Short Story Craft, Part 1: Plot

Short stories are a whole different animal from novels. Many writers (including me, a few years ago) shy away from short stories because they can be so difficult and frustrating. But once you get the hang of them, they’re an excellent way to hone your writing skills, play with new techniques, and get your name in print.

In preparation for the next RMFW anthology (Submissions open May 1^st!), I’ll be blogging monthly about elements of short story craft. First, let’s talk about plot. This is the backbone of your story, the events that happen, the conflict that drives the story forward. The plot of a short story is similar to the plot of a novel, but condensed and simplified. Most short stories won’t have room for subplots. Instead, you’ll have one central plot that should be the focus of every scene.

How do you find your central plot? How do you know what needs to happen next in your story? First, identify your story’s conflict. Remember, conflict = goal + obstacle. Your main character wants something (goal), and something or someone stands in her way (obstacle). The obstacles will change, but this conflict should continue from the first scene to the last scene.

Here’s a rough outline of a short story plot to help you get started.

1. Opening: A few paragraphs, or a couple pages at most, that ground the reader in the story. The opening should introduce the characters and setting, establish whose point of view the story is in, and provide any necessary background information. Necessary is the key word here. Readers don’t need to know every object in the room or every detail of the main character’s life story—in fact, readers won’t be able to take all that information in right away. They’ll forget most of it, and more importantly, they’ll set your story down because they’re bored. Provide only what is necessary to ground the reader in the story and prevent confusion.
2. Inciting incident: The first sign of conflict. If conflict is the engine that drives plot, the inciting incident is the spark that ignites the engine. This should happen in the first scene of your short story.
3. Rising action: In the scenes following the inciting incident, everything rises. Conflict escalates—obstacles become more numerous and more challenging, the antagonist (if there is one) gets stronger, and the protagonist gets weaker. The stakes—what the protagonist will lose if she fails to reach her goal—increase. Complications arise—the protagonist realizes her task isn’t as simple as she thought, or her initial actions toward her goal have unintended consequences.
4. Climax: The conflict should intensify from each scene to the next, and the climax should be the point of most intense conflict and emotion. It should change something big, in the main character’s life or the reader’s understanding of the story. The climax may be an event—a car chase, a marriage, a death. It may also be something quieter, a decision or character insight.
5. Resolution: The conflict is resolved, for good or ill. Conflict is like a boxing match: when it’s resolved, the main character may win or lose, but the battle is decisively over. The main character may succeed or fail at reaching her goal. She may win but at a cost. She may lose but gain something better, such as a new insight or character growth. Be sure to show, or at least suggest, how your conflict is resolved (rather than summarizing or stating the moral of the story).

You’ve probably heard the adage, “Enter late, leave early.” This applies even more to short stories than novels. Keep your opening and resolution short and sweet. Enter the story as late as possible without confusing the reader, and leave as early as possible while providing a satisfying ending. You have only a few thousand words with your reader, so make each one count.

If you’re struggling with your plot, or with how to end your story, it may be a sign that you don’t have your conflict nailed down yet. Try stating the conflict of your story in one sentence. If you can’t, keep working on the conflict before revisiting your plot.

The best tip I can give you is: Practice. Write many short stories in many genres and styles. Don’t worry if your first ones aren’t good, or if they get rejected—that’s all part of the process. The more you write, the easier it’ll get.

Happy writing!