Short Story Checklist: Techniques for Getting Short Stories Published

by | Jan 17, 2008 | Craft: Short Story Writing, Submit A Short Story Or Essay, Submit Your Writing | 11 comments

Review Board Is Now Open!
Submit Your Poetry and Short Prose Today!

Day(s)

:

Hour(s)

:

Minute(s)

:

Second(s)

Deadline: Monday, March 13th

There are various writing techniques that will help you get your short stories published. Good characterization, dialogue, mood, tone, action, pacing, and plot development are some of the essential elements found in published short stories.

However, many writers are unfamiliar with the literary strategies that are required when writing short stories for publication. If you’re trying to get your short prose published (as individual stories or as a collection of short stories), this short story checklist will help to increase the chances that your writing will be selected by editors for publication.

Submit to Review Board

Short story checklist:

    • Is the opening sentence (and opening paragraph) of your short story strong, enticing, and confident? Does it set the mood and tone of your entire short story? Is it overly “anything” (overly cute, overly obvious, overly clever), or does it have a hint of mystery?
    • Do you ground your short story in scene by appealing to the reader’s five senses?
    • Does your description advance your reader’s understanding of character and plot?
    • Does the relationship between dialogue and description support your short story’s goals? Is the description well-researched, accurate, and evocative?
    • Do you show rather than tell? Is there a sense of immediacy? Do you reveal and imply, rather than explain and state?
    • Are the characters unique and memorable—but believable at the same time? Are their motivations clear and are they well-rounded? Do your characters’ personalities complement each other in a way that makes the central conflict more pronounced?
    • Is the dialogue believable and effective, striking the right balance between efficiency and realism? Does the dialogue show that the characters are challenged? Is the tension illustrated in a way that is not always “flat and obvious?”
    • Are secondary characters as well-developed as main characters, even if their entire backstory doesn’t come across on the page? Have you taken care that your secondary characters aren’t more interesting than your main characters? Do secondary characters truly add to the short story, or can you cut them out?
    • Is your pacing even and controlled? Is your beginning engaging (or full of too much backstory)? Is your ending well-developed? Does the action have well-controlled ups and downs?
    • Is your ending surprising yet fitting? Does the tension level of your ending deliberately rise above the tension level of the rest of your story? And does the denouement (tying up loose ends) reveal that the character has made a choice (has changed in some way or has had the opportunity to change but instead remained the same)?
    • Is your voice unique? Do you have mesmerizing, insightful, and impressive things to say (or imply)?
    • Have you read your work aloud at least once?
    • Have you had a professional proofreader look at your short story? Even the best writers need a proofreader—in fact, it’s often the best writers who recognize this fact, while new writers tend to think they don’t need help.

These short story techniques will help you wow editors when you’re submitting your short story for publication at literary magazines. As an author’s submission service, Writer’s Relief will proofread and format your short stories to industry standards and will target your work to the best-suited editors.

11 Comments

  1. NewWriter12

    Great imformation!

    Reply
  2. Patryk

    thanks again

    Reply
  3. ralph geeplay

    Thanks for the information. It will certainly help.

    Reply
  4. sarbani

    I wan t to make money by writing.

    Reply
  5. lindaajanssen

    I’m reading this 4 1/2 years after initial publication and it’s still relevant and insightful. Thanks for such a helpful checklist.

    Reply
  6. nombulelo riet

    thank you for the info

    Reply
  7. Thomas A. DeAngelo

    First I like to crack open my can by saying you gave me a WOW amount of helpfulness and packed with plenty of information. With that, I need to be fair to you and all but I get the many directions yet found myself somewhat lost in all of it.

    Reply
  8. Thabo Mooke

    Thank you for the short story info.

    Reply
  9. jon

    Cool info.

    Reply
  10. Mayank Shewale

    Thank you so much for this. I’m writing my first, and I think I missed a few points. Really helps.

    Reply

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Tweets that mention Short Story Checklist: Techniques for Getting Short Stories Published -- Topsy.com - [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by The Jaded NYer, Writer's Relief and Also @RealJanF, R. Penzo. R. Penzo…
  2. 10 Resources to Help You Write a Great Short Story - [...] 8. Short Story Checklist: Techniques for Getting Short Stories Published [...]

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Review Board Is Now Open! Submit Your Poetry and Short Prose Today!

Day(s)

:

Hour(s)

:

Minute(s)

:

Second(s)

 

 

See ALL the services we offer, from
FREE to Full Service!

Click here for a Writer’s Relief
Full Service Overview

Search

Reviews

“Getting that first poem published was the hardest threshold to cross. My team at Writer’s Relief kept encouraging me…then came the acceptance! We celebrated…then I continued writing, and Writer’s Relief continued doing the wonderful work they do!”

—King Grossman, Writer
(Watch King’s video testimonial here!)

“Every piece I have sent out with their help has been accepted for publication! I am looking forward to working with the team on getting my new novel out into the world.”

Services Catalog

Free Publishing Leads
and Tips!

Featured Articles



Featured Video

Follow us!



YES, IT'S MY LUCKY DAY!
Sign me up for
FREE Publishing Leads & Tips
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

WHY? Because our insider
know-how has helped
writers get over 18,000 acceptances.

FREE Publishing Leads and Tips! Our e-publication, Submit Write Now!, delivered weekly to your inbox.
  • BEST (and proven) submission tips
  • Hot publishing leads
  • Calls to submit
  • Contest alerts
  • Notification of industry changes
  • And much more!
close-link


STOP! BEFORE YOU GO...
Sign me up for
FREE Publishing Leads & Tips
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

WHY? Because our insider
know-how has helped
writers get over 18,000 acceptances.

FREE Publishing Leads and Tips! Our e-publication, Submit Write Now!, delivered weekly to your inbox.
  • BEST (and proven) submission tips
  • Hot publishing leads
  • Calls to submit
  • Contest alerts
  • Notification of industry changes
  • And much more!
close-link

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This