Short story is the perfect format for many writers. In fact, writing a novel can be a titanic undertaking, while almost everyone is able to conceive (and above all finish) a story. Like a novel, a good story excites and amuses the reader. By finding the right ideas, writing a draft and taking care of the details of your work, you will be able to learn how to write successful stories in no time.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Finding the Right Ideas
Step 1. Invent a storyline or scenario
Think about the story and the events that will happen. Consider what you are trying to describe or treat. Decide what your approach to the story or your perspective will be.
- For example, you can start with a simple storyline: the protagonist faces bad news or receives an unexpected visit from a friend or relative.
- You can also try more complex textures. For example, the protagonist wakes up in a parallel dimension or discovers an unspeakable secret of another person.
Step 2. Focus on developing a complex protagonist
Most of the short stories only focus on one or two main characters. Think of a protagonist with clear desires, but full of contradictions. Don't just describe a good or bad figure. Think of interesting attributes and feelings, so that it feels deep and complete.
Create Compelling Characters
Find inspiration:
characters are everywhere around you. Spend time people-watching in a public place, such as a shopping mall or a busy pedestrian street. Take notes on interesting people you see and think about how to fit them into your story. You can also borrow features from people you know.
Create a background:
it delves into the protagonist's past experiences to understand what leads him to act and reason in a certain way. What was the lonely old man like as a child? How did you get that scar on your hand? Even if you don't include these details in the story, getting to know your character thoroughly will help make him look authentic.
Develop plot-defining characters:
create a character that makes the plot more interesting and complex. For example, if the protagonist is a teenage girl who cares a lot about her family, she might be expected to protect her brother from school bullies. However, if she hates her brother and is friends with the bullies, she is faced with a conflict that makes the plot much more interesting.
Step 3. Create a central conflict for the protagonist
All the tales expose a conflict situation, in which the main character has to face a problem. Describe the conflict in the first pages of the story, making the protagonist's life difficult.
For example, the protagonist may have a desire that he cannot fulfill, or he is in a dangerous situation and must fight to survive
Step 4. Choose an interesting setting
Another very important element of the stories is the setting, that is, the places where the events of the plot take place. You can only describe one main scenario and add details thanks to the characters. Find a setting that is interesting for you and that will appeal to the reader as well.
Tips for Creating a Setting
Brainstorm:
write the names of your settings, such as "little colony on Mars" or "school gym". Visualize each place as vividly as possible and write down any details that come to mind. Enter your characters and imagine what they might do in that place.
Think about the texture:
based on the characters and the arc of the plot, where does the story necessarily take place? Make the setting a crucial part of the story, so readers can't imagine another place it might take place. For example, if the protagonist is a man who has a car accident, setting the story in a small town in winter provides a plausible reason for the accident (an icy road), as well as an additional complication (it is now blocked. in the cold with a broken down car).
Don't overdo the settings.
Inserting too many could confuse the reader or make it difficult for them to get into the story. The use of 1-2 settings is usually perfect for a story.
Step 5. Think about a particular theme
Many stories revolve around a theme and explore it from the point of view of the protagonist or narrator. You can choose broad topics like "love", "desire" or "loss" and try to analyze them from the perspective of the main character.
You can also focus on more specific topics, such as "love between siblings", "longing for friendship" or "loss of a parent"
Step 6. Think about an emotional climax
All success stories have a turning point in which the protagonist reaches the limit of emotions. The climax is usually presented in the second half of the play, or near the end. At that moment, the main character may feel overwhelmed, trapped, desperate, or even out of control.
For example, you could write a climax in which the protagonist, an elderly man living alone, has to confront his neighbor about the illegal activities he conducts. Or a scene where the main character, a teenage girl, defends her brother against school bullies
Step 7. Think of a surprising ending or a twist
Find ideas for an ending that will leave the reader surprised, shocked or intrigued. Avoid platitudes, so that the reader cannot predict what is about to happen. Give the reader a false sense of security by making him believe the tale will end one way, then shifting his attention to another character or image that leaves him stunned.
Create a Satisfying Finish
Try different endings.
Outline some potential conclusions. View each option and try to figure out which ones are more natural, surprising or satisfying. Don't worry if you don't find the right ending right away - it's one of the hardest parts of the story to write!
How do you want the reader to feel when the story ends?
The ending is the last impression you will leave on the reader. How will she feel if your characters succeed, fail, or stay somewhere in between? For example, if the protagonist decides to confront her brother's bullies but gets scared at the last minute, the reader will feel that the girl still has a lot of inner analysis to do.
Stay away from clichés.
Make sure you avoid endings with tricks you've already seen, where you rely on overused twists to surprise the reader. If your ending seems mundane or even boring, make an effort to make things harder for the characters.
Step 8. Read examples of short stories
Learn what are the characteristics of a success story and be able to engage readers by studying the works of the most famous writers. Read short stories from various different genres, from literary fiction to science fiction to fantasy. Note the author's effective use of characters, themes, settings, and plot within the work. You can read:
- Anton Chekhov's Lady with the Dog
- Something I've been wanting to tell you for a while about Alice Munro
- For Esmé: with love and squalor by J. D. Salinger
- Ray Bradbury's Noise of Thunder
- Snow, mirror, apples by Neil Gaiman
- Wyoming People by Annie Proulx
- Grace Paley's Wishes
- Apollo by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- This is how you lose it by Junot Diaz
- Seven by Edwidge Danticat
Part 2 of 3: Creating a First Draft
Step 1. Write the structure of the plot
Organize the story into five parts: exposition, triggering event, rising tension, climax, lowering tension, and resolution. Use the outline as a guide as you write the story so you can clearly identify the beginning, middle, and ending.
