How to Write Short Stories And Use Them to Further Your Writing Career

by James Scott Bell

Now, learn the master key for writing great short stories, and the strategies for using them to advance your writing career As most writers will tell you, the hardest fiction form to master is the short story. To be successful, a short story needs to have "emotional wallop," and in under 7,000 words. Not easy to do. In this book, #1 bestselling writing teacher James Scott Bell explains the essential ingredient for a successful short story, no matter the genre. He shows how any writer—whether planner or "pantser"—can use this key to unlock infinite story possibilities. And turn readers into fans. Which is part of the strategy for short story writing today. With the coming of the digital revolution in publishing, short fiction presents possibilities beyond a one-time sale to a literary journal. Writers can use stories to increase discoverability, grow as a writer, generate some side income, and get back in touch with the sheer joy of writing. This book uses examples from the best stories by undisputed masters of the craft, including Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Carver, John Cheever, Stephen King and Irwin Shaw. In addition, five complete stories are included to show you the master key in action. Once you've been through this book, even once, you'll be well on your way to crafting short stories that readers love—which will build your fan base and boost your long-term writing career.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Short Stories, How To, Crafts

114 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 8, 2016

About the author

Jim is a former trial lawyer who now writes and speaks full time. He is the bestselling author of Try Dying, No Legal Grounds, Presumed Guilty, Glimpses of Paradise, Breach of Promise and several other thrillers. He is a winner of the Christy Award for Excellence in Inspirational Fiction, and was a fiction columnist for Writers Digest magazine. He has written two books in the Writers' Digest series, Write Great Fiction: Plot & Structure and Revision & Self-Editing.

Jim has taught writing at Pepperdine University and numerous writers conferences. He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara where he studied writing with Raymond Carver.

Series:
* Shannon Saga (with Tracie Peterson)
* The Trials of Kit Shannon
* Ty Buchanan

Reviews

[Tim Null · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this short book about short stories as part of my hapless quest to become a better reader. Less than half of this book is given to the subject of how to write a short story. The rest of the book provides four examples.

The gist is this: "[Every] great short story is about the fallout from one shattering [life-changing] moment." This life-changing moment can happen before the story starts, at the beginning of the story, in the middle of the story, at the end of the story, or sometime after the story has ended.

Easy peasy, right?

[Nola Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title suggests, this short book by bestselling author James Scott Bell gives tips on writing short stories. The first four chapters give some hints for writing an engaging short story, though there wasn't a lot of detail. It assumes that readers already know the basics of creative writing and now want to branch into short stories. Chapters 5 and 6 give advice on how to publish short stories. Chapter 6 was particularly useful in providing step-by-step instructions for uploading your story onto the Amazon Kindle platform.

The remainder of the book included five examples of short stories. A literary story by the author and others by Jeffery Deaver (crime/suspense), O. Henry (uplifting), Steven Leacock (humorous) and John D. MacDonald (sci-fi). It was good to see a range of stories in different genres. I especially liked O. Henry's 'The Last Leaf'. However, it would have been good to see at least one female author among them. Three of them were also in the public domain and therefore older stories. We can certainly learn from writers of previous generations, but I would have liked to see more stories by contemporary authors as they're more indicative of today's market.

Overall, this was a helpful book, though probably more suited to authors who have already published one or more novels and want to use short stories to direct people to their other works. It's written in a style that beginning authors could follow, but it assumes the reader already knows the basics. This book would be a good companion to Rayne Hall's book 'Writing Short Stories to Promote Your Novel".

[J.A. Ironside · Rating 2 out of 5]

I imagine if you are new to short form fiction, you will get more out of this than I did. There were one or two interesting nuggets but what it actually gained me could have been covered in a blog post. For perspective, 46% of this book deals with the titular subject matter (actually half of that deals with how to use kdp - and I disagreed with most of it...) The rest of the book is taken up with re-issues of short stories including the author's own. I'm not saying he shouldn't have taken the opportunity to promote his work and if you want to write short fiction you should certainly read it, but this was cheating the reader in terms of content imo. I like James Scott Bell but I am unimpressed by this one.

