Short Stories

WRITING BOX

What is a short story?

A short story is a self-contained, condensed piece of prose fiction u

​ nder about 10,000
words that often focuses on a single incident and has few characters.

Why write a short story?

Short stories are perfect for ideas that fit into a small package and don’t require a lot
of pages to tell. They help you practice your writing skills, try new things, and gain
confidence. A short story can also help you develop a character or flesh out an idea
before adding it to a longer work. F
​ lash fiction–​a very short story (under 1,000
words)–can be a fun place to start.

What are the most important components of Short Stories?

A great explanation of the components of a short story can be found in this resource,
based on the classic C
​ inderella
(​https://www.slideshare.net/TroyMoore8/elements-of-a-short-story-with-cinderel
la-examples-1​). Also see the story included in this toolkit for examples.
EXPOSITION​ is background introductory information about the setting,
characters' backstories, prior events, and historical context that helps the
reader’s understanding. Too much of this kind of information can slow down
the action, though, and because short stories are brief, they typically do not
contain a lot of exposition.

SETTING​ gives the reader context. When and where does the story take place?
In a house? In the countryside? In an apartment on a busy street in the city?
What does it look, smell, and sound like? Usually, short stories have a single
setting.

CONFLICT​ is what readers live for! It may sound strange, but the discord
between people or things is at the heart of most stories. Examples of conflicts
include an outcast trying to fit in, an athlete attempting to make the Olympics,
or someone struggling to survive in the wilderness. The main character is
usually on one side of the central conflict and struggling against another
character, society, nature, technology, or even themselves.

CHARACTER: ​Short stories usually have just a few characters at most. It’s
important to establish in just a short space what your characters are like.​ W
​ hat
do they look like? Do they wear glasses or carry a briefcase? What kind of voice
do they have? What is their personality like?

PLOT​ i​ s a planned, logical series of events with a beginning, middle, and an

end. The plot typically includes:

● Beginning:​ ​Describe the characters and setting.

● Rising Action:​ T
​ hings get a little complicated for your character(s), and
the conflict of the story is introduced. Every good story has a
conflict–something that makes you wonder what the character will do in
this particular situation.
● High Point/Middle: ​The pivotal, most high stakes part of the story. A
good high point keeps readers guessing about whether the conflict will
be resolved.
 ● Falling Action:​ T
​ he story begins to resolve and events and/or conflicts
begin to wrap up​.
● End​: T
​ he story’s conflicts are wrapped up and the final outcome is
revealed and usually resolved.

POINT OF VIEW: T
​ he most common points of view are first person (where the
story is told from a particular character’s perspective, that is an “I”) or third
person (where the story is told from the perspective of an all-knowing
narrator)​.

THEME ​is t​he use of one or more repeating images or ideas in a story that
create a certain mood or message.

Tips to help you with writing a Short Story

Finding an Idea

Write what you love or write about what interests you. For example, you could set your
story on a basketball court or have a character who enjoys gardening. Some authors
keep a running list in a notebook about the ideas they may want to write about
someday.

Think about a memory, problem, or conflict that resonates with you and see where it
leads. Keep your eyes and ears open to experiences you read about or see playing out
around you for inspiration that could lead to a short story.

Check out some writing prompts or a plot generator to help you get started. ​See the
Further Resources for Writing Short Stories section below for websites with prompts and
generators.
Getting Started

Use an outline, graphic organizer, or even a sketch​ to help crystalize your thoughts,
develop the structure, and organize the plot of your story. This is a great way to get
your ideas on paper and give you a map for where you’re going. Remember that it’s
always possible to revise your outline! See h
​ ttps://freeology.com/tag/short-stories/
for some graphic organizer templates. Here are some suggestions for creating an
outline, graphic organizer, or sketch of your own:
● Create a rough outline of your premise, settings, characters, and conflict.
What are some elements of your story? Is there a theme? What is your
character’s goal? Where do you expect to begin and end?
● Develop a list of scenes. You have the beginning and end, now figure out
how the story will progress.
● Flesh out your scenes and add details, such as which settings and
characters will be involved. Include as much information as possible.
● Remember to “show, not tell”; in other words, show the reader what the
character is like through dialogue or description or metaphors (i.e. rather
than writing “Joe was a quiet man,” you could write, “Joe listened to his
sister, nodding occasionally, never opening his mouth to agree or
disagree.” Or rather than writing, “The car drove down the street,” try
“The car sped by, leaving gape-mouthed pedestrians frightened.”
● See the Further Resources for Writing Short Stories section below for websites
with outlining advice and templates.

Just go with the flow​ by picking up your pen or starting to type, allowing your
imagination to soar. Write what seems right and see where the story takes you. This
approach sometimes leads to more revisions than using an outline, but it allows
freedom and creativity.
Revising and Editing
● Once you’ve finished your story, you’ll want to polish and refine it. The
processes of revising and editing help you fix major problems such as
plot holes as well as grammar, transitions, and word choices.
● Try not to edit as you write since this slows down the process and can
easily bog you down. The brief nature of a short story means every detail
counts, so look carefully at long passages. These may need to be cut
shorter during editing, but write as much as you want at first and leave
the editing for later.
● See the Further Resources for Writing Short Stories section below for websites
with further editing advice.

