short story project

1 The Idea

Think of a dramatic situation - but make it believable. While it may be that life can be stranger than fiction, you may lose your reader’s interest if you make your story unrealistic. Try the exercises on the scenario page:

2 The Characters

“Too Many Cooks could spoil the Plot!” In a very short story it’s best not to have too many characters involved. Your main character (protagonist) and one or two contrasting personalities should be enough to motivate the plot. Get some ideas from the character page:

3 The Plot

“I have a cunning plan!” Although plots can take many different forms, the well tried structure of ‘beginning, middle and end’ is a good place to start. In your flash-fiction story the beginning must make an impact. Outline a problem that needs to be solved. From there on, the content must be loaded with tension or suggestion to keep the reader’s interest and only at the very end is the situation resolved - Well okay, there are other ways to write a good story, but this method rarely seems to fail.

4 The Setting

“Wish you were here…not!” There are a number of settings you could use when writing a novel but don’t be tempted to use too many in a short story. In a flash-fiction story of less than a thousand words one location would be fine. But make sure you take the reader right there – focus on the smallest detail (providing it’s relevant) and draw on the senses (sight, smell, sound, etc.). Get some ideas for a setting in the location page:

5 The Content

First decide from which point of view the story is best told. If you want to relate it through the narrator’s eyes (first person: I, me) your story may have more impact but you will be stuck with the thoughts, emotions and attitudes of one character only - the protagonist. However, if you choose the third person point of view (he, she) you will be able to get inside the heads of all your characters.

Should you use the past or present tense? No easy answer to this one as it very much depends on the context of the story. It is usually a good idea to experiment with both tenses before going too far. While the narrative will give you the opportunity to describe locations and events, dialogue (direct speech) between your characters will bring your story to life.

6 Finish

“Is there ever a time when you can say your story is finished?” Probably not, but let’s assume you’re prepared to make a compromise. Take a break between each revision of your work – go for a walk (even if it’s to your local pub), then read through again as if you were seeing it for the very first time. Tighten up those long sentences and cut out the repetitions. Avoid the clichés and the over use of adverbs. Finally, check your grammar and spelling.

When you've finished this project, share your end result with others and post it online at this site: