– – – – – —————————————————————————————————————–
So you’ve got an idea, right? A groundbreaking, innovative tale that will change the world and make millions–the next “big thing.” The only problem is: you don’t know how to put it all together; how to get the words where they need to be. Luckily for you, there’s only five things you need to learn to know how to write your first short story–and, bonus points: they’re REALLY easy to follow!
—————————————————————————————————————– – – – – –
1. Choose Your Character
Let’s go back to that idea in your head. Maybe you have your setting; maybe you have the genre, or your theme all picked out and ready to go. You might feel like you have a full story laid out in front of you. Well, to be frank, all of that means nothing if you don’t have one crucial aspect locked down: your main character.
Perhaps it’s a lone hero, a dynamic duo, or an entire group of protagonists! The point is: you need to know who the story revolves around. Without your characters standing center stage, all you’ve got is a stage. Your character–or characters–ARE the story. Their choices propel your narrative forward–and subsequently, they’re going to end up changed by that narrative. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; before we can change our characters, we have to know who they are to begin with.
So let’s get that character fleshed out. Who are they? What do they want, what have they done, what’s been done to them, where are they going, where have they been, etc. If you still have no idea where to start, there are some great templates out there to get the ball rolling.
————————————————————————————————– – – – – –
2. Plot it Out
Now that you’ve got your character locked down, you need to figure out what’s going to happen to them; specifically: how will the events of the story change them? This process is what is referred to as plotting.
You’re most likely already somewhat familiar with the term “plot” in reference to books and movies. As it’s generally described, it is the series of events that move a narrative forward. From a story-crafting point-of-view however, it gets a little trickier than that.
While having things happening in your story is important, they need to connect somehow, for an overall purpose: your character’s arc. The events that take place in your story shouldn’t just be things that happen; each event should be specifically designed for the purpose of moving your character forward and shaping them as a person.
This can be a hard part of the storytelling process to figure out, which is why adhering to certain plot structures can help you get an idea of where your story should be going.
You’re working on the foundations here–the building blocks of what will become your story. I know it can seem daunting, but once you get this down, then you’re really ready to start your writing.
—————————————————————————————————————— – – – – –
3. Get Write Down to Business
Here we are–the halfway point. This is where you’re going to let go of those inhibitions and start your writing! You have your character, you’ve got your plot–now it’s time to make something of them.
There’s not much nuance to be described in this step; this is where you really figure out your style of writing–and it all comes down to just doing it. How descriptive will you be? Do you want the reader to get all of the sensory details–to feel powerful waves crashing down on them; hear the “beep”s and “honk”s of a bustling, breathing city?
Or would you rather the sights and sounds of your surroundings take a backseat, using more figurative language to convey some metaphorical meaning. “Her skin glowed rebelliously against the piercing moonlight, like the congregation of a million fireflies, dancing harmoniously in the dark.” Is that more your speed?
Whatever way you choose to write your story, write it as your own. Remember that these are your words; this is your story. Choose to write it exactly as you believe it needs to be told–nothing more, nothing less.
—————————————————————————————————————— – – – – –
4. All Feedback’s Good Feedback
You’ve got your first draft done! Congratulations: you’ve technically written your first short story! But that doesn’t mean we’re finished just yet (which you may have noticed by there being two whole steps to go). Now, it’s time to “share with the class,” so to say.
This step can feel a little embarrassing, but, just like the others, it’s incredibly important. Getting a fresh, unique perspective on your story can help you get a better idea of what’s working–and what’s not.
This part of the process is gonna require you to be vulnerable, as you’ll be putting your work up for critique. You can easily follow this step through with someone you know–like a friend or family member. But, if that seems a little too close-to-home for your taste, there are plenty of websites that offer an anonymous community of critique to that same effect.
However you achieve it, the goal of this step is to gather feedback; to give you an idea of what areas of your story might need some tweaking. You’ll want to collect a sufficient amount (preferably from multiple sources) and take it with you into the final step…
—————————————————————————————————————— – – – – –
5. Revise, Revise, Revise.
Now that you’ve collected your feedback, it’s time for the final–and most important–part of the process: revision. This is where you’re going to really put the pedal to the metal; you’ll be going over everything you’ve written so far, combing through each sentence meticulously. By the end of this step, if you’ve done it right, you should have a LOT of changes to your story.
A lot of people think that revision boils down to switching to a comma from a semi-colon, or fixing a spelling mistake here and there. While that’s certainly one small part, it’s a lot broader than that.
Here’s the thing about revision: it is its own process in and of itself. There are probably going to be entire events and character decisions that you’ll end up tweaking. You shouldn’t expect to take one broad sweep through your story and be done with it; you’re probably going to end up revising revisions, of revisions, of revisions…
But that’s a good thing! It’s all about fine-tuning your story to be as true to your vision as possible. This step can take a couple of hours–or a couple of months. It’s really up to you, and how you want to evolve your story. You may end up with a completely different product by the end of this step, which is great! Or, maybe you’ll find that there’s not really much change you want to make, overall–also great!
Whatever you end up with, just make sure it’s what you want to serve as your finished product. It really boils down to how happy you are with it when it’s all said and done.
—————————————————————————————————————— – – – – –
Conclusion
Well, there you have it–your 5 easy steps on how to write your first short story. I really hope you found them helpful! If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them in the comments below. Additionally, please feel free to contact me with any specific inquiries. To see more posts like this in the future, make sure to keep an eye out on my blog!