This book could also be titled: If You Owned This Copy of How to Write a Short Story in Five Days Your Stories Would Be Selling Now.

Jason Fink delivers the writing basics for getting a story on the page and getting it out with action steps to take immediately. No fluff to wade through to get to the good stuff.

Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing is my favorite short story guide, but this book is a worthy contender with examples and tips for writing in today's market that includes the current challenges and opportunities including AI, writing software and templates. I particularly appreciated Fink's addition of a the section on ADD/ADHD, which I know has made the dream of being a writer seem unattainable for many when the truth is the exact opposite.

Get a copy and get writing.

A concise yet informative collection of tips for beginners. It might be ambitious to aim for a polished story in five days however all the steps you need to take to complete your story are outlined here. Seasoned writers will find some tips and ideas for writer's block as well as story starters. I liked the section on free writing. I also found the information on AI as a tool for developing ideas to be useful and relevant in today's market.

I am well aware that writing short stories is a whole different skillset to writing a novel, but less. Not that I’ve done either, of course! But there is a huge appeal in short story writing, partly to cover more ideas, and partly to get that accomplishment of finishing something – and the training of being able to repeat the whole process in a much quicker cycle.

Anyway, that’s my ‘why I wanted to read this book’ waffle. I genuinely was looking for tips on how to write in this genuinely different format, and hopefully how to do it well. Alas, that was not to be – and I ended up very disappointed with this book.

The advice isn’t *bad*, but – and this is my unforgivable point – not particularly about short stories. Most of it is very generic writing advice. Indeed, there’s a whole chapter about ‘marketing your book’. Book, not story. Sigh.

It does start off (and end) a little more short story-oriented, but I very quickly realised that the ‘five days’ bit of the title is total hyperbole. Day 1 involves you having to come up with the idea, brain storm options, and block out the whole plot, character arc, character descriptions, and more – which frankly is going to need a little more time, for almost everyone. I’d expect just that to take at least five days and even that is asking a lot!

The other four days aren’t too much better, giving 24 hours each to first draft, polishing, etc. All in all, it feels like a gimmick that couldn’t be properly set out in any interesting way. And by the end, when we’ve given up the pretence of this being about the topic advertised, there’s a section for 5 MONTHS of marketing plans.

It might not matter so much if there was some really good advice in there, but honestly it’s all just what you’ve read already elsewhere, and the usual sort of vague handwavy “do the thing” without necessarily anything particularly helpful with the ‘how’. The one bit that veers into something more specific is the very last, brief, section on writing with ADHD. Finally, a topic that would have worked for the book?! Ah, too little, too late.

Ultimately, this book fails because of the marketing and title more than anything, but as the title is what drew me to it – big fat ‘nope’ from me. Would I have gone for another ‘Generic writing advice’ book? I mean, it’s not like I haven’t done so so many times in the past. But I have no interest in forgiving this for the bait’n’switch of utterly not being on topic in any kind of useful way.

How to Write a Short Story in Five Days does exactly what it says on the tin. It is full of helpful guidance for any would-be writer.

I would recommend this to anyone who needs a little help writing a short story. It is well-written and insightful.

Many thanks to Jason Fink, NetGalley, and BooksGoSocial for this copy.

Overall, I felt like this was a great overview of short story writing with a ton of tips and tricks to get out of your head and get writing. I liked the 5 day format, and I know I will continue to reference parts of this book in the future. My only complaint is that certain parts of the text were very repetitive - almost down to the exact wording of phrases/sentences used just a few lines above. I’m not sure if this is simply style, or if it was a matter of formatting and not being a final copy. I hope that in the finished edition this has been edited down.

I would recommend this to any reader who likes to learn about the craft, or any writer needing some inspiration.

Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A big thank you to Netglley and BooksGoSocial and Jason Fink for giving me the chance to read How to Write a Short Story in Five Days in exchange for an honest review.
This book even thought it had a lot of helpful advice -mostly concerning the brainstorming process of writing a story- had also a very significant flaw in my regard :the simple fact that it didn't listen to it's own advice.
What I mean by that is how the one piece of advice it preached continuously, to "be careful to not repeat information or else risk make the reader bored and disinterested" was the flaw I found again and again as I read. Countless times the same sentence was used over and over again in every chapter, with the pinacle of this flaw being the repetition of the exact same sentence word for word, not once nor twice, BUT THRICE IN THE SAME PAGE.
Considering this a lesson learnt the hard way as a reader, now as a writer I know one thing to avoid.
Regardless, the advice given in this book were helpful and hoped to guide aspiring writers to set a plan in their writing process, yet the constant repitition was something that didn't sit well with me and this is why I rated this book with 3 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to BooksGoSocial for letting me see an advance reader’s copy of How to Write a Short Story in Five Days.

I was really interested to read what the author had to say about writing a short story in five days as that’s what I try to do if I can, although I do like to set it to cool between drafts as well. This book has some great suggestions and provides a working process that should only take five days. What it doesn’t say is whether those days are consecutive or not, which is fine, because it means readers can try it out to suit them and their writing time.

There are a lot of useful tips and the structure is very well thought out. Aside from bullet points and suggesting what to do from start to finish, there’s also a lot of detail about brainstorming story ideas, characters, research, presentation, submission, and so on.

I do have a few gripes.

Firstly, the book is about writing a short story, yet a lot of the examples used to illustrate points are novels or films, I would have liked to see a few more short story examples.

Secondly, there’s an awful lot of repetition. For example, here’s the section on consistency: “Check for consistency. Make sure that your story is consistent throughout. This includes consistency in character, development, plot points, and setting…” And then, a few pages later: “Avoid repetition: Repeating the same words or phrases can make your writing feel tedious and boring…” Until this point, the author regularly repeated himself.

Thirdly, there are places where the writing reads as though a robot has written it. When the author mentioned AI and Chat for writing (not once but twice!), alarm bells started to ring. But then, at the end, the author explains that he has ADHD, and that made me wonder if that too might make the writing sound a bit staccato.

However, these are minor gripes in what is otherwise an excellent tool (or an important tool as the author is wont to say, throughout) for keeping readers focused when writing a short story. I’ll certainly be using it as a bit of a road map and I might even try out some of the suggestions.

Four stars.

I read "how to write__" books almost as a joke, because the truth is, most of them suck.

This book did not! I was shocked. The information was useful, very similar to what you may get in a college class, and there were even tips on where to take your story once it is written.

Solid how to book.

I’ve always wanted to learn how to write short stories that’s why I grabbed the opportunity to read the advance readers’ copy (ARC) of this book. True enough, this book is best for beginners.

The book is a quick read, but it is packed with valuable insights on how to create well-developed characters, settings, and plots. These elements, including the tips and tools, are all essential to the five-day process of writing a story.

The inclusion of the use of AI chatbots like ChatGPT adds to the relevance of the book at the present time since AI has been a hot topic not only in writing but also in business, education, and marketing. The book looks into the possibility of using AI as a tool not only for generating ideas but also for overcoming writer’s block.

I was initially excited about the book, but there were other things that I didn’t love. The author did give examples to get his message across but it would’ve been more helpful if he also shared his own journey in writing short stories. In this way, I could relate to him more and the book would have more personality. The book sounded instructive but practical.

Jason Fink’s How to Write a Short Story in Five Days is highly recommended to those who have just started to write short stories. It contains all the important things that a writer needs to know. Even though the author didn’t share much about his own journey as a short story writer, he still gave helpful tips on how to write compelling stories quickly and effectively.

Thank you, Jason Fink and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC and share my opinion.

I didn’t really find anything groundbreaking in this book - didn’t make it past the day 1 chapter. Not for me, sorry.

This was a brilliant gem of a book. I’ve wanted to write a short story for a while now but have always found them intimidating and difficult to master. However, this book has helped me so much, and made me realise I can write in a shorter form. It has valuable tips, tricks and a step-by-step formula that produces results. It’s one I’ll be coming back to time and time again. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for a chance to read and review this book.

Generally good information given in this book, however there was nothing new compared to other short story/ creative writing books I have read. I did think this book was succinct and laid out well. The exercises were easy to follow but again, not revolutionary.

I would recommend this book to someone starting out their short story journey.

Practical advice, short book, something any writer will keep coming back to. It covers everything from starting brainstorming to polishing end product.

