Below are tips, brainstorming ideas and resources to assist you in writing a theme-based short story. Many of the tips are geared to help you focus on the 2027 theme of Extreme Elements.
SOWEST: EXTREME ELEMENTS
Sisters in Crime Desert Sleuths Anthology #12
Arizona -based (required): Arizona is blessed with an incredible range of locations, both in geographic and climate terms. It contains large cities and small towns, some so small they’re little more than wide spots on a rarely traveled road. There are rolling hills, mountains, and flatlands. Wherever you imagination takes you, Arizona will offer up the perfect spot to set your So West: Extreme Elements story submission.
Places
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- Is there’s an industry you want to focus on?
- Maybe you drove through some Arizona town and spotted the most unusual vacant factory. Wouldn’t that be the perfect spot to set your story?
- Or maybe you want to spotlight a sport. Might an out-of-season heatwave during baseball’s
Spring training camp have turned a player homicidal toward the TV weather forecaster? - Or you could write about a murder on a black diamond ski run on a snowy mountaintop.
- Golf courses can be also great places to dump a body.
- Somewhere memorable you’ve visited that really resonates with you
- A place that you’ve never been but interests you and would love to research
- An everyday haunt you visit often
- A location with an air of mystery or urban legends
- A place of significance in Arizona’s history (remember, it does not have to be contemporary)
Ask Yourself
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- What kind of mystery or crime could have occurred in this place?
- What kind of “elements” could be found in that place?
- What is the most interesting time period this story could take place?
Begin with an Element
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- Could the elment be part of your setting?
- Weather as an “Element” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_severe_weather_phenomena)
- Flash floods, monsoons, haboobs, ice/snow storms, droughts, heat waves, wildfire, windstorms, etc.
- Gems and minerals are made of elements. For example, diamonds are the mineral form of the element carbon.
- Copper, silver, gold, uranium are all from the period table of elements and were mined in Arizona. The meteorite fragments from Arizona’s Meteor Crater are made from iron-nickel.
Weapons
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- “Elements” in biological matter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_roles_of_the_elements)
- Was someone poisoned with arsenic, lead, or mercury?
- Was someone stabbed with an iron or bronze (copper, tin plus other metals) blade?
- Was someone deprived of oxygen (an element) by a pillow?
What Else could “Element” mean?
A Few More Tips, Plus Additional Resources
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- Short story = photograph. Novel = film.
Capture the essentials! Avoid overly complex situations. - Writing to a theme is like writing to a prompt. See some ideas here:
https://www.sleuthsayers.org/2026/08/coming-up-with-story-idea-to-fit-prompt.html - 6-Sentence Plot (to plan out your story):
- Introduce a character
- Reveal their desire
- Have character take an action
- Present a conflict
- Bring it to a climax
- Offer a resolution
- What Makes a Good Short Story (on YouTube) with Michael Bracken
- 4-part Short and Sweet webinar series (on YouTube, by SinC):
- Part 1: The Art and Craft of Short Mystery Fiction
- Part 2: The Structure of a Short Story
- Part 3: Crafting Prose in a Short Story
- Part 4: Ending Your Short Story
- Short story = photograph. Novel = film.