Action is character.

Then he kissed her. At his lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete.

Find the key emotion; this may be all you need know to find your short story.

No grand idea was ever born in a conference, but a lot of foolish ideas have died there.

Genius goes around the world in its youth incessantly apologizing for having large feet. What wonder that later in life it should be inclined to raise those feet too swiftly to fools and bores.

I'll never be a poet,' said Amory as he finished. 'I'm not enough of a sensualist really; there are only a few obvious things that I notice as primarily beautiful: women, spring evenings, music at night, the sea; I don't catch the subtle things like 'silver-snarling trumpets.' I may turn out an intellectual, but I'll never right anything but mediocre poetry.

Murder your darlings.