So, I have trouble doing world building for short stories, especially when it comes to places/cultures. I don't want to burn through word count doing expository stuff, either. What are some suggestions you have for subtly working in world building details without overloading the story with exposition?
Werew: My favorite method is to come up with the scene, the details, the weirdness, etc, and then put yourself in the place of the character and think about what they'd actually notice about the scene. For example, I have a short story where the main character talks to people of a non-human race that have very sharp teeth, and their teeth make it hard to pronounce some sounds in the english language. However, anyone who knows anything about that race in the world knows that their teeth make it hard for them to speak english, so why would my character mentally comment on it? So what I did was to include the difficulty with sounds in the dialogue, and then throw in the sharp teeth in separately; the character mentally remarks about their sharp teeth when one of them smiles. I left it to the reader to draw the connection.
If the detail isn't relevant, don't bend over backwards to fit it in. Including too many details can make stories harder to read. If something is common knowledge, treat it as common knowledge and don't bother explaining it. Unless it seems to conflict with something else in the world, most readers will just go "oh okay, so apples are poisonous if picked on Tuesday, got it" and go on reading, and you don't need to explain the story about the fickle sorcerer hundreds of years ago who bit into a worm and had a fit about it. (This is a ridiculous example, but often readers will accept even ridiculous things as just being part of the world if they are presented correctly)
Bina: In addition to Werew's point, readers will fill in any worldbuilding gaps with their own imaginations. They'll make their own background exposition for something if it makes them stop and wonder 'that's cool, but why is that?' So scattering tidbits around has the bonus of a potentially richer imaginative experience for your reader! I know that wasn't really related to your question, but I wanted to add in an extra bonus for your decision to avoid expositing.
constablewrites: It can help to read other short stories to get a feel for the level of detail that readers expect. Some publications that specialize in SFF short stories:LightspeedClarkesworldFiresideFiyahUncanny MagazineBeneath Ceaseless SkiesStrange Horizons
constablewrites: There are also loads of anthologies you can check out as well. One of the best ways to place a story in one of these venues is to read the stuff they acquire so you know the sort of thing they look for, so it's a good habit to cultivate if you're interested in the form.
Mirintala: I primarily write flash fiction and short story, and definitely stick to only including important facts as they come up. When you grab a short story, you aren't expecting to read the Silmarillion. "Just the facts, ma'am." A lot of my characters don't even have a description until/unless a fact about it is needed to progress the story. A short story is a single photograph out of an album.
MareeB: it can help to think about what your goal is when you write a short story. It's not a narrative so much as a moment in time. Focus on the details that are relevant to that single moment and ignore everything else. The reader doesn't need to know
MareeB: Now if you are really loving the world you've created and want to explore it more, think about either writing more stories in it, or writing a longer work. Some stories don't fit in short form, and that's okay. Others are like pieces you can use to build up a larger world view.
