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Write Good and Short

By Roy Clark
Senior Scholar

The original version of this essay took more than 3,000 words. In the spirit of Twain, I've got more time, so I've written shorter. I've revised the title from "Writing Good Stories in 800 Words or Less." For good measure, I've dropped my middle name.

Here's what's left:

1. Find models of short writing from every genre and medium. Let the writers become your teachers. For editors: Create spaces in your publication where the short story can flourish. Give short writing good play. Experiment with familiar forms of short writing: the headline, the tease, the caption, the brief, the brite, the notes column.

2. Turn coal into diamonds, routine assignments into special stories: an obit, a spelling bee, a high school graduation, daylight-saving time, the new phone book.

3. Thaw out the 5W's and H. Turn Who into Character, Where into Setting, When into Chronology.

4. Turn the pyramid right side up. Use the hourglass -- telling the news first, then switching to narrative.

5. Remember the basics of storytelling: scene setting, dialogue, point of view, character details.

6. Think of chapters, segments, vignettes, slices of life.

7. Know from the beginning whether you're writing a sonnet or an epic.

8. Focus, focus, focus.

Sept. 11 reminded us of the value of stories, the long and the short. The New York Times' "Portraits of Grief"combine the poignancy of the short feature obit with the cumulative impact of an inventory of the lost. Read those to learn the craft.

This version is 264 words. I saved you 2,700. And about 12 minutes of reading time.