Different subjects are best addressed in different stories. The ending paragraph or paragraphs should clearly signal the end of your story. Save a little humor or bang for the ending. Compound sentences should be broken down into short, easy to understand sentences. One or two word sentences create interest if not overdone.
People are interested in what others say and do.
Humor is one example of surprise. Carefully choose your words of humor for best impact. Let the editor judge your photos as he can enlarge, reduce, or crop for best effects. Send at least several photos if you can to increase the odds of your story being printed. Tying a paragraph into a previous paragraph is known as a flashback technique.