It can be hard to exactly pinpoint what prevents a story from rising out of the slush pile and eliciting an enthusiastic “yes” from an editor, but there are some pitfalls writers make that happen all too frequently.

I’ve been editing for a long time–for nonfiction for decades, and for short fiction for part of that. During that time, I’ve seen common problems that writers make in their short stories. From an overly ambiguous beginning to an ending that falls flat, many passed-over stories share a few key issues that need addressing.

So, how to improve your short story to get to an editor’s “yes”? Here are a handful of tactics and strategies that can make your story shine brighter and improve the odds of catching an editor’s attention. I offer this as a brief guide to help you review your own work and see if any of these areas can be strengthened.

Quick caveat – these are tips centered around commercial, Western-based storytelling structures. Of course there are many more ways to tell successful and impactful stories, so only use these tactics if they are helpful to you.

Read The Guidelines (Of Course!)

I’m going to talk only briefly about this tip as it is obvious, and yet a huge number of people fail to follow the submission guidelines. They are not suggestions; they are the rules for submitting. I strongly recommend you check the guidelines (word count, deadline, theme, formatting preference, etc.) and double check before submitting. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for an instant rejection.

As submission counts have recently dramatically increased (in part because of AI-generated stories), editors have been overwhelmed with submissions. Like hiring managers sifting through job applications, we often begin with “easy eliminations:” submissions that didn’t follow instructions, don’t match the publication or don’t meet basic requirements.

Minor issues are often OK—one typo, a generic greeting or being a word or two outside the word count (note, this depends on the publisher). Less forgivable mistakes include: ignoring explicit instructions, blowing past a strict word count, failing to follow file specifications or submitting after the deadline.

The Importance of Openings

Now, let’s take a look at your story itself. The opening of a story is critical, especially in short fiction. Slush readers often won’t get past the opening if it isn’t engaging, entertaining or intriguing in some way.

Note: in this case, “Opening” includes the first line, the first paragraph, or even the first page depending on story length. It’s the moment that launches the narrative and sets the tone for everything that follows. Though single-sentence hooks can be powerful, sometimes an opening needs more space (e.g., a paragraph or two) to establish the first scene (and that is fine!).

What Strong Openings Do

Many strong openings have one of these traits:

They orient the reader enough to keep them grounded without resorting to info-dumping. This can be as simple as a hint of where or when the story begins.They signal that something unusual, foreboding or mysterious is unfolding. Openings don’t need to shock necessarily, but they should raise curiosity without confusing the reader.They set the mood and hint at the conflict. Word choice establishes tone—whether ominous, humorous, reflective or frenetic—so that the opening sounds like the story that follows.

Compelling opening lines may raise a question or introduce an oddity that pulls the reader deeper. I think of this as the intrigue. This is something–a character, circumstance, action or setting–that the reader feels compelled to know more about. As a reader and an editor, I want to be intrigued by any story I begin.

If you are stuck on your opening, try writing or rewriting with one of these goals in mind:

Introduce a strange situation, character or moment that invites curiosityHint at a forthcoming danger or challengeEstablish a mood or atmosphere that matches the story’s emotional direction (e.g., by descriptive scene setting that reflects the protagonist’s state of mind)Spotlight a clash or moral tension front and center

Try writing multiple versions of an opening, focusing on mood, mystery or subversion. Many openings work best when they broadcast, however subtle, the story’s promise and resolution. Make sure your tone, mystery or emotional thread established early carries through the entire piece.

Opening Don’ts

A few common pitfalls in short stories I strongly recommend avoiding:

Overused openings, such as showing a character waking up, dreaming, looking in the mirror or standing in an empty, mysterious room. I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve read that start this way. This type of opening should almost always be avoided unless the approach is truly unique.

Leaning on cliches. Likewise, using cliched characters (“damsel in distress,” “final girl,” “chosen one,” etc.) or well-worn tropes without putting your own unique spin on it can lead to a quick rejection.

