HOW TO WRITE A SHORT STORY

Step 1:

Start from the end. Most writers would agree that it is easier to begin your short story if you know where it ends. In that way, your character should start at the opposite side of the climax that you are aiming towards. Write it down.

Step 2:

Think of an effect that you can create on your reader. This is a piece of advice recommended by Edgar Allan Poe in his philosophy of composition. Write it down.

Step 3:

Stick to the ONE rule: one main character, one setting, and one unit of time (typically one hour or one day). Write it all down.

Step 4:

Decide how you are going to hook your readers. Your first line is decisive to raise interest in your readers so that they keep reading. You can start in the middle of an action, or with a question, or a conflict. Here are some ideas about how to begin your hook. Yes, write your hook down.

Step 5:

Write your first draft. Since you know your beginning, middle, and ending, now you can write your story. Do so without correcting anything and not paying attention to mistakes that you might be making on the process. Let your creativity flow through the page. More than at any other step of this process, write away. This is the first draft of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

Step 6:

Let your story cool for a day or two without looking at it or changing anything. It is vital that you let it breathe and that you distance yourself from the story. Put on your editor hat and read it as if somebody else would have given it to you, asking for your opinion. What things are working? What can be improved? Edit as much as possible with the objective of enhancing the story.

Step 7:

Read the edited version out loud. It will give you a sense of how your story sounds and surely help you improve that version. Edit away.

Step 8:

When you think that your story is ready to send it to some friends for their advice, see if they understand what you want to transmit with your story. Ask them questions about the doubts that you might have. It is very important that you listen to them attentively since each one is a potential reader that might pinpoint a possible mistake of your story.

Step 9:

Congratulations, your story is ready!

If you want more information about how to write a story, here are some resources that you can use:

- Reedsy. Excellent information about how to write a short story. Some of the steps have been taken from here.
- OpenCulture. Here are some tips about how to write a short story from story master Kurt Vonnegut.