Yelp | Following The Dream

Get Your Short Story Out There

Hello Friends!

I know I’ve said it before but the good stuff bears repeating. Short stories are a great way to hone your writing skills and gain attention. And, there are lots of ways to get them out there for others to read.

One way, of course, is to blog. But, unless you have collected a large following it may be hard to get others to read your work.

Try YELP – it is an on-line urban guide and business review site where you can write about your experiences with a certain business or place. I like to make my reviews read like stories. It’s fun to do and more entertaining than the standard review. But do keep your story truthful, you do not want to be misleading.

How about writing a story about a place you have visited? I wrote about a hike in a local park and posted it on the park’s YELP page.

You can also take this approach to products you have used or just purchased. Did you buy an air conditioner this summer? You can go on-line and track down a review site for that product, then write a short-story explaining how you came to be shopping for it and what made you choose to get that one. It is a kind-of testimonial but with a little more flare. The creative aspect might be explaining how you got tired of looking at Uncle Billy in his boxers as he cooled-off in front of a fan blowing over a bowl of ice cubes.

I think you get the idea.

A few months ago, as I was walking to the local frozen yogurt shop, I tripped over a sprinkle and broke my toe. But, I did not let that stop me from getting my frozen treat. I wrote a short story about my adventure then decided to forward it to the Yogurt Company. They sent me a coupon for free frozen yogurt. YUM!

And then there are the competitions. Some are free while others require a fee. Here are just a few of the Short Story competitions currently taking submissions.

WRITERS DIGEST SHORT SHORT STORY COMPETITION –

http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/short-short-story-competition

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS FICTION CONTEST –

http://con13.tennesseewilliams.net/fiction-contest/