1. Have one idea.
Novels are large and complicated things with lots of different sub-plots. Short stories, on the other hand, are small and normally read in one sitting. They therefore work best when they are about one single, striking idea.
2. Keep it catchy.
Good short stories are like catchy pop songs. They stay in your head for hours afterwards. The aim is to make it as simple and memorable as possible so readers carry on thinking about it long after they've put it down.
3. It's all in the ending.
Short stories succeed or fail on the ending. Try and raise the reader's heart rate with a bizarre twist. Think of Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected for inspiration.
4. Head for the dark.
It could be me, but it seems that the best short story writers - from Edgar Allan Poe to Ian McEwan - are those which aren't scared of dark and often chilling subject matter.
5. Go experimental.
Short stories enable you to experiment more than you can with novel-writing, so if you've ever wanted to abandon punctuation or narrate from the perspective of an umbrella, now's your chance.
6. Follow the rule of four.
When I've written short stories for collections in the past I've always tried to limit myself to four characters at the very most. Otherwise it all gets a bit confusing.
7. Consider the length.
Short stories tend to be under 10,000 words. Much more than that and you're into novella territory. An average short story is between 1,500 and 5,000 words.
8. Develop novel ideas.
If you are writing a novel, short stories can be used to test out ideas. For instance, you could use a short story to develop one of your characters. Indeed, some novels were originally just short stories that were eventually glued together. Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting is one book that started as individual short stories.
9. Get it published.
Having a short story published will increase your chances of getting a novel deal. Look at The Writer's Handbook (Macmillan) for magazines and websites which publish short stories.
10. Enter competitions.
There are literally hundreds of short story competitions. Again, the Writer's Handbook is a good source.
Ten tips for short stories