[C.J. Darlington · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Scott Bell has a way of taking what could be a complicated subject and boiling it down in a way that's understandable and simple. There are books three times this length that explain how to write short stories, but by explaining in his matter-of-fact way, Bell gives us exactly what we need to write great short stories. I got my start writing them, and if I'd heard this advice back then it would've helped me a lot. Makes me want to fire up the computer and pound out some shorts!

[Gail Winfree · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Scott Bell's "How to Write Short Stories and Use Them to Further Your Writing Career" gives a brief history of the short story and describes what makes a good publishable short story. He gives advice of how to publish your own stories that's quick and easy to grasp, and how to use those published stories to build a writing career. The book contains a bonus section of six excellent short stories that Bell uses as examples in his narrative.

I read this book in a few hours, finishing it shortly after the New Year hour passed. I came away from the book feeling refreshed and inspired, and recommend it to anyone interested in the short story.

[Rosey Waters · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I keep reading James Scott Bell and expecting him to have some new and brilliant insight into writing, but I do. I guess I just expected more from this book -- you've got a couple of chapters about the creative process that barely digs, and then five short fiction pieces. ???

Anyways, it's not that I disliked it, it was just... not what I expected and it kind of disappointed me as a result.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good enough. I like Bell's central point that all short fiction involves some kind of shattering moment—although I'm not 100% convinced, it still seems useful in most cases. But he takes a long time leading up to that point and then doesn't really expand much on the point. Most of the take-home lessons of this book could be conveyed in a good essay, and it feels like the book was expanded with a lot of filler to make it a marketable book. I'm glad I read it but I ultimately felt unsatisfied.

[Lyndon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The core of this book was a blog post by the author and the rest of the discussion simply expanded on that key insight - that what makes a good short story is the delivery of a single arc with an emotional "shattering" moment. Helpful but not $3.99 helpful?

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short, and over half of it is example short stories. Nice to read, but not what the title and description promise.

[Miguel Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's helpful.

I can see myself reading the first half of this eBook again. The second half of the book gives us five short stories, two of which I liked, but I didn't care for the other two. I've already read the short story Golden beforehand. I wish James Scott Bell had included something else. The book cover is unimpressive and could be better.

[Katrina Roets · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good: There are some great tips about what makes a good short story and for those not familiar with Kindle Direct Publishing, there's a pretty decent walk through on how to get your books into e-book format and up on Amazon.

The Bad: Over half of this book is made up of short stories. When I bought the book, I was expecting a lot more information on actually writing stories. The author takes a bit of time to actually work up to what he considers the "key" is and then doesn't really expand a lot on it. The book feels like a series of one or two blog posts that a bunch of filler was added to so that it could be marketed and sold as a book.

The Summary: For $3.99, I really expected more out of this book. I will take the blame for not realizing just how much space 5 short stories do take up in a book of this size, but I also feel that when a book states that it's about writing short stories, more than 47% of the book should be about that topic. Did I get anything out of it? Yep. Did I get enough? That I'm just not sure of.

[Debbie Johansson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be helpful, although I would have liked to have seen more information when it came to writing the short story. Half of the book is a guide to writing short stories, while the other half contains five short stories to illustrate his points (I would have preferred a chapter on a listing of recommended reading). A quick read, this is suitable for a writer who knows the craft, but has never delved into writing the short form before.

[Robin Hatcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to understand with good examples and a very quick read. The first four chapters contain the “meat” of what is needed in a short story to make it resonate with a reader. The next two chapters share a “how to” on publishing short stories that could be important for a writer who has never published on KDP before. Finally, there were five short stories, one by Bell himself, as examples. “Golden” made me tear up. “Maddened by Mystery” made me laugh out loud.

Robin’s Ratings
5🌟 = Out of this world. Amazing. Unforgettable. A personal favorite.
4🌟 = Loved/really enjoyed it. Will recommend to others.
3🌟 = Liked it. Glad I read it. Engaging/entertaining/interesting.
2🌟 = The book was okay, but I’ve enjoyed other books so much more.
1🌟 = For whatever reason, I didn’t like it and can’t recommend it.

