So, I'm asking for any advice to help me out for it.

The details are:

So, in a quick lesson, how do you write a short story? It's mathematics, actually. The required length of a story increases in direct proportion to the number of important characters, the number of situations that require resolution, and the amount of scene setting required by alien/fantasy/historic settings.

1. Limit your characters. The more acting characters you have in a story, the more story you need to tell their stories. For a 3000 word story, I wouldn't advise any more than two (maybe three) acting characters.

2. Limit your situations/conflicts. The more problems your characters have to deal with, the more story is required to tell about them. For a 3000 word story, limit yourself to one problem/conflict that requires resolution.

3. Rely on the familiar. If you set a story in current times, you need spend very little time establishing scenery or cultural mores or physical characteristics or mode of dress/travel etc.

4. Read a LOT of short stories and analyze how the writer does (or doesn't do) the above successfully. You should be able to find plenty of short story anthologies at the library.

What I would try is to concentrate on the basics and avoid trying to get fancy. Get a character that has a want or need that can't be ignored, a major obstacle that opposes satisfying the want or need, make the character act immediately to address the want or need against the obstacle, and bring it to a conclusion/resolution quickly. Make sure the reader always knows what the character is thinking, and use the thoughts to reveal the character's unique emotions.

I have no business advising someone on writing short stories because I'm lousy at it, and have only completed a couple dozen. One I entered into a small competition.

So all that and 10 U.S. dimes will get you one U.S. dollar.

Good luck, and don't forget to take advantage of the F&F forums.

Just enter the darn thing.

I've entered one contest (Glimmer Train's Fiction Open), and was a finalist (though not in the top 25 -- not sure how that works). That validation is superb, even though I didn't win, and to be honest, just the fact that I submitted something matters to me. If you haven't done it before, it's probably worth doing just to have experienced it.

It's a local thing for five bucks. Do you trust the contest holder? Even if you're being taken for a ride, it's probably not a big deal. Just make sure you know what rights they're getting from you.

Good luck!

Edited to add: Oh yeah, and get your story critted here first. THAT will help tons.

I just recently read Glimmer Train's submission guidelines. For normal submissions, there is no reading fee. However, they do run several contests through the year which have a fee. So, if you want to submit to Glimmer Train without paying for it, you can do so anytime. The difference is that normal entries are paid $700 upon publication and contest winners get $1200 upon publication.

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We are happy to consider your stories whether they are submitted as competition entries or standard submissions. There are no reading fees for standard story submissions. On the other hand, the monetary award paid to competition winners is more substantial than the already tidy $700 payment for accepted standard submissions, and agents seem to be on the lookout for competition winners. ALL stories are read and appreciated and considered for publication by the same diligent readers either way. So relax and choose the category that suits you.

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