Intentional vagueness. Sometimes writers are overly vague, with the excuse that they are infusing mystery to their story and don’t want to be too explicit. However, this is often a shortcut to avoid spending time to flesh out the story.

Common Problems With Endings

The beginning’s mirror is the ending. The ending is just as critical as the beginning, as it leaves your reader with the emotional impact of your story. Unfortunately, many excellent stories fall apart at the ending, which will also lead to rejection. As an editor, if an ending can be fixed with a simple copyedit, I will likely accept the story. However, more often than not a weak ending requires a deeper dive into the story from the writer. Sometimes the conclusion is confusing or simply absent, as if the writer wasn’t sure how to finish. Other times the ending feels abrupt or unearned, veering into new territory without adequate setup.

A common issue is a lack of narrative or character transformation. Stories that close with the same tone or emotional state they began with often feel flat (and leave the reader feeling like nothing has changed). Similarly, overly obtuse endings that leave major questions unresolved can create dissatisfaction.

What Makes a Good Ending

Strong endings tend to have at least one of these elements:

Emotional or thematic resonance (often tied to what the opening telegraphed)A transformation for the character or narrative (even a subtle one)A demonstration of the character’s moment of reckoning or changeA feeling that the story is “not over” but complete enough to satisfy the reader and writerA surprise that feels inevitable in retrospect

You don’t necessarily need to tie up everything in a neat bow and resolution at the end (“and they lived happily ever after”), but you do want to evoke an “ooh!” response rather than a “huh?” response. This requires mastering the craft of balance in your ending, where you provide enough resolution to feel like a proper ending, while leaving some mystery or indication of what happens after the story concludes.

Regarding surprise endings: stories don’t need a twist per se, but at least a subtle shift can provide reader satisfaction by the end. Horror stories, for example, often use a surprise “comeuppance” ending, where the character’s flaws or avoidance catch up with them.

Story Structure

Short stories are far more focused than novels. Given their shorter length, they often center on one or two main characters and revolve around a single pivotal event or theme. Because of their length, every word (even more so than novels) should be thoughtful and doing “double duty” in meaning whenever possible.

One very common pitfall I see in short stories is writing a vignette instead of a story, where the piece is dominated by description or atmosphere but lacks narrative, movement or change. A successful short story often has something happen, a conflict that the protagonist must rise up to face, or fail to face. A vignette usually lacks this movement. It may contain beautiful writing but leaves the reader feeling that nothing happened.

Strengthening Your Story

If a story still feels stuck, think about character desire and transformation. Consider:

What the character wants mostWhat stands in their wayHow they change as a result of confronting that obstacle

Understanding these elements can help you refine your plot.

If a story still isn’t quite working out, I like to try different word count limits—such as rewriting the story at 100, 500, or 1,000 words—to help uncover its ideal length and discover new aspects of the story and character along the way.

Rejection Will Happen

My most important piece of advice for new writers is to expect to get rejected but persevere anyway. Most top markets have a success rate of one percent or less (the majority of pro markets are less than 5 percent). While this can be daunting, the takeaway is not to stop trying. It’s to do everything you can to make your story the best. And while your story may be excellent, there are a lot of factors outside your control that can lead to a rejection (editor’s personal preferences and taste, for example).

Don’t spend too much time licking your wounds when get a rejection–get the story back out there on the market as quickly as you can. I think of it as “aggressively submitting.” Like dating or job searching, in many respects getting a “yes” in publishing is a numbers game. Maximizing the number of dates/applications/submissions to reasonably matching people/jobs/open calls will help you eventually find a good fit. In this vein, write, write, write as much as you can. The more completed stories you have under your belt will help increase your odds of publication.

In the end all you can control is your own writing and your constant quest to improve your craft, experiment with your style and dig deep into your truths as a storyteller.

About me

Thanks for reading this far! If you find this advice helpful, check out my Appearances page for any upcoming workshops or classes where I do a much deeper dive and writing exercises for short fiction and speculative fiction. You can also learn more about my work on the About page.