User blog comment:Smokelahoma/Looking for a mentor/@comment-10950063-20140923235425

Writing is a skill that takes time to develop. Everyone starts off as a poor writer, because it's not an obvious skill. It's not like running fast. Being fast is straightforward, telling a story isn't. When most people think about telling stories, they think about how they tell stories to their friends. That doesn't make for good writing though.

Eh, my point is it takes time. Reading a lot is the first step. It's the lion's share of the work. It will teach you the basics. The rest is easier.

But, to answer your questions:

Short stories generally don't need an outline. If you want to do one, that's fine, but it's not necessary. Character development, again, short stories don't have a ton of character development because you're dealing with a short form work. There's not a lot of space for characters to grow. Don't start with the end. You don't have to go sequentially, but if you start with the end things flow less naturally. As you write, usually your story changes and that could ripple through to your ending. Don't nail yourself down.