Short Story Writing - Feedback That Actually Helps

[KeyboardWarrior47]

Writing short stories is different from novels. Tighter economy of words. Every sentence has to do work. Getting feedback on short fiction is hard because readers skim or don't finish. Writers need to know what works and what doesn't. The feedback that helps is specific. "More description" is useless. "The dialogue in paragraph three sounds like exposition" is useful. "I didn't feel the emotion" is vague. "The ending undermines the character arc you built" is actionable. How do you ask for useful feedback? How do you give it to other writers without being mean? What makes a short story actually work?

[VoidSentinel]

The ending is where most short stories fail. They set up something interesting then don't pay it off cleanly