This is ‘my’ approach to writing short stories, take it for what it’s worth…

e.g. $0…

Seven little items I use…

1. A character
2. In context (e.g. what genre)
3. With a problem
4. Try/fail cycle by the character (fail)
5. Try/fail cycle by the character (bigger fail)
6. One more try/fail or try/succeed (depending on the arc of the story)
7. Validation or denouement of the character

The other thing I screw up is using the ‘right’ word on occasion… sigh…

Easy words to mix up

eminent v. imminent
eminent: adj. famous and respected within a particular sphere or present to a notable degree
imminent: adj. about to happen
She was an eminent author, winning prestigious awards and accolades. At the moment, what she was most anticipating was not the National Book Award ceremony, however; it was the imminent arrival of her breakfast burrito. 

substantive v. substantial
substantive: adj. having a firm basis in reality and so important, meaningful, or considerable
substantial: adj. of considerable importance, size, or worth
My point is substantive, derived from thorough research, and it is this: Your substantial chocolate stash takes up an entire drawer, so you should be willing to share.

censure v. censor
censure: v. express severe disapproval of (someone or something)
censor: v. examine (a book, film, etc.) officially and suppress unacceptable parts of it
They wanted to censor the film, removing the sex scenes. So we censured the decision in a scathing op-ed article called, “Give the People What They Want!”

indeterminate v. indeterminable
indeterminate: adj. not exactly known, established, or defined
indeterminable: adj. not able to be definitely ascertained, calculated, or identified
The goodie bag’s contents were indeterminate until we opened it. There we found a coupon worth “a gajillion hugs,” a number of hugs that was indeterminable.

denote v. connote
denote: v. signify the literal meaning
connote: v. (of a word) imply or suggest (an idea or feeling) in addition to the literal or primary meaning
According to the dictionary, the word denotes strength. Unfortunately, when he used the word to describe my perfume, it seemed to carry a negative connotation, especially once he began coughing.

elude v. allude
elude: v. escape from or avoid (a danger, enemy, or pursuer), typically in a skilful or cunning way; fail to be attained by (someone)
allude: v. suggest or call attention to indirectly; hint at
He eluded the trip to see the horror movie by playing sick, but the following day, when his friends alluded to the scene when the zombie attacks, he actually felt ill.

ambiguous v. ambivalent
ambiguous: adj. open to more than one interpretation; not having one obvious meaning
ambivalent: adj. having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone
She was ambivalent about the date because he was funny but also hogged the popcorn during the movie, which would give anyone mixed feelings. When he sent her an ambiguous text message that she couldn’t decipher, she decided she preferred watching Downton Abbey to dating.

And my ‘favorite’ screw up is queue and cue… How many times… Sigh