What are you doing for Short Story Day?

The 21st December is Short Story Day – the day of the year budding writers are encouraged to finally put their ideas down on paper and write a short piece. Most people think they’ve got a novel in them, but putting it down on paper is another thing entirely. Short Story Day is a much easier, bite-sized effort where wannabe writers can indulge in their fantasies for one day a year. Who knows where it might lead?

But what is a short story? How long does it have to be?

Most definitions put a short story at between the 1,000 and 20,000-word mark – so it is something you can easily write in a day. A short story should be something that can be read in one sitting and, with the widespread use of blogs on the internet, is something everyone has the capacity to do for themselves. You don’t need to have your own publisher in order to get your short story out there.

Of course, if you do want to have your short story published, there are ways you can do that too – and without the need to use a publisher or become a famous author.

You can self-publish your short story as an eBook, on platforms such as Amazon Kindle. It’s actually very simple to do, and is a great way to test the water for your writing to see if there’s an audience for it. Our course on self-publishing tells you everything you need to know about getting your short stories published. It lets you know how to format the documents, what software you need and where to get it done. You won’t need to speak with any scary publishers if you use this course!

If writing your short story really does give you the bug, you might consider doing more writing and earning money for it. Our course on becoming a freelance writer is packed with information on writing for businesses, including where to go to find the work, and how to pitch for it. If earning money writing is something that interests you, this course should be just what you’re looking for.

It all starts with the blank page though – so don’t waste the day, write your short story today and start on your journey to becoming a writer.