Udemy

The Basics of Writing a Compelling Short Story

How to create stories that capture readers and develop your skills as a writer
Free tutorial
Rating: 4.4 out of 5 (98 ratings)
1,803 students
1hr 30min of on-demand video
English
English [Auto]

Write in a way that will feel more honest and natural to readers.
Avoid common mistakes.
Build strong writing habits
Learn how to develop a voice.

Requirements

  • You should have at least one idea that you're willing to write about.
  • Writing utensil

Description

Have you ever read a book that just fell flat? Especially one that was recommended to you by someone you respect, and you just couldn't get into it? 

Short stories are often held to a higher standard, and, more often than not, looked down on by non-writers. 

Why are short stories so important? For writers, it's because writing a short story is how we practice. It's how we test ourselves and push our imaginations to the very limit. Novels are great for some things, but it's easy to let your characters fall into worn-out roles. In short stories, your characters are constantly tested due to word limitation and it's some of the best practice in the world. Not to mention, if you think that writing a story in 100,000 words is hard, try to put that same story in 1,000!

In this course, I will not only cover some of the basics of writing (including common pitfalls) but I will also break down a short story into its parts and explain them. At the end of this course, you will have a firm grasp of a short story and how to write one. 

Thanks for checking out the course!

Who this course is for:

  • Beginner writers.

Instructor

  • 4.5 Instructor Rating
  • 149 Reviews
  • 5,225 Students
  • 2 Courses

Nathaniel Mellor is a writer and poet. He has a couple of published short stories, one published internationally, and a handful of published poems. Nathaniel is currently a house sitter, traveling the world and writing with pets on his lap. Nathaniel can be found sitting outside of cafes, usually on his laptop, though it's common for him to be staring off into space.

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