There is something magical about a well-written short story. They stand out from the crowd in a unique and memorable way, the feeling they evoke often lingering long after the last line is read. A skillful writer can weave an immersive and compelling story that stirs up emotion and leaves readers thoughtful, shocked, or disturbed … all within only a few pages.

But how does one write a short story that makes an impact on the reader? Today, we’re going to explore the art of this genre of short fiction. Keep reading to learn how to plan, outline, and write a short story, plus get access to a recommended study list.

In a Nutshell:

When you are sitting down to plan your short story, it’s wise to devote your attention to a few specific and key elements. Every word, character, and literary device needs to mean something significant in order to deliver the most effect. Keep these details in mind as you build your outline.

• Short stories should be 1000-7000 words in length; ideally, aim for between 2500-5000 words.
• Center the focus on only 2-3 central characters and a specific event or situation.
• Intentionally narrow in on a single message, theme, or statement per short story. If you are writing a collection of short stories, these can be interconnected or repeated throughout, but focus on one idea per story.
• Craft a powerful, emotional ending that leaves readers with questions or an unsettled feeling for the most impact. This is the element that makes short story writing unique.

While good short stories will explore characters, conflict, and theme in the same way a longer work of literature will, the goal and execution in a short story must be conveyed with speed and efficiency. There isn’t extra room for fluff, so keep the narrative and dialogue intentional and meaningful.

Now let’s look at characters, conflict, and theme:

Characters:

            Place less focus on extensive characterization and give more attention to crafting characterization that says a lot with a little. Rather than spending a lot of time exploring your characters’ pasts and motivations, use dialogue, action, and sparing description to show the kind of people your characters are and what drives them in the moment.

            Ask yourself: What point of view is going to serve the story best? What does each character who makes an appearance here want? What motivates them to make decisions or statements?

Conflict:

            Center the conflict around one thing. Give your main character (known as the MC) one main problem to solve. (Novels tend to have multiple conflicts layered throughout, with subplots and additional conflicts that arise even as previous problems are resolved. Short stories only have room for one conflict focus.) The character must work through that problem or dilemma as the story progresses, and it must be resolved within the allotted word count.

            Short story conflicts often tend to be internal as the MC struggles with his or her humanity, morals, ethics, etc. So the action of the story (whatever the MC faces externally) can reveal a lot about what he or she is facing within themselves.

            Ask yourself: What does this story reveal about humanity as a whole or my MC specifically? What truth or realization do they come to by the end? What truth or question do I want my readers left to ponder?

Theme:

            Explore some aspect of the human condition, but try to leave the moral ruling or conclusion undefined. Rather than define your message for the reader, allow them to come to their own conclusion about the events of the story. A valuable trick is to leave the final scene open-ended but thought-provoking in its impact.

            Ask yourself: What am I hoping to reveal about the human condition by the final scene of this story? What thoughts do I want to trigger in my reader?

You’ve got your characters, conflict, and theme worked out. Now how do you begin a short story?

            Be intentional in how the story begins. The first few lines and paragraphs are your most valuable real estate, setting up the mood, the theme, and the conflict of the story. There is little room for fluff in the introduction of a short story. Instead, set the scene with intention and don’t go overboard with exposition.

In Medias Res:

            In medias res is a technique that refers to dropping your reader into the middle of the action/narrative without preamble within the first lines of the story. This technique pulls readers into the story immediately without overdone scene setting or exposition. Usually, this means that rather than explain what led up to the central event, your characters start already in the middle of it. This is a very powerful way to start a story.

These first lines can raise a question about the characters or create imagery so vivid and compelling that the reader can’t turn away.

            Ask yourself: How can I pull the reader into the story with the first three-to-five lines? Where can I drop them straight into the action? What information isn’t essential?

How to Outline a Short Story:

While there may be temptation to “pants” a short story, this is one writing project that works best from a set outline if you don’t already have your story beats defined.

           As you study short fiction, you’ll notice that most work from a traceable pattern, which is outlined below. This repeatable pattern allows you to work from a solid starting point by plugging in your unique plot details into the outline and then exploring where it leads.