[Jeff Van Valer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good outline of the nuts and bolts of what is important in a short story. Much of the book involved some great short stories, and there's nothing wrong with that. It'll definitely help me find a good short story or define one I'm writing. Not nearly as transcendent as JSB's books Write Your Novel From the Middle and Superstructure. But hey. In JSB's defense (and to his credit), those latter two are must-reads for any aspiring novelist. Reading his book How to Write Pulp Fiction at this time.

[K.B. Krissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book could be better. It was more like a booklet. I think the author just wanted to make a quick buck off this book. It was effortless. I’m sure this author knows more, but his knowledge is not in this book.

[Adite · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent little book for writers who need a break from long-form fiction writing but wish to keep their writing muscles in ship-shape condition. Focuses on structure of the short story format with plenty of examples. Also a major part of the book is devoted to Kindle publishing.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Para mí, este libro logra poner en palabras sencillas y fácilmente comprensibles ese elemento clave que marca la diferencia entre un buen cuento y uno que no destaca. Se puede decir que no es algo nuevo, que es algo que siempre se dice con otras palabras, pero creo que la manera que encuentra James Scott Bell de expresarlo es excelente, y solo por esa joyita de conocimiento este libro ya vale la pena.

Podía abarcar más, cierto. También podía ahondar mucho más en los temas que toca. Igual, uno anda medio acostumbrado al hecho de que el material de orientación para quien quiere escribir cuentos es mucho más escaso que el que hay para quienes quieren dedicarse a la novela o la no-ficción. Partiendo de esa base, todo esfuerzo suma. Y este libro definitivamente suma.

[Caleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting, but not J.S.B.'s best. In the first half of the book, Bell offers some practical advice on how to structure, write, and market short stories. His central insight is that "A great short story is about the fallout from one, shattering moment", and the most worthwhile sections explore what this "shattering moment" involves and different approaches to writing it. The second half of the book is a collection of short stories intended to illustrate how different authors create a shattering moment to heighten the impact of their fiction. The stories selected were not especially gripping, and instead of reinforcing the central point of the book, they felt more like a distraction.

[Carolyn McBride · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay book, although I expected a bit more for my money. The thing that disappointed me was that the first section covered great short stories, pointing out things that made specific stories noteworthy. But the writing styles of many of the examples aren't all that relevant today. The information doesn't really feel helpful until the second half of the book, and even then, anyone that's released anything on Amazon already, would already know the information presented.
So, for the beginner, I suppose this book would be useful. But for anyone who has been around a little while and released something already, it's a recap.

The title, I felt, was misleading. But that's only my opinion.

[Jim Wilbourne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is short and to the point with a few practical examples at the end.
I found it very helpful because I couldn't quite nail what short stories were doing and why.

This book seems geared towards storytellers who write long form stories. Provided you understand story writing in general, and come in with some general knowledge and experience with story telling, you'll be able to use this to take those skills and apply them to the short story form.

If that's who you are, pick it up. It'll be worth your time. If it isn't, you probably already know what to do.

[Rian Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good starter into short fiction.

The first half of the book gave me a lot of great info into sharpening my skills as a short story writer but the rest of the book is clearly padding. Its basically a short story anthology that I clearly didn't need. Especially since I am a romance writer and none of those stories fit my niche.

[Huyen Mai · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm fairly disappointed that this book offers so little on how to actually compose a good short story. There are parts about it, but the rest is all about how to sell/promote storybooks online. The whole time reading this feels no different than reading an online article/ a thorough Wikihow instruction.

[Dave Puckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book about short stories. I really liked it and thought James did a great job of introduction with examples and suggestions. I started reading some of his suggestions to even better understand the thinking behind crafting these stories. This would be a great companion to other guides about short stories.

[Mani · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice guide to writing short stories - and doing it strategically with a view to building your career as a writer. Having written a few short stories just at random, I got some helpful insights into doing it more constructively.

