How to Write a Short Story

What length should a short story be? What elements should it include? What are some tips on writing a short story?

How to Craft a Short Story

Hello and welcome!

Short stories can be a wonderful medium for storytelling.

They can be written for most any genre, and can be called by different names based on how many words they contain.

We’re about to take a look at how they are classified.

Then, we’ll go over some of the basics of writing them!

Hopefully this will help you get inspired and go on your way toward your writing goals!

Types of short stories

Let’s start by going over the classification of short stories.

Short story is a broad term, often used to mean a story that is shorter than a novel.

Since a novel is at least 50,000 words, a short story is technically anything less than that.

Although, there are also different names for specific lengths within that realm.

Usually, stories between 20,000 and 49,999 words are called a novella.

Stories between 7,500 and 19,999 are typically called a novelette.

The name for stories between 1,000 and 7,500 words are only called short stories, from what I can tell.

However, some sources use short stories to refer to any that range from 1,000 to 10,000 words.

Stories that are below 1,000 words are known as Flash Fiction.

One further subcategory is Microfiction or micro stories, which I found a couple of different word count ranges for.

Micro stories could be 300 words or fewer, 250 words or fewer, or 100 words or fewer.

There are still other, much shorter subcategories.

For example, a drabble (Exactly 100 words), a dribble (Exactly 50 words), a two sentence story (I’ve usually seen these in the horror genre), and a six word story.

I will give a disclaimer, though- different sources have slightly differing counts for a lot of these categories.

So, if you intend to submit your short stories for publishing or competitions, it’s doubly important that you follow the individual guidelines for your chosen submission.

Now that you have an idea of the options that are out there, maybe one of these lengths speaks to you.

Maybe you want to make your own rules, or even just see where the muse takes you.

This is art, not math, so the choice is your own!

I’m just here to try to help you get started.

To summarize the essentials:

Microstories: 300 words or fewer

Flash Fiction: 1,000 words or fewer

Novella: fewer than 50,000

What to include in a short story

Every good story, regardless of its length, needs to have some sort of value.

Sometimes that can be shocking or amusing the reader, sometimes it can be with a heartwarming or thought-provoking effect.

Since many short stories don’t have time to immerse readers into a whole world and series of events, it’s important that they create that desired effect quickly.

Whatever effect you want your story to have, there are a few key elements that should be present.

The first of these is a character or two.

One of the best ways of enticing readers to finish your story is by including compelling characters.

Because we are working in short fiction, there’s usually no time to explore much of a backstory for your characters.

Therefore, the best way to make them engaging is usually through their actions over the course of the story.

Also, you’ll want to include their attitude or mood, which will add a new level of realism to them.

Keeping a brief description of your character in your own mind as you write helps with consistency. (You're unlikely to need a physical description written in unless it's relevant to the story.)

Speaking of consistency, I should mention that it does not mean your character must remain the same at the beginning as at the end of your story.

That brings me to my next point.

The second element is a plot structure.

No matter the length, there should be some sort of plot, or else it can’t rightly be called a story.

There are different kinds of stories, and in each there is generally some sort of problem that a character must solve.

By introducing that problem at the beginning of your story, not only are you foreshadowing where the story is going, but you are also engaging readers by getting to the good stuff right away.

Readers who gravitate toward short fiction want a quick payoff. It’s your job as the writer to give them what they came for.

It’s perfectly alright if you want to add a twist in your plot, but there should be some indication, however subtle, so that readers don’t feel lied to.

The part that makes the meat of the story, the part between the opening and the closing, is what we call the try/fail cycle.

This is the part where the author gets to do anything and everything to keep their character from reaching the goal.

For example, if the character has to get somewhere, add something that is blocking their path.

In any case, there should be some change from the start to the time you get to the end.

If there is no change, it should be for an understandable reason.

I’ll explain that more as I get into the next section, where I break down the kinds of plot threads you can choose from.

The types of plot threads are determined by the character’s goal.