More Tips and Tricks

● Writing is harder than it looks! Give yourself time to go at your own pace
and just enjoy the experience.
● Try to get into a writing routine, even if for only a few minutes a day.
Make writing a habit!
● If you get stuck on a story, try setting it aside for a while. Starting a new
story is a good way to get over “writer’s block,” or who knows, the
second story may end up being even better.
● Developing short story writing skills takes practice. Try writing a story
with a low word count, then push the word count up until you’ve reached
your goal.

Some samples to help you as you write your own short story are attached.
Sources and Further Resources
Elements of a Short Story
Plot generator
Writing short stories
Writing Prompt Generator
How to outline
Simple outline
Author Learning Center
Flexible outline
What is a short story
Using Conflicts in a Story: 6 Helpful
How to Write a Short Story Examples

Elements of a short story How to edit

Writing resources Editing

Plot generator and writing prompts Elements of a short story with

examples from Cinderella
Writing prompt generator

For additional help in writing short stories, YpsiWrites offers one-to-one

consulting. For more information, see y
​ psiwrites.com​.
Cinderella Example
EXPOSITION:​ “Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl named Cinderella. She
lived with her wicked stepmother and two stepsisters. They treated Cinderella very
badly.”

SETTING:​ “She lived with her wicked stepmother and two stepsisters. … One day, they
were invited for a grand ball in the king’s palace.”

CONFLICT:​ “One day, they were invited for a grand ball in the king’s palace. But
Cinderella’s stepmother would not let her go. Cinderella was made to sew new party
gowns for her stepmother and stepsisters, and curl their hair. They then went to the
ball, leaving Cinderella alone at home.”

CHARACTERS:​ Cinderella, step-mother, step-sisters

POINT OF VIEW:​ Third person omniscient

PLOT:​ BEGINNING

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl named Cinderella. She lived with her
wicked stepmother and two stepsisters. They treated Cinderella very badly. One day,
they were invited for a grand ball in the king’s palace. But Cinderella’s stepmother
would not let her go. Cinderella was made to sew new party gowns for her stepmother
and stepsisters, and curl their hair. They then went to the ball, leaving Cinderella
alone at home.

PLOT:​ RISING ACTION

Cinderella felt very sad and began to cry. Suddenly, a fairy godmother appeared and
said, “Don’t cry, Cinderella! I will send you to the ball!”

But Cinderella was sad. She said, “I don’t have a gown to wear for the ball!”
The fairy godmother waved her magic wand and changed Cinderella’s old clothes into
a beautiful new gown! The fairy godmother then touched Cinderella’s feet with the
magic wand. And lo! She had beautiful glass slippers!

“How will I go to the grand ball?” asked Cinderella. The fairy godmother found six
mice playing near a pumpkin, in the kitchen. She touched them with her magic wand
and the mice became four shiny black horses and two coachmen and the pumpkin
turned into a golden coach. Cinderella was overjoyed and set off for the ball in the
coach drawn by the six black horses.

Before leaving. the fairy godmother said, “Cinderella, this magic will only last until
midnight! You must reach home by then!”

PLOT:​ HIGH POINT/MIDDLE

When Cinderella entered the palace, everybody was struck by her beauty. Nobody, not
even Cinderella’s stepmother or stepsisters, knew who she really was in her pretty
clothes and shoes. The handsome prince also saw her and fell in love with Cinderella.

He went to her and asked, “Do you want to dance?”

And Cinderella said, “Yes!”

The prince danced with her all night and nobody recognized the beautiful dancer.
Cinderella was so happy dancing with the prince that she almost forgot what the fairy
godmother had said. At the last moment, Cinderella remembered her fairy
godmother’s words and she rushed to go home.

PLOT:​ FALLING ACTION

“Oh! I must go!” she cried and ran out of the palace. One of her glass slippers came off
but Cinderella did not turn back for it. She reached home just as the clock struck
twelve. Her coach turned back into a pumpkin, the horses into mice and her fine ball
gown into rags. Her stepmother and stepsisters reached home shortly after that. They
were talking about the beautiful lady who had been dancing with the prince.
The prince had fallen in love with Cinderella and wanted to find out who the beautiful
girl was, but he did not even know her name. He found the glass slipper that had come
off Cinderella’s foot as she ran home.

The prince said, “I will find her. The lady whose foot fits this slipper will be the one I
marry!”

PLOT:​ END

The next day, the prince and his servants took the glass slipper and went to all the
houses in the kingdom. They wanted to find the lady whose feet would fit in the
slipper. All the women in the kingdom tried the slipper but it would not fit any of
them. Cinderella’s stepsisters also tried on the little glass slipper. They tried to
squeeze their feet and push hard into the slipper, but the servant was afraid the
slipper would break.

Cinderella’s stepmother would not let her try the slipper on, but the prince saw her
and said, “Let her also try on the slipper!”

The slipper fit her perfectly. The prince recognized her from the ball. He married
Cinderella and together they lived happily ever after.

THEMES​: Rags to riches, good versus evil

Adaptation of Cinderella retrieved from

https://shortstoriesshort.com/story/cinderella-beautiful-girl/​.
Gift of the Magi Example