3 Steps to Plan Your Short Stories

If you fail to plan you plan to fail.

I’ve found this advice really helpful when writing both fiction and non-fiction. Some people can run into their story headfirst without any thought but not me, I like to have a solid understanding of where I’m going. I NEED a plan

Planning your story immerses you in the world of the narrative and makes you aware of your story’s premise potential before the blank page strands you.

However, I do want to acknowledge that there is a balance between planning and creative input, by no means will I plan exactly what happens in the story, especially not the ending.

I like to work off a premise that I explore in my plan but the way the story ends up going is completely up to the creative process.

If you find this intriguing, here’s the three-step method I employ to plan my short stories.

Step 1 – Crafting a Solid Foundation: Ideation and Characterization

Two things are key to my writing planning, the idea and the characters. Once I’ve mastered these two concepts, the story flows effortlessly.

Generate Compelling Ideas

First of all we want to have a system to create our idea for our short story.

This optimized three-step plan allows you to sit down with no idea of what your story will be and emerge with a solidly planned narrative.

The two best idea genereation methods are Mind-Mapping and the What if? method.

Mind Mapping

Mind-Mapping for me is drawing links between two completely different things.

This happens by setting up my page with three or four random words that I then create bubbles attached to each word until there is a series of ideas that link all of the core words.

I find this method especially useful for creature design. I’ll just get 3 or 4 random animals and create an idea of some atrocity based off them.

Mind mapping can be any way that works for you, you can draw, scribble, sing, whatever gets the creative juices flowing.

The next method is the What if? technique.

The What If? Method

This method draws inspiration from the Marvel series of the same name. The series explores, in each episode, what would have happened if a different choice were made in a Marvel movie.

The concept of What if? greatly inspires me.

Some examples of What If’s you could use for ideas could be;

What if there were 5 species of humans?
What if Atlantis was discovered?
What if monsters were real?
What if there was a creature that were attracted to humans since the beginning of time, responsible for what is thought to be a natural process, death? (oooh I just made that up, might actually use that)

Once you’ve got an idea for a situation or an event from these two techniques you now want to select a central theme or concept.

Horror in particular works really well when the story is based around a central theme.

Some common themes for stories are;

Coming of Age
Good versus Evil
Survival
Revenge
Mental Illness

Find a central point that you want the story to pivot around and stick to it, it really doesn’t matter what central theme you pick most stories can be written with different central themes and still function similarly.

Now you should have a solid idea on core concept you want to develop your central characters.

Building Memorable Characters

The core of any story is good characters. If your characters aren’t relatable or believable then the whole story will crumble from the inside.

So you want to create a protagonist and an antagonist. Now a protagonist is usually a human but an antagonist can have more leniency, for example in horror an antagonist is often a supernatural entity or creature so the development of them as en entity can be altered but fundamentally they need to be believable.

The best way to make your characters believable and have a life of their own is establish their goals and motivations.

Understand what your character wants more than anything and what they are willing to get it.

The difference between an protagonist and an antagonist is an antagonist has less restrictions of what they will do to achieve their goals thats why they can be so scary, because they’re so unpredictable.

Now you understand your characters goals and motivations you’ll need to contrast them with the goals and motivations of other characters.

Ultimately, your characters should have such a life of their own that the interactions between these characters are extremely lifelike and interesting.

Creating character relationships and dynamics is crucial to having a well planned story as dynamics are what pushes the plot ultimately, through interpersonal actions.

Step 2 – Plotting the Course: Structuring Your Short Story

When understanding the structure of events of your story there are a couple of things you as the writer should know.

Mapping the Three-Act Structure

and

Outlinging key plot points accordingly

Mapping the Three-Act Structure

Storytellers and more importantly filmakers have a tendency of defining the three act structure as adamantly refusing its importance or swearing by it.

The three-act structure is a structure for your story that keeps your beginning seperate from your middle and your middle seperate from your end.

It does this by telling the story in three acts (Act 1, Act 2 and Act 3).

Each act is given a goal and purpose within the narrative.

Act 1 is the setup where it setsup the world, characters, character motivations, conflicts and obstacles to achieve their goals.

The second Act is the Conflict or Confrontation where the stakes for the character to achieve their goal is raised increasing conflict.

Act 3 is the resolution where the story is resolved with an achievement of the goal or a failure.

When planning our three acts all we really need to be worried about in our short stories is when and what each segment of the story is started and ended. These points are called plot points.

The first plot point is for the begining of the first Act. In our short story this is often the opening paragraph/ opening sentence, what initiates your story to happen?

You do this with each act asking yourself what triggers this act to start and for it to progress to the next.

Once you outline the rough sketch of each of your acts you can now move onto plotting.

Outlining Key Plot Points

Our key plot points are events that occur to mark a significant section of the story arc or as a turning point.

So you want to go through each act and add in your important plot points that should happen.

These points can be as genereal or specific as you want.

Personally I keep my plot points very general as I can have an understanding of where my story SHOULD go then when writing I find where the story NEEDS to go.

With that we move onto the final step of the three step planning process, the refinement.

Refining and Polishing: Editing and Final Touches

Refining and polishing your plans is about getting into the specifics of story, this step can be as in depth or general as you want for your personal writing style.

Effective Dialogue and Setting

Dialogue is the lifeblood of your characters, providing readers with insight into their personalities, relationships, and the world they inhabit. Ensure your dialogue feels genuine and serves a purpose, propelling the story forward.

Actionable Tip: Read your dialogue aloud to ensure its natural flow and rhythm, mimicking real conversations.

The setting of your short story is more than just a backdrop; it’s a crucial element that enhances the reader’s experience. Paint a vivid picture of your world, invoking emotions and immersing readers in the story’s atmosphere.

Actionable Tip: Utilize sensory details to evoke the five senses, allowing readers to visualize, hear, smell, taste, and touch the surroundings.

Fine Tuning and Revising

Now for the final touches is about revising your plan.

Take a step back and evaluate the overarching structure of your short story.

Ensure that each element serves a purpose and contributes to the narrative’s coherence. Check for any inconsistencies or plot holes that may disrupt the reader’s experience.

External perspectives can provide invaluable insights.

Share your short story with trusted peers or a writing group, seeking constructive feedback. Other writers can offer fresh perspectives and identify areas for improvement that you might have overlooked.

Also self-editing is a crucial skill for any writer.

Develop a systematic approach to review your work, addressing grammar, punctuation, and style issues. Pay attention to word choice and sentence structure to ensure clarity and impact.

By focusing on dialogue, setting, and the fine-tuning process, you’ll transform your narrative into a compelling and polished piece of work.

In Conclusion. . .

As we wrap up this exploration of the three-step process to plan your short story, let’s take a moment to recap the key elements and encourage your creative experimentation.

Crafting a Solid Foundation: Ideation and Characterization
Plotting the Course: Structuring your Short Story
Refining and Polishing: Editing and Final Touches

Writing is an art, and your creative process is uniquely yours.

Embrace the opportunity to experiment within each step of your planning process.

Tweak, adjust, and tailor these guidelines to suit your individual style and the specific needs of your story. Remember, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to storytelling.

Writing is a continual journey of growth and refinement.

No story is ever truly finished; it evolves with each draft and edit.

Embrace the learning process, seek feedback, and be open to adapting your approach. The craft of storytelling is as much about discovery as it is about creation, and your commitment to honing your skills is a testament to your dedication as a writer.

As you embark on your next short story, remember that each word you write is a step forward in your artistic journey.

Get Creating and Happy writing!

If you enjoyed this post I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one about 3 ways to better Show, Not Tell;

3 Ways to Show, Don’t Tell