Short Writing

Well, as most if not all of you know, I'm a short story writer. A main reason for that is because I keep coming up with ideas, and if I tried making full-length stories out of them I'd probably be stuck at the keyboard my whole life.

But although writing short stories allows for more stories, there are major difficulties with writing brief flicks. Here's a few.

Plot developement. Obviously you have an idea, but how can you stretch that idea out to become a story, yet not too much so as to avoid it becoming a full-length novel? Trying to keep it short but interesting is a hard thing to do.

Characters. Of course you must have them, the problem is making them interesting. You've got a short time to make your reader identify and attach - a little, at least - to your characters. You must simultaneosly avoid making a character to shallow (uninteresting) or too deep (confusing, for such a short plot).

Balance. I've talked about this before, but in a short story it is even more critical. There must be a good balance between dialogue/exposition and plot progression/action. Is this an action story? Then less dialogue and more fighting. Is this a social story? More dialogue and less action. That may be a bit general, but you get the idea.

Trying to assemble these main three things accurately is like walking a tightrope - one wobble and you fall. For that reason, you need to plan out your stories meticulously (something I hate) and make sure your characters are smoothly developed. Once you're done, you must go over your completed work and edit edit edit. Eliminate mistakes and polish it mirror-smooth.
Ultimately, doing all this is what makes a good short story.
Ain't as easy as you might think, eh?