How to Write a Short Story in Five Days is part of the "How to do stuff" series by Jason Fink.

As it says on the tin (cover), it provides a formula to write a short story in just five days, but also tools to develop as a writer.

In short day one is used to plan your story including come up with ideas, invent a few characters and create a rough outline.

The next day it's time to write the first draft without overthinking it too much. Just write!

Based on your work from Day 2, you spend Day 3 refining and editing the draft.

Assuming all has gone well so far, during Day 4 it's time to polish the story and hopefully have some input from early readers to work in (or ignore!).

The final day is allocated for formatting of the story and sending it off for publication,

Simples!

Fink provides lots of tips and ideas, as well as writing exercises in the book and this is one of few times I really wished I had a printed copies so I easily could make notes as I read.

"How to Write a Short Story in Five Days" was a straightforward practical guide to creating short stories in five days. As a writer and a high school English teacher, I think this would be incredibly useful for anyone who is just starting out on their writing journey and would like some structured and well-laid out guidance for how to go about writing short stories from ideation to publication. This book definitely reflected modern demands, including a section on ChatGPT, which I found interesting to read. Overall, I felt this was more of a refresher for me as I spend a lot of my time in this space, but can see clear benefits for those who might not be confident in their own writing practice yet.

This was a NetGalley review.

How to Write a Short Story in Five Days by Jason Fink covers all genres and provides a comprehensive guide on creating a compelling short story. Fink cites a diverse range of classic and modern writers, offering valuable insights and inspiration for both new and experienced fiction writers. The book is structured around a five-day timeline, a useful way to approach writing. Still, it can also be stretched out to fit individual needs.

In addition to the writing process, the book also provides practical tips on how to get your work published, including advice on self-publishing. Overall, How to Write a Short Story in Five Days is an excellent resource for anyone interested in writing fiction. It provides helpful information and inspiring examples to help writers hone their craft and get their work into the world. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy to review.

This is a valuable book for any would=be writer. I was in writers' groups for several years but got away from writing when 'life' intervened. I'd like to get back at it and this book provides some great information on how to do that. Though the title says for short stories, the tips given can be applied to any type of writing whether it be novels, nonfiction, or short stories.

This was a comprehensive, though basic, guide to writing short stories aimed at those with little to no academic or practical experience with the topic. It is split into sections that outline every step of the process of planning, writing, and publishing a short story, including modern advice such as using ChatGPT or similar AI programmes to generate possible plot points. There are plenty of quotes and example sections to make the advice clear as well. I found the section about formatting very useful (nice to have it compiled, I have to google font sizes and indenting every time). The lists of websites that take submissions was also appreciated, as was the list of further resources.

Other than that, the organisation was slightly odd as almost everything was presented in bullet points, which made it feel like I was reading one of my university PowerPoints, but it’s not unreadable by any means. This book will be useful for beginner writers and hobbyists looking towards publishing, though a lot of the advice will be common sense or well-known techniques.

This is a fantastic, fast introduction into the possibilities of short story writing. Fink manages to pack a lot of information into this reference book and is neatly structured around a five day period. There is an abundance of top tips within these pages and the structure really lends itself towards the achievable and logical steps for progress.
Like many reference books, this book will be read differently from a novel. Therefore, be prepared for a lot of repetition. Fink reinforces his points with excellent examples from literature, but it will feel a little familiar after a while. As a reference book, used to encourage first-time writers, then this is a good thing. Examples are accessible and relevant giving the impression of a lot of weight behind each piece of advice.
There are some extremely contemporary issues that are discussed knowledgeably, such as the emergence of Chat GPT, and some personal reflections that make the writer's journey appear far more inclusive.
This is a brilliant starting book for anyone mildly interested in beginning writing or for those who desire a quick overview of what the process might look like.

I received a free electronic copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a creative writing and English major, I've read quite a few "how to write" books, and this is one of the most useful. Not only did it give tips for writing, but it also shared methods for preparing stories for publication and where to take them. I appreciated the bullet-point style in which "How to Write a Short Story in Five Days" is presented as it made it easier to seek out relevant information instead of wading through rambling. I would definitely recommend this book to beginning writers.

(As a side note, I wrote a 1,600-word short story by using this book although I am not quite sure if what I came up with is any good or not.)