Short Story Outline Template

1. Introduce your protagonist, your antagonist, and the setting. Drop the reader straight into the action without too much prior fluff or explanation. Add relevant details about the setting that convey the mood and atmosphere you want to create. This is where you can pre-introduce your central conflict, setting up the challenge your protagonist will face and conveying how the antagonist will interfere.
2. Provide context for the scene: Use exposition to carry the story forward, but don’t give too much away just yet. Allow the tension to build.
3. Introduce the Rising Action (Major Event #1): This scenario drives straight into the main conflict or a notable event that propels your characters forward. Show that this event is important, but hold back on just why it is important so that your readers are compelled to keep moving forward. Build tension!
4. As the story continues, provide more context for the first major event: Shed light on what happened to cause the scenario as you lead into…
5. Introducing Major Event #2: Repeat the same techniques you used to create intrigue and provoke thought in Event #1.
6. Continue on like this, jumping back and forth between major events and providing context for your readers through carefully crafted exposition. Think of this as a corkscrew, leading your reader straight into…
7. The Climax/Conflict Resolution: Even though the best short stories tend not to resolve the conflict but leave it more open-ended, determine how you are going to lead your reader to the breaking point in the narrative, a place where you can leave them reeling with questions or emotions.
8. Ending: Your ending should occur immediately after the climax and should be crafted in a way that is emotionally impactful or thought-provoking. This is a great place to resolve clues you set up earlier in the story or shock your readers with a memorable twist. Be intentional and deliberate with the feeling you want to leave readers with.

How to End a Short Story:

            The beginning and ending are your opportunity to make the most emotional impact on your reader, so craft the ending with great care. It should be short. Don’t drag it on, but keep it simple and poignant. Here are a few ideas for how to end a short story:

            The Natural Ending: Allow the story to lead itself to a natural conclusion. In the case of fiction, what is most likely to happen to end this story? Where can you cut off the narration in a way that compels your reader to think about what they just read while still honoring the natural flow of the story?

            Ending on Dialogue or Narration: Another way to end a short story is on a line of dialogue or a line of narration that is memorable. Make this last line resonate and impact your readers deeply in an emotional or shocking way.

            Circle Back to the Beginning: Bring something full circle in your narration. Perhaps it’s a line of dialogue or an object that the character sees in the beginning that holds a different meaning by the end. Whatever it is, repeating something from the beginning of your short story can create strong feelings in your reader as they realize how significant the clues you left were to the story.

            “Drop the Mic”: Leave the readers intentionally unsatisfied or disturbed by crafting your ending in such a way that you “drop the mic” and end the story immediately after. Use something particularly shocking or significant to the human condition to create this kind of impact.

            Ending Ambiguously: Leave the ending ambiguous by refraining from telling your readers what to think. Let them come to their own conclusions about the message you are trying to convey. You can use a “cliffhanger” style like the movie The Italian Job or present your character with multiple options and leave the scene before they choose any of them, forcing your reader to wonder what would have happened.

             Ask yourself: What are the true motivations of my characters, and how will that impact the ending? How can I stun my readers or push them to think for themselves about what happened in the story?

How to get better at writing short stories?

If you want to get better at writing short stories, you’ll need to do three things:

• Read
• Study
• Write

There are no shortcuts to mastering the art of the short story. If you want to get better at writing them, you’ll need to slow down and read with intention.

• Notice the way the characters are described, how they speak, and how dialogue and scene setting reveal characterization.
• Where does the author begin the story?
• Pay attention to what is said and what is not said.
• What can you find in the subtext that reveals the author’s intentions?
• How do the major events in the story lead you to draw a conclusion about what is happening, and how is your perception changed by the ending?
• What does the ending make you feel?

Recommended Reading List:

Short story writing is an art form that is incredibly satisfying to master. Here is a list of notable short stories that you can read and study to learn the craft.

            “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. Pay particular attention to how the story builds tension through a seemingly normal, mundane setting and how the very last line makes you feel.

            “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway. Notice how the author uses subtext—what is not said—to build the story.

            “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” by Raymond Carver. Pay particular attention to the way dialogue develops our understanding of the characters.

            “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl. Watch how the author demonstrates a masterful manipulation of reader sympathy that turns into an ironic ending.

            “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe. An enduring classic, take note of how the author uses unreliable narration and psychological tension.

            “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes. Study the way the author develops pacing, character voice, and character arcs.

            “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury. Pay attention to the use of sensory details to create memorable emotion and atmosphere. This story also explores deep themes of jealousy and the desire for connection.

            “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor. Masterfully uses eccentric and vivid characters to demonstrate the crossover of humor and violence.

            “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant. Study this short story for its technique of building plot believability that crescendos to a memorable twist.

            “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce. A masterful study of time, perception, and crafting a poignant ending.

Was this exploration of the art of crafting a powerful short story helpful to you? Are you inspired to try writing one?

If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for reading! And if you need any help editing your short story after you write it, Pro Book Edits professional editing services are only an email away. Please reach out if you need any help taking the next steps.

---