You can also try the snowflake method, where you write a summary of one sentence, one of a paragraph, short descriptions of all the characters and the order of the scenes
Step 2. Create an engaging introduction
The opening part of the story should contain unusual actions, conflicts or images, in order to catch the reader's attention. In the first paragraph, he introduces the reader to the main character and the setting. Gradually bring him closer to the main themes and ideas of the story.
- For example, an opening like "I was feeling lonely that day" doesn't communicate much information to the reader about the narrator, it's neither unusual nor engaging.
- Instead, try an introduction like, "The day after my wife left me, I dragged myself to the neighbor's door, asking for sugar for a cake I wasn't going to bake." This sentence describes to the reader a past conflict, the separation from his wife and the current tension between the narrator and the neighbor.
Step 3. Limit yourself to one point of view
A story is usually told in the first person and no longer presents points of view. This allows you to create a story with a clear perspective and intent. You can decide to write your story in the third person, although this can create distance between you and the reader.
- Some stories are written in the second person, where the narrator uses the pronoun "you". Usually this style of storytelling is employed if it is central to exposure, such as in Ted Chiang's short story, Stories of Your Life or Junot Diaz's, That's How You Lose It.
- Most short stories are written with past tense verbs, although you can use the present tense to give the story more immediacy.
Step 4. Use dialogue to reveal characters and carry the story forward
The dialogues in your story should always have more than one purpose. Make sure they describe some element of the character that is speaking and help develop the overall plot of the story. Include short sentences in the dialogue that reveal new characters and load scenes of tension and conflict.
Brief Tips on Dialogues
Develop a voice for each character.
Your characters are all unique, so all of their dialogue will need to sound a little different. Experiment to figure out which voice is right for each character. For example, one character might greet a friend by saying, "Hey, girl, how are you doing?" While another might say, "Where have you been? Haven't seen you in ages."
Use several verbs to introduce dialogue, but not too many.
Distribute different verbs throughout the story to express direct speech, such as "stammered" or "screamed", but without exaggerating. You can continue to use "said" in some situations, choosing a more descriptive verb when the scene really needs it.
Step 5. Include sensory details about the setting
Think of the sounds, smells, tastes, looks and feelings that the protagonist notices in that place. Describe the scene using all your senses, so that the reader lives it.
For example, you can describe your old high school as "a giant building that looks like an industry, smelling of toweling socks, hairspray, broken dreams and chalk." Or you can present the sky seen from your home as "a white quilt covered in a thick, gray haze, rising from fires that broke out in the nearby forest early in the morning."
Step 6. Conclude with a revelation or epiphany
It doesn't have to be a major or trivial event. It can be something subtle, where the characters start to change or see things differently. You can close the story with a revelation open to interpretation or clear and complete.
- You can also end with an interesting picture or dialogue, which reveals a character's change or transformation.
- For example, you might end the story when the protagonist decides to sue their neighbor, even if it means losing a friend. Or with the image of the heroine helping her injured brother to walk home, just in time for dinner.
Part 3 of 3: Refine the Draft
Step 1. Read the story aloud
Listen to every sentence, especially the dialogue. Notice if the story runs smoothly from paragraph to paragraph. Check for any off-key phrases and underline them so you can edit them later.
- Notice if the story follows the plot and if the protagonist's conflict is clear.
- Reading the story aloud can help you spot spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
Step 2. Correct the story to make it clearer and more fluent
The general rule of stories is that the shorter they are, the better. Most works of this type are 1,000 to 7,000 words long, that is, one to ten pages. You need to be willing to eliminate scenes or phrases to shorten the story and make it more concise. Make sure you include only details and moments that are absolutely critical to the story you are trying to tell.
Parts to Eliminate
Unnecessary descriptions:
limit yourself to enough descriptions to show the reader the most important characteristics of a place, character or object, contributing to the overall tone of the story. If you need to cut out a particularly cool description, copy and save it - you could always use it in another story!
Scenes that don't keep the story going:
if you think a scene may not be necessary for the plot, try deleting it and reading the scenes before and after it. If the story still runs smoothly and makes sense, you can probably delete that part.
Characters that don't serve a purpose:
you may have created a character to make a story seem realistic or to give the protagonist someone to talk to, but if it's not important to the plot, it can probably be cut. For example, consider whether a character has excess friends or siblings who don't have much dialogue.
Step 3. Find an interesting title
Most publishers and readers start with the title of the work when deciding whether to read it. Choose a title that attracts or interests the reader and encourages them to read the text. Use a theme, image, or the name of one of the characters.
- For example, the title Something I've Been Wanting to Tell You for a while by Alice Munro is very effective, because it is a direct quote from one of the characters in the story and is aimed at the reader, to whom "I" wants to tell something.
- Neil Gaiman's title Snow, mirror, apples is also a good example, because it presents three interesting objects on their own, but which become even more so when combined in a single story.
Step 4. Let other people read and criticize your story
Show the artwork to friends, family, and classmates. Ask if they found it exciting and engaging. Accept constructive criticism, as it will be very helpful in improving the story.
- You can also join a writing group and submit your short story for a business project. Or you can create a writing group with your friends so that you can help each other improve your works.
- Once you have received feedback from others, you should review the story once more to create the final version.
