How to Craft Successful Short Stories

GUEST SPEAKER: Linda Landrigan

Having read more than a thousand short stories, Linda Landrigan, the editor-in-chief of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, knows what works. Most stories that reach her desk are almost ready for publication, but for some reason, they don't quite gel: the plot is muddled, the characters are flat, or the whole thing just feels overly familiar. In this presentation she’ll discuss a fresh approach to the creative process. Using a non-linear method helps you home in on the essence of your short story. Using her tactics, you’ll discover the unique dimensions of your characters, which allows them to shape the trajectory of the story you want to tell. Using this non-linear, character-driven strategy ensures your short stories will resonate with emotional truth.

Linda Landrigan is the editor-in-chief of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. She edited the e-anthology Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine Presents Thirteen Tales of New American Gothic and the commemorative anthology Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine Presents Fifty Years of Crime and Suspense. She has served on the Board of the New York City Chapter of the Women's National Book Association. She is the recipient of the prestigious Ellery Queen Award given by the Mystery Writers of America for her service to the mystery-publishing industry.