Why Every Word Counts When Writing Short Story?

If you have ever written something you know all about word count. If you are writing a short story for a contest then you know all about that all important word count. But it's not the amount of words that make a story, it's how those words are used to make the story come to life that is important.

Contests often will tell you how many words can be in the short story for it to be considered for the contest. If you don't think they will count the words to make sure that your count is within a few words of the maximum allowed number then think again. Often these types of contests will require the writer to submit a word count number on the cover page of the story itself. So if you're limited then you want to make sure every one of those words count for something. You don't really have time to fill your story with fluff and stuff.

"Keep your short story concise" says HG Nadel. You want to make sure that your plot is adequate and can be covered in only so many words. You don't want it to fill rushed or incomplete. The last thing you want is holes in your story big enough to drive a truck through. Keeping it tight will help you to make your story even more interesting.

Make your characters big enough for the story but not too big. Characters are the asset that moves the plot forward but if you make them too large then the story will feel incomplete when you wrap it up. Don't share an attribute or interest that the character has if it's not used in the story. For instance, if your short story is about a murder then you don't need to devote a paragraph or two of how much your detective loves to surf if the murder has nothing to do with surfing. That being said, you want to make sure that enough is known about your characters that they jump of the page and not feel like something is missing from them. It's the balance that you are going for.

Every word has to count when it comes to writing a short story. If you want to fill a story full of juicy extras and multiple sub-plots then turn your story into a novel. The idea behind a short story is that the reader feels like they have went through a beginning, middle, and end in just a few pages.

HG Nadel is an American producer born in France. Nadel writes short stories, novels and much more. She is an excellent screenplay and script writer, self published author, recording artist, and a musician.
Nadel shares useful information regarding film script writing and related topics!
Also read here: Everything You Wanted to Know About Professional Book Editing by HG Nadel

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