Your Short Story Needs A Soundtrack

That’s right.  Your short story needs a soundtrack.  The reader hears the soundtrack of your story in his or her mind.

Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch all come together in the writing of a story.  Most writers are aware of sight; but may neglect the other senses.  Here is an article that addresses the sound of a flash fiction story: How to Add a Soundtrack to Your Writing

About these ads

Invite Readers Into Your Flash Fiction

For a writer’s story to seem life like to a reader, the writer must leave room for the reader to use his or her imagination.  One way the writer may do this is to think of his or her story as a collection of dots.  Yes, dots. 

The writer puts down the number of doubts that are necessary for the story to make sense.  The more dots the richer the story becomes.  The danger is, if too many dots are put down the reader has less room to put down his or her own dots in the story.

The writer must always leave room for the reader’s dots.  In this way the reader will connect all the dots and the story will come alive.

********************

The stories in the sidebar on the right under “Great American Flash Fiction Stories To Read” are good examples of this theory of literature and erotica.

Writing A Story With An Unhappy Ending

We all know real life stories that end badly.  Life is like that.  In fiction, a story can have an unhappy ending, too.  But if the writer doesn’t want the reader to feel that reading the story has been a complete waste of time some good must come out of the unhappy ending no matter how slim the chances for future happiness are.

If the protagonist of our story must died, his or her death had better serve the greater good.  And, the protagonist must realize that his or her death will serve the greater good.  This is the only way the protagonist will be able to accept self-annihilation.  The protagonist must be “aware” of his or her situation.

There can be all sorts of variations on the unhappy ending.  The unhappy story does not need to end in death.  It can be about the end of a love affair.  Just make sure the end of the love affair teaches your protagonist a lesson the protagonist will never forget.  This the reader can happily accept. 

Total futility, the reader cannot accept.  Keep writing stories of total futility and finding an audience will be very difficult.

********************

For stories with all kinds of endings, go to the sidebar on the right and check out “Great Flash Fiction Stories To Read”.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 822 other followers