The four main types of plot threads are Milieu, Inquiry, Character, and Event, all of which I will explain presently.

Milieu is the type of plot that happens in a specific place. It begins upon a character’s entry into that place, and ends with their exit from it.

Examples of this include stories that involve characters going to another country, a magical land, or even a room.

Oftentimes, with these stories, the goal a character is striving toward is how to get out of that place, or into another.

Inquiry is the classic detective tale, or any other story involving questions that must be answered.

These stories begin with the question being asked, and it’s really important that the question be answered by the end.

It doesn’t hurt to keep it till very close to the end when readers are on the verge of thinking there’s no hope.

This is a plot device that can be very useful with any of the plot types, if done well.

Character plots are the ones where there is an intrinsic problem that a character must face.

This can be general unhappiness with themselves, a specific desire to be like someone else, or any other personal growth goal a character may have.

For this type of plot, a character may not get what they originally wanted by the end.

The important thing is that there needs to be character growth of some kind.

Maybe they realize that their original goal was shallow and they don’t care about that anymore.

Whatever you decide, be sure that the character has changed somehow, or else the plot will seem pointless.

Finally, Event stories are the ones where an external force drives the plot.

These types of stories include the natural disaster genre, or the invading army.

Something happened, and because of that the character must act.

Most longer stories weave multiple plot threads together,

But in a short story, you generally only have time for one.

You may start with an idea and classify the type of plot thread from that idea.

Or maybe you have a plot type in mind that you want to write, and you can use these definitions to inspire your own story.

Once you know your plot and character or characters, you can begin to write.

For those of you who are like me, writing a draft of the story itself is a good place to start.

Pantsing your way through a zero draft is a great way to fill in any unplanned details.

However, for all of you Plotters out there, you may want to start with an outline.

Whatever method works better for you, be sure to keep a few tips in mind as you go.

Tip number 1:

If your goal is to write short stories, then you need to limit your plot and characters down.

One or two characters are best, since it takes more words to describe each new character.

One plot thread is sufficient, unless you plan to write a long short story.

If you have a specific word count goal in mind, then as you get shorter, the impact of each word grows more important.

Tip number 2:

Your first draft is not your final draft, so don’t forget to edit!

This ties into your word count goals.

The more you edit, the more you can measure the impact and value of each and every word.

As you go through, ask yourself what each word brings to the table, and see if you can turn phrases into something smaller.

It also helps to give yourself the distance of time before going back and editing your draft.

Just let it sit for a few days at least, then you can come back with a fresh perspective.

Tip number 3:

When you have edited as much as you can, and you think it’s perfect, it is not.

That's when you need a fresh pair of eyes to tell you all of the details that you missed in the editing phase.

A critique partner can be a great asset for all manner of writing projects!

If you have a professional editor, that’s even better.

But, be sure to clarify ahead of time what it is you want help with.

There’s a difference between developmental editing (help with the story itself, plot, flow, etc.) and line editing (a line-by-line breakdown of word choice, grammar, and punctuation).

Some readers will know that something seems off to them, but may not be able to articulate what it is exactly.

This is where you must bring in your own judgment.

No matter what feedback you get or who gives it to you, every change you make is a matter of your choice.

You could choose not to change anything, if you decide that is what’s best for you and your work.

What can you do with your short story?

Once it’s written and completed to your satisfaction, there are several options for what you can do with it.

If you wish to keep it to yourself, that is a perfectly valid goal for writing.

If you want to have it published, you could submit it for a contest, magazine, or the like.

Many of them have entry fees, however, so be aware of that possibility.

Another option that is growing increasingly popular is to self-publish.

Since sites like Amazon KDP, Ingram Spark, and others make it so easy to upload your stories, we are seeing a boom in authors doing just that.

If you are writing stories shorter than a Novella, I recommend waiting until you have multiple stories to publish together.

That way you’ve got a nice book for readers to buy!

That’s all I have for you today,

But if there’s any aspect of this post that you would like to see me dive into a little deeper, please leave a comment!

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