In Part 1, I chose a theme (getting lucky) and did some research. Now I need a conflict, some sort of friction, because conflict drives action. Since this is a short story, and not a book, I need to keep it simple. A disagreement. A problem. A minor hassle. Hmmm. Okay, what about someone who complains that she is chronically unlucky bumping up against the luckiest woman on earth? These words resonate with me because right now there's a really … [Read more...] about How I Write Short Stories, Part 2