Think back to the last short story you read. Perhaps you were in school analyzing an exemplary piece, or maybe you found a compelling story written by a young WtW user. Regardless, try to remember: did you fully appreciate the effort that went into crafting that piece?
It can be easy to assume that short stories, with their limited word counts, are simple to write. In fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth! Short stories require a significant amount of time, work, and dedication to form a complete story with an engaging plot, vivid setting, and believable characters. Writing a good short story takes a lot of practice. But it’s also important to read lots of great examples of short stories. Being a good writer requires being a good reader.
Need a place to start? Before submitting a piece for our Short Story Competition, take a look at the pieces below!
“Girl,” by Jamaica Kincaid
“The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
“The Drover's Wife,” by Henry Lawson
“The Metamorphosis,” by Franz Kafka
“Interpreter of Maladies,” by Jhumpa Lahiri
“To Build a Fire,” by Jack London
“The Necklace,” by Guy de Maupassant
“Apollo,” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“The Invasion from Outer Space,” by Steven Millhauser
“Spring Fugue,” by Harold Brodkey
“After Twenty Years,” by O. Henry
“The Tell-Tale Heart,” by Edgar Allan Poe
“The Ghost Prince,” by Amaal Fawzi (Lebanon)
“Daughter of Kali,” by Priya Chawla (United Arab Emirates)
“Psyche & I,” by Sydney Heintz (Switzerland)