The rules are fairly standard for title case:
- Capitalize the first and the last word.
- Capitalize nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and subordinate conjunctions.
- Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions.
- Lowercase the 'to' in an infinitive (I want to play guitar).
Italicize titles if the source is self-contained and independent. Titles of books, plays, films, periodicals, databases, and websites are italicized. Place titles in quotation marks if the source is part of a larger work. Articles, essays, chapters, poems, webpages, songs, and speeches are placed in quotation marks.
Double space between the title and the first line of the text. Create a header in the upper right-hand corner that includes your last name, followed by a space with a page number. Number all pages consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), one-half inch from the top and flush with the right margin.
One Rule of Writing Titles
Italicize titles of large works (books, movies). Put titles of smaller works (poems, articles) in quotation marks. For some kinds of media, like book titles, the rules are clear. For others, like Youtube videos, they're a little fuzzier.General rule of thumb is that a short story is around 3,000 to 10,000 or so words. You can get long short stories at the 15,000 to 20,000 word range, but eventually you're wading into novella territory. 3,000 words works out to around 10 pages, depending on your spacing, amount of dialogue, etc.
Begin your written analysis with a synopsis of the story itself. Tell readers the basic story idea without getting into the plot structure. Introduce the characters of the story. Discuss the author's point of view in the story and how you feel his point of view or his slant affected the outcome of the story.
Here are some short story examples that might spark a lifelong love for the genre:
- "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe.
- "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst.
- "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.
- "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson.
- "The Gift of the Magi" by O.
- "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant.
To begin writing a love story, start by introducing readers to the main character and their love interest, who should be likable and someone the reader can connect with. Next, create a scenario where the love interests meet each other. This can be romantic, or just a chance encounter that's not love at first sight.
How to Write Short Poems
- Get Inspired. Carry the inspiration until something sparks.
- Just Say It. Challenge yourself to tell a story or describe a moment in, say, no more than five lines.
- Select Your Words.
- Read.
- Style.
- Get Some Space.
- Share.
Here are the steps for how to start a story:
- Connect the readers and character.
- Produce intrigue.
- Elicit an emotion in your story.
- Start your story with a strong visual snapshot.
- Write a compelling first paragraph.
- Leave a hint.
- End the first chapter on a cliffhanger.
- End the first chapter with a bookend.