This past Saturday I attended a writer workshop offered by a much published writer (novelist and short-story writer) who offered good tips on writing the short story.  I'll pass some of these along below.  My own experience is that too many people attempting to write short stories begin with a lot of back story that is not needed in this short form.  Neither should a novel open with a lot of backstory–but that's another "story."

The short story must open with a "grabber." Hit the ground running. Start fast with a phrase that captures the reader instantly.  The character's problem in this particular segment of time needs to be captured in a few opening words and we "need to feel the character's pain, his dilemma, his immediate crisis."  We don't need to know where he lives or who his ancestors were, etc.  As the presenter said, "A short story is not a short novel."  The short story (anything from flash fiction–super short–to a piece of 1000 or more words) happens in a limited time sequence.  The ending does not necessarily resolve the problem, but the main character has to have learned something, accdepted an unexpected resolution–"an incident that yields an epiphany."

The speaker offered this outline–"the A,B,D,E" formula":  A=the action that hooks the reader; B=avoid background; D=development the "fast forward" of the story; C=climax (coming very near the end) E=ending that's a quick wrap-up, not dwelled upon.   

Always glad to have comments–including disagreements!!–and questions.  Willma Gore