[Charlotte Gerber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good reference book on short story writing, as well as when and how to write them. Included some great examples. I will definitely be using this advice for my own writing career.

[Brian Thornton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful quick read which serves as an effective overview of what works in writing marketable short stories for this day and age.

[Roger Alix-Gaudreau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short - Like The Stories It Wants To Help You Write

This very short book focuses primarily on the key idea that short stories are about one thing — one person’s change, one key moment — and the emotional impact of that thing. The author highlights that short stories don’t have the space that a novel has for developing the setting, multiple characters, etc., which is a useful point.

The book provides a bit of advice about finding short story markets and other ways to publish and sell short stories, including a chapter summarizing how to publish a story on Amazon. The advice about finding markets could have been developed further and mentioned resources like the Submission Grinder and Submittable, both of which had been around for years when this book was published. The instructions for publishing on Kindle are broadly applicable and a bit general and at risk of becoming obsolete as the platform changes.

Nearly half the book is dedicated to a set of short stories offered as examples of the “key moment” idea, so only half this book is actually advice. Not all the stories were to my taste, but that’s to be expected. It would have been much more useful, I think, if the stories had all been contemporary, to be more reflective of modern short story tastes and therefore more useful. (Some are very old and in the public domain.) I acknowledge that would have increased the author’s production costs, but it would have made this a better book.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Per usual, a VERY brief and to-the-point guide on short stories.

The big takeaway that Bell emphasizes in this tiny volume is the "shattering moment." Short stories tend to revolve around something that "shatters" or "moves" the POV character in some way, whether it's a life-altering thunderclap or the loss of a crumb of innocence, the story doesn't work without that moment.

He suggests different places the author can put the shattering moment in the story, and he also addresses different types of shattering moments that aren't exactly bad. For example, a plot twist at the end or an ironic turn of events can serve.

What about lighthearted, humorous short stories, though? He suggests taking something ordinary and blowing it out of proportion so that it's of utmost importance (or annoyance or delight or what have you) to the POV character. Like any Seinfeld episode ever.

Honestly, I wish this went into a little more depth, but I appreciate keeping it, well, short. It was nice that he included the full text of a few of the stories that he referenced. Honestly, it made me want to get a volume of short stories and go to town. It's been a long time since I've gone through a collection of short fiction.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly short tome on writing and publishing short fiction. The thing I really liked about it was that it didn't diminish the importance of the short story. Short stories are still a good way to break into the literary world. Bell describes the key to a short story as being the "shattering moment." He discusses this key in depth and it really is helpful to read the examples he includes at the end of the book. The shattering moment takes up a good portion of the craft section of the book. Then in the last section he describes publishing on Amazon and how to go about it. He discusses pricing, uploading and formatting, among other things. This book truly is step by step. However, I would consider it to be for someone who is ready to publish, not necessarily an absolute beginner since some of the foundational things about writing short stories are not discussed fully in the book. This should be utilized by someone with some computer literacy as well in order to understand how to get one's work out there. I enjoy James Scott Bell's writing style and would definitely read other books that he has published. Some are already on my wish list.

[Brianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not helpful, to the point of being a bit insulting to a writer's intelligence. In here, Bell describes the "key" to a successful short story: a "shattering moment" or an "emotional wallop". This is so obvious that not even a beginner needs to be told this. Why write a short story -- any story -- if there's no emotional fulcrum?

Slightly more significant, Bell goes on to explain ways of finding inspiration for stories and ways to then publish those stories. While a little more useful, I'm also not sure many writers need hand-held guidance in finding inspiration, at least not enough to justify writing a book on it.

Lastly, Bell collects a handful of short stories to use as examples; most of the examples aren't great, including his own story. Bell talks about the coming of the digital revolution and proceeds to give us short stories that were mostly published during the "golden days" of literary journals. Also, would it have been too hard to collect *one* short story from a woman author?

Overall, I was not impressed by this book. If you're an author, new or experienced, there are better craft books out there.