Mastering the Art of Storytelling: Learn how to pen a kick-arse short story with Libby M Iriks
Writing isn’t hard.
Anyone can put words on a page.
In fact, there are countless five-year-old children around the world learning to pen their names as you read this.
Storytelling, on the other hand, is an art form, and it takes time to master. Experts have been known to say a person must write half a million to a million words before they can consider themselves a capable storyteller.
Now, I know what’s running through your head—how many manuscripts does that equate to and are there enough empty drawers in my house to hide them all.
Well, here’s a tip! Give yourself a head start in mastering the art of storytelling by penning short stories.
Think about it … writing a short story isn’t any easier than writing a novel just because it’s short. There might be less words in a short story, but it doesn’t take any less skill to engage and satisfy your reader.
Short stories do, however, take less time to write. Rather than dedicating months, perhaps years, to writing a novel only to discover something just isn’t working, doesn’t it make sense to learn your craft and hone your skills on stories with a lower word count? Then, when you’re ready to attempt a longer work, you’ll have the knowledge and skills you need to do so.
Writing short stories can help you get a better handle, in a shorter time, on story structure and development, as well as how to create well-rounded character arcs. You’ll also learn how to make every word count—so much so that it’ll become second nature to know when and how to show and tell. In short (pardon the pun!), you’ll learn how to keep your reader hooked and turning pages until the very last word.
My short course, Pen a Kick-arse Short Story in 9 Easy Steps, is designed to walk participants through the entire story-writing process, from idea conception and fleshing out your characters, through to analysing feedback and revising and polishing your story. In fact, the process I share is the same one I used to write my short story, Add a Little Spice, which won third place in RWA’s Sweet Treats Competition for 2020. I also bring to the course my knowledge and skills as a freelance and commissioning editor.
Register now for your chance to get a head start in mastering the art of storytelling and to WIN a free copyedit on your completed story! Visit https://www.trybooking.com/BHGWN.
About Libby M Iriks
Libby M Iriks wants to live in a world where an eighth day of the week is dedicated solely to reading, where cheesecake is good for you, and where romance novels are everyone’s un-guilty pleasure.
As a writer of contemporary romance, she often sets her stories in small Australian towns where the chemistry sizzles and love is forever. Her most recent short story, Add a Little Spice, was a placegetter in the Romance Writers of Australia’s Sweet Treats Short Story competition and will be published in the Sweet Treats Anthology in August 2020.
When she’s not writing stories about people falling in love, she’s editing them! As well as offering freelance editing services at Perfect Pear Editing and Proofreading, she’s the commissioning editor of romance for Vulpine Press.
Her debut novella, The Game of Love, is available now as a free download! Subscribe to her newsletter now and she’ll gift you with a copy: https://www.libbymiriks.com/subscribe/.