When writers learn how to write a short story, they often think of writing in terms of the entire finished and perfect story. Of course, that makes sense. About 99% of the time, we are seeing short stories in their finished and most perfect form. When we sit down to write, we aspire to writing the story that we just read and liked.

It’s easy to forget all the work – and perhaps the blood, sweat and tears – that went into creating that story from start to finish.

Stuart O’Nan’s reaction to John Gardner’s Art of Fiction reminded me to start small.

“I already understood the use of point of view, but his explanation of psychic distance was a revelation, as were his notions of economy and proportion. He encouraged beginners like me to start small, to master a paragraph, a scene. Revise it till it's right. Stay close to your characters and their true desires.”

Starting small means we focus on a sentence. Write a sentence that you like. Then, focus on writing a paragraph you like. This sentence and the paragraph do not have to start the story; they could end up being the middle. Once you get the sentence and paragraph to your liking -- or close -- then you can focus on mastering a scene.

Build your story like a house – one part at a time – instead of sitting down to write and feeling enormous pressure to accomplish the entire story right then and there.

Deborah Nelson manages the How to Write a Short Story blog. If you're interested in writing short stories, then visit her site for more lessons.

Source: www.articlealley.com