How To Write A Short Story (Part 4)

Writing short stories can be very valuable to building your writing career. Short stories are also a very quick way to put your feelings on paper. Starting to write short stories can be a tough endeavor but the more you write the better you will get. I’m almost half way into my 10 part series on how to write a short story. This will be the fourth edition on how to write stories.

Time To Pick A Point of View

You have to determine who is going to tell the story and how much information is available for the narrator to reveal in the story. There are three points of view that we will review. They are written from the perspective of first, second, or third person. The narrator may be involved subjectively or he can report the action objectively.

1. First Person

This style is usually the best choice for beginning writers because it is the easiest to write. The story is told in the “I” point of view. The narrator is either the main character or the secondary character telling the story around the protagonist.

2. Second Person

This puts the readers in the actual scene. This way they are able to confront possibilities directly. It’s important to put your characters in an understandable environment so that details that your readers need are not left out. The second person point of view is usually told directly by you.

3. Third Person

This is where the narrator knows everything about all the characters. The narrator may take sides in the conflict. Or it can be set in a position that you want your reader to challenge. The third person story is told in the “he,” “she,” or “it”.

For beginning reader’s first person is the best way to start your writing. However if you chose to write in one of the other point of views make sure you stick to it. Don’t mix your views. It takes a seasoned writer to be able to mix points of views and even then lots of writers have trouble with it.

This is the end of my fourth article on how to write a short story. I make these tips available because I think there is an author in everyone. Just because you write doesn’t mean you have to get paid for it. You should first and foremost write because you love it and everything will eventually fall into place.

Dale Mazurek

Dale is a professional on line writer whose writing is getting picked up and read more and more everyday. You can look at his writing blog here. http://stcajo-readshortstories.blogspot.com/ Two more of his very popular blogs can be found at http://relationshiptidbits.blogspot.com/ or http://fishingtutor.blogspot.com/