Many writers believe that an interesting plot makes a short story, but as a genre, the short story is not very different from long fiction. Every story has a beginning, body, and end. But the secret to successfully getting a short story published is to add something special to your storytelling mix, something that captures the attention of editors and readers alike. While there are no hard and fast rules for creating a short story, here are some tips that may help your writing stand out.

1. Identify The Heart Of Your Story. 

Remember that you are writing a short story, so considering that most short stories tend to be 4000 words, you’ll need to make every sentence count. If you over-stuff your plot by including too many distractions, your story will feel overloaded and underdeveloped. Explore your motivation, determine what you want your story to do, then stick to the core of your message.

2. See Things Differently

Try to experiment with your story, make an unexpected voice to provide the most compelling, focused experience of the central story. Just be careful that you don’t inadvertently give the story to a nonessential character. The most common mistake that many beginners make is narrating the storyline through a character who’s not central to the action. It’s often confusing or convoluted result.

3. Opposites Attract

Try approaching the core of your idea from an unusual direction. Dialogue, setting, and characterization are all areas that will benefit from an unexpected twist. Elements that work against your character’s central desire will keep the reader intrigued and prevent your story from getting suck.

4. Craft A Strong Title

This is one of the most important and tricking parts. Take note that the title is the first line that readers read. These excerpts from your text just might hold the perfect title. Your title should tell what is the story all about. It should capture the readers’ interest. Try to stay away from one- or two-word titles, which can seem to editors as taking the easy way out.

5. Shorter Is Sweeter

With a shorter short story, you will have more markets available to you and thus a better chance of getting published. Resist the urge to go on, editors consistently prefer short stories that are under 3,500 words over longer ones.