The Secret To Writing A Great Short Story

Writers Write is a writing resource. In this post, we tell you the secret to writing a good short story.

The Secret To Writing A Great Short Story

Some of the finest pieces of fiction are short stories. Reading a short story does not take much time, but you may remember it forever. Some of Stephen King and Roald Dahl’s best work is short fiction. My favourite short story is Roald Dahl’s Lamb to the Slaughter.

Because they are short, with a simple dramatic structure, short stories are easily adapted for film. In fact, Stephen King’s Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption became The Shawshank Redemption starring Morgan Freeman.

But what is a short story?

The simplest answer is that it is short. It should have an impact and a meaning, and it should be memorable. It is a retelling of an incident and it usually contains:

1. A single main character (protagonist).
2. A simple plot structure.
3. A clear beginning, middle, and end.

There is usually no sub-plot and some of the secondary characters may be one-dimensional.

Top Tip: If you want to improve your story, buy this workbook: How To Show And Not Tell In Short Stories. 

What makes a great short story?

However, the main character in a good short story is three dimensional and undergoes some change in the story.

He or she should not be entirely the same person at the end. Something happens. Something changes. An insight is gained. Something shocking is revealed. A new direction is taken. A person has become a stronger or a weaker character.

The short-short story is around 1 000-1 500 words. The short story is 2 000-5 000 words or longer. ( A novella is 30 000-60 000 words and the average novel is 80 000 words.)

P.S. If you want to learn how to write a short story, sign up for our online course.

© Amanda Patterson

by Amanda Patterson

If you enjoyed this post, read:

1. Five 10-Minute Fixes for Your Short Story
2. The Top 20 Literary Quotes About Short Stories
3. Finding Inspiration for a Short Story – Three writers who inspire me

Top Tip: If you want to improve your story, buy this workbook: How To Show And Not Tell In Short Stories.