How to Write a Short Story. Part 3: Precision and Submission
Summary
- Write with conciseness by eliminating filler and focusing on essential story elements.
- Edit for clarity, rhythm, and power by tightening language and enhancing flow.
- Submit with confidence by following guidelines, understanding markets, and viewing rejection as part of the process.
The final layer of short story craft isn’t just what you write, it’s what you choose not to. Powerful stories aren’t just vivid; they’re lean. Every sentence earns its place. Every beat moves the story forward, deepens character, or sharpens emotion. This part is about refinement: cutting what dulls the edge, shaping what remains, and preparing your story for the world.
Conciseness: Storytelling with Zero Waste
Short stories thrive on precision. With limited space, there’s no room for warm-up, repetition, or filler. The first paragraph should already pulse with voice, setting, stakes, tone.
Look at each sentence and ask: What is this doing? If it reveals character, builds mood, or advances the plot, it stays. If it does none of those, it goes.
Conciseness doesn’t mean rushing. A quiet, reflective story can still be sharp. The goal is focus: making sure nothing blurs the core.
Editing: Clarity, Rhythm, and Cutting Dead Weight
First drafts are discovery. Rewrites are design. Read your story aloud. Notice the rhythm, the stumbles, the parts where your mind drifts. Those are clues.
Cut over-explaining. If the subtext is clear through action or dialogue, don’t underline it. If you’ve already shown something, resist saying it again.
Cut modifiers, filter phrases (“he felt that…”, “she realized that…”), and softeners unless they serve a purpose. Tighten verbs. Swap “was walking slowly” for “drifted” or “dragged.”
But also listen for rhythm. Good prose has variation and pauses. If a sentence feels flat, try changing its length, its beat, its shape. Mix short, punchy lines with longer, flowing ones. Read aloud to catch where the cadence stalls.
Submission: Preparing Your Work for the World
Once your story is sharp and whole, it’s time to send it out. A few practical notes:
- Follow the guidelines. If a magazine wants 3,000 words max, don’t send 3,200.
- Know the publication. Read a few stories they’ve published. Do they lean literary, surreal, dark, funny?
- Include a short cover letter: name, title, word count, any prior publications. Be polite and brief. Let the story do the work.
- Be ready for rejection. It’s not a verdict on your worth. Sometimes it’s timing. Sometimes it’s taste. Keep sending. Keep writing.
Publishing is a craft of its own. Celebrate each step: finishing a draft, receiving a thoughtful rejection, being longlisted. View every result as a building block; they all add up to your progress in the world of publishing.
Previously: