His bestselling book, How to Write a Short Story, Get Published and Make Money, uses an honest teaching style and has been described as 'A must read for anyone who has any interest in becoming a writer'.

He also offers a critique and editing service that has helped many authors develop their writing and see their stories in print. He judges the annual To Hull And Back short story competition and publishes hundreds of writers’ stories in support of charity via his flash fiction writing challenges. He runs a popular fiction writing blog which attracts over 300,000 visitors each year. He’s also undertaken presentations for many schools and colleges. He was an Award-Winning Finalist in the 'Fiction: Short Story' category of the International Book Awards in 2019.Ĭhris has performed and spoken at many events, including the Bath Fringe Festival, the Bristol Festival of Literature, Chip LitFest, Flash Fiction Festival, New College LitFest, Small Stories and Talking Tales. His work has featured in books published by independent press, established magazines and renowned competition anthologies.

If she hates her brother, though, and is friends with his bullies, she’s conflicted in a way that makes your plot even more interesting.Chris is an award-winning and Amazon bestselling author. For example, if your character is a teenage girl who really cares about her family, you might expect her to protect her brother from school bullies. What was the lonely old man like as a child? Where did he get that scar on his hand? Even if you don’t include these details in the story, knowing your character deeply will help them ring true.Ĭharacters Make the Plot: Create a character who makes your plot more interesting and complicated. You can also borrow traits from people you know.Ĭrafting a Backstory: Delve into your main character’s past experiences to figure out what makes them tick.

Make notes about interesting people you see and think about how you could incorporate them into your story.

Spend some time people-watching in a public place, like a mall or busy pedestrian street. Finding Inspiration: Characters are all around you.

Short stories to write for class