Sharing Knowledge Of The Written Word. Forum My tips on short stories ...

It's not so much a formula but a theme of my writing that I try to include these elements in the mix:

• the first line opens with the protagonist and their dilemma;
• a consistent recurrent motif that centres around the protagonist;  this helps keep the focus of attention on them and bind the story together;
• rarely writing about good versus evil:  life is not monochrome there are more colours on the palate;
• having characters that you wouldn't mind spending an evening with down at your local, even if there are some you would only want to watch from a safe distance;
• hiding clues in natural surroundings;  if the murder weapon's a knife put it in a kitchen drawer;
• keeping the descriptions brief and vivid;
• ending with a twist that makes the reader think beyond the story.

What do others think ?