real merit lol However, I want to broaden my horizon and begin to read about real life events, topics, people, etc. I need to start with some non-fiction books that are exciting enough to hold my interest, and then I will sort of “wean” myself from this need for excitement.

Does anyone have non-fiction titles to start with? It doesn’t matter the topic, just needs to be interesting and reasonably exciting.

Thanks in advance for your answers!
- John S

Here are the seven advanced techniques authors use to make a story powerful. Share this quick quiz to see which skills your kids use and to see what a difference practising writing in small ‘chunks’ can make…

TOPIC: A Boy, a Bear and a Lucky Escape

Plan for Success: Which plan is better?

a) We went to the zoo and a bear got loose and chased Jeremy.

b) We went to the zoo and a bear escaped and chased Jeremy, the naughtiest boy in the school. Our teacher whistled really loudly and threw a hamburger to distract the bear so Jeremy was saved.

ANS (b): Always know the ending. Remember the Story Graph? A story should build to a great climax - which means the writer has to know the ending right away. If kids have no ending, they don’t have a story plan, they just have an idea and a couple of characters.

Sizzling Starts: Which story start is more interesting?

a) The lock on the bear’s cage looked old, and the bear looked cross.

b) I woke up that morning, got dressed and ate breakfast.

ANS (a): Warn kids NOT to start stories at the beginning of the day where nothing happens. Stories should start with action and excitement, to hook the reader instantly.

Dynamic Dialogue: Which is the most powerful dialogue?

a) Ms Elleson the teacher told us to stand back from the cage as the bear was growling loudly, but Jeremy didn’t listen.

b) ‘Stand back,’ said Ms Elleson our teacher, but Jeremy didn’t listen. Suddenly the bear growled loudly. ‘Jeremy!’ cried Ms Elleson, ‘get away from the bear. NOW!’

ANS (b): bring characters to life by using dialogue.

Which scene has more tension?

a) The bear reared up and growled again. Then it jumped at Jeremy and the door flew open. Jeremy yelled and started running and the bear followed him.

b) The bear reared up and growled again even more loudly. Jeremy just laughed and pretended to growl too and jumped around, teasing it. Suddenly the bear snarled and lunged at him. The rusted lock on the door rattled and then, with a crack, it broke apart. The cage door slid open and for a moment, the bear just stood there, confused and angry. Then with a yell, Jeremy started running - and the bear followed.

ANS: (b): Young writers often make the tension scenes too short. Show them how to escalate the action slowly but powerfully to increase excitement.

Show, Don’t Tell. Which sentence ‘tells’ and which ’shows’?

a) I was really scared.

b) My heart was thudding loudly in my chest and brain.

ANS: (a) tells and (b) shows. Showing is far more convincing to the reader.

Ban the Boring Bits. Which sentence would YOU rather read?

a) Suddenly Ms Elleson put her fingers to her mouth and gave a really loud whistle. Matthew and Lance and Pete and I nearly went deaf. The bear skidded to a halt and looked at her. Slowly she bent and put the hamburger she’d just bought from the shop, on the ground and stepped back.

b) Suddenly Ms Elleson put her fingers to her mouth and gave a really loud whistle. The bear skidded to a halt and looked at her. Slowly she bent and put her hamburger on the ground and stepped back.

ANS: (b) By cutting out unnecessary detail the reader is hooked on what is happening to the characters and wants to keep reading.

Exciting Endings. Which ending holds your interest the most?

a) The rangers caught the bear easily, it was still eating the hamburger. Then we saw a few more animals and caught the bus back to school.

b) The rangers caught the bear easily, it was still eating the hamburger.

‘Jeremy,’ said Ms Elleson, ‘you owe me a hamburger. Get me one from the shop please.’ Jeremy just looked at her in amazement. She wasn’t even sweating. ‘Now please Jeremy,’ she said firmly. And for once, Jeremy did exactly what he was told.

ANS: (b) Keep your reader hooked right to the end - no boring bus trips home.

(c) Jen McVeity, National Literacy Champion.


- Jen McVeity