How to Begin Writing Short Stories Professionally

Practice is imperative to writing a successful short story., Create your first story and get your manuscript ready for publishing., Contact an agent and send your manuscript to a publishing house., Promote your work., Check out critical reception of...

6 Steps 2 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Practice is imperative to writing a successful short story.

    A common adage among writers is “never publish your first work”.

    While this may seem a little harsh or restrictive, there’s good reasoning behind it.

    Remember that your first work is what sets your reputation.

    It’s hard to recover from a poorly-received first novel as many people may already have written you off.

    This may also seem like a wasted effort, but it’s generally a good idea to write your first story and then get it sent to an editor.

    That way, you’ll avoid common mistakes, and get valuable feedback about what you may not have developed enough, plot holes you may have written, and other roadblocks.
  2. Step 2: Create your first story and get your manuscript ready for publishing.

    This is around the time that you'll want to hire an agent who can help you find a reputable printing press to get your story out to the public. , This is rather self-explanatory, but is crucial.

    Choosing the wrong agent or the wrong publishing house can make or break the career of an aspiring author.

    Research reputable agents and houses, and ask around to see who can give you the best service for your money , You’ve gotten it published; now it’s time to get some return on it.

    Thanks to today’s technology, it’s far easier to get word out than ever before.

    Some quick tips: post reviews on Amazon.

    Amazon will host more or less anything, provided there are more than several copies.

    Get some friends to post some positive reviews and help you out.

    Pass out copies to people in the right places.

    If you have a friend who owns or works at a bookshop, give them some copies to hand out.

    Start up a webpage, create a blog, do a reading.

    There are many ways to get the word out.

    You just have to find them. , Depending on how you promoted it, you may get a lot of critical feedback in known works, or you may get a few simple reviews on Amazon.

    Any critique is helpful, and it can help shape your writing to be more successful in the future.

    Examine what you need to work on, and set upon fixing it. , Your new career as a writer has only begun.
  3. Step 3: Contact an agent and send your manuscript to a publishing house.

  4. Step 4: Promote your work.

  5. Step 5: Check out critical reception of your work.

  6. Step 6: Begin your new work for publishing.

Detailed Guide

A common adage among writers is “never publish your first work”.

While this may seem a little harsh or restrictive, there’s good reasoning behind it.

Remember that your first work is what sets your reputation.

It’s hard to recover from a poorly-received first novel as many people may already have written you off.

This may also seem like a wasted effort, but it’s generally a good idea to write your first story and then get it sent to an editor.

That way, you’ll avoid common mistakes, and get valuable feedback about what you may not have developed enough, plot holes you may have written, and other roadblocks.

This is around the time that you'll want to hire an agent who can help you find a reputable printing press to get your story out to the public. , This is rather self-explanatory, but is crucial.

Choosing the wrong agent or the wrong publishing house can make or break the career of an aspiring author.

Research reputable agents and houses, and ask around to see who can give you the best service for your money , You’ve gotten it published; now it’s time to get some return on it.

Thanks to today’s technology, it’s far easier to get word out than ever before.

Some quick tips: post reviews on Amazon.

Amazon will host more or less anything, provided there are more than several copies.

Get some friends to post some positive reviews and help you out.

Pass out copies to people in the right places.

If you have a friend who owns or works at a bookshop, give them some copies to hand out.

Start up a webpage, create a blog, do a reading.

There are many ways to get the word out.

You just have to find them. , Depending on how you promoted it, you may get a lot of critical feedback in known works, or you may get a few simple reviews on Amazon.

Any critique is helpful, and it can help shape your writing to be more successful in the future.

Examine what you need to work on, and set upon fixing it. , Your new career as a writer has only begun.

About the Author

J

Julie Chapman

Writer and educator with a focus on practical creative arts knowledge.

41 articles
View all articles

Rate This Guide

--
Loading...
5
0
4
0
3
0
2
0
1
0

How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: