How to Write a Short Story (for BEGINNERS) | 4 Easy Steps
Summary
TLDRThis video provides a four-step process for writing a compelling short story. It addresses common misconceptions, such as the difficulty of creating meaningful characters or delivering impactful endings within the limited length. The process focuses on defining a character's predicament, introducing a disruptive event, building toward a climactic moment, and concluding with a final revelation that changes the character's perspective. Through an example from the speaker's own short story, the video illustrates how each step can be applied to craft a well-structured and engaging narrative.
Takeaways
- 📚 Writing a short story can be simplified into a four-step process, making it less daunting for beginners.
- 👤 The first step is to establish a character in a particular predicament, which forms the core of the story and is often linked to the theme.
- 🔗 The theme of a story is the underlying idea that it explores, usually related to the character's change by the story's end.
- 💥 The second step involves an event that disrupts the predicament, acting as the inciting incident that propels the story forward.
- 📈 The third step is the event peak, which is the climax of the story where the character's predicament begins to shift due to the disruptive event.
- 🌟 The final step is the revelation, where the character experiences a change in their perspective on the predicament, leading to the story's resolution.
- 🤔 A common mistake for new writers is neglecting the importance of the character's change, which is crucial for a compelling short story.
- 🎭 The character's change can be positive or negative, but it's essential for demonstrating the impact of the story's events on the character.
- 📖 The example 'Jasmine's Brows and Cuts' illustrates how a character's internal conflict can be challenged by an external event, leading to a revelation.
- 💡 The script suggests that even if a character doesn't seem to change, a closer look might reveal a regression or a different form of transformation.
- 📝 The guide encourages新手 writers to embrace the challenge of writing short stories, offering a structured approach to craft impactful narratives.
Q & A
What are the four basic parts of a short story according to the script?
-The four basic parts of a short story are: 1) Character in a particular predicament, 2) Event that disrupts this predicament, 3) Event Peaks, and 4) A final Revelation that changes the predicament.
What is a predicament in the context of a short story?
-A predicament in a short story is a problem or conflict that the character faces, which can be internal or external. It is the heart of the story and the reason the character is telling the story at that time.
Can you explain the role of a theme in a short story?
-A theme in a short story is the unspoken core idea that the story explores. It is usually related to the change the character makes by the end of the story.
What is the significance of a disruptive event in a short story?
-A disruptive event, also known as the inciting incident, is what causes the story to happen. It is an external or internal conflict that exacerbates the internal conflict and sets the story in motion.
How does the event Peaks contribute to the short story's climax?
-The event Peaks is the story's climax where the character's predicament starts to shift due to the disruptive event. It is the tipping point of the story where a change in the character's situation occurs.
What is the purpose of a final Revelation in a short story?
-The final Revelation is crucial as it recontextualizes everything that came before it. It signals to the reader what the story was about and often involves the character making a significant change or realization regarding their predicament.
Why is it important for a character to change in a short story?
-A character's change is important in a short story because it signifies the impact of the events on the character and provides a sense of development or transformation, which is a key element in storytelling.
What is the example of a character in a predicament given in the script?
-The example given is from the short story 'Jasmine's Brows and Cuts', where Jasmine, who lost her job, starts an at-home eyebrow waxing business while struggling with her body image.
Can you provide an example of a disruptive event from the script?
-In 'Jasmine's Brows and Cuts', the disruptive event is when Sada, a confident woman, becomes the first client of Jasmine's at-home salon.
How does the final Revelation in 'Jasmine's Brows and Cuts' illustrate the character's change?
-In the story, Jasmine's final Revelation occurs when she looks at her reflection in the mirror and sees herself tinged gold, indicating a shift in her self-perception and a challenge to her previous worldview influenced by her mother's criticism.
What advice does the script offer for新手 short story writers regarding character change?
-The script advises新手 short story writers that characters in short stories typically undergo some form of change, whether positive or negative, and that stories where characters do not change at all are less common and should be approached with caution for beginners.
Outlines
📚 The Art of Crafting a Short Story
This paragraph introduces the challenge of writing short stories and presents a four-step process to overcome it. It emphasizes the importance of a character in a particular predicament as the core of the story, which is often a conflict that can be internal or external. The paragraph also touches on the concept of theme, which is the underlying idea explored in the story and is usually connected to the character's change by the end. An example is given from the short story 'Jasmine's Brows and Cuts,' where Jasmine's predicament is her struggle with body image and societal beauty standards, which is disrupted by the arrival of a confident client, Sada. This disruption is the inciting incident that propels the story forward.
🌟 The Climax and Resolution in Short Storytelling
The second paragraph delves into the climax of a short story, known as the event peak, where the character's predicament begins to shift due to the disruptive event. It illustrates how Sada's confidence challenges Jasmine's worldview, leading to internal conflict and reflection. The paragraph highlights the importance of a final revelation that changes the character's perspective on their predicament, recontextualizing the entire story. Using Jasmine's realization about her own beauty and worth as an example, the paragraph shows how a character's change, whether positive or negative, is crucial for a compelling short story. The author encourages writers to consider whether their characters undergo any transformation and to ensure that the story events lead to some form of change, which is a hallmark of effective short fiction.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Short Story
💡Character
💡Predicament
💡Theme
💡Inciting Incident
💡Event Peaks
💡Final Revelation
💡Internal Conflict
💡External Conflict
💡Change
Highlights
Short stories may seem hard to write, but following a structured process can make them easier.
A short story can be broken down into four parts: character in a predicament, disruptive event, event peak, and final revelation.
The predicament is the core conflict and can be either internal or external.
The theme is the unspoken core idea your story explores and is tied to the character's change by the end.
In the example short story, Jasmine’s predicament is her struggle with body image, leading her to start an at-home salon.
A disruptive event, like a confident character entering Jasmine’s life, challenges her views and pushes the story forward.
The disruptive event is often external but can exacerbate an internal conflict, forcing the character to evolve.
The event peak is the climax where the character’s predicament shifts due to the disruptive event, like an avalanche of change.
In the example story, Jasmine’s views on beauty are challenged as she questions her mother's teachings after interacting with a confident client.
The final revelation is crucial for recontextualizing the entire story. It signals to the reader what the story is truly about.
In the example, Jasmine’s revelation occurs when she sees herself in a mirror, noticing a glow, symbolizing a shift in her self-perception.
Short stories require a character change, whether it’s a positive progression or a negative regression.
Even if a character regresses, this type of change is valid for a short story.
Writers should avoid stories where characters don’t change at all, especially when starting out.
Mastering short stories comes from understanding the process, which simplifies the mystery of storytelling.
Transcripts
short stories suck or at least they seem
like they do until you know how to write
them they're so short nail in the ending
is so hard there's not enough time to
get to know a character these are all
things I thought when I first started
writing short fiction what if I told you
writing a short story doesn't have to be
hard here's my four-step process for
writing a killer short story a short
story can be broken down into four basic
parts number one character in particular
predicament number two event unrolls
that disrupt this predicament number
three event Peaks and causes number four
a final Revelation that changes that
predicament one character in a
particular predicament you can't have a
short story without a character I'm
focusing on human characters but your
character can be an animal or a setting
or whatever you want it to be short
stories occur because of a problem or
predicament the predicament is the heart
of your story it is why your character
is telling this story at this time
predicaments are conflicts and conflicts
can be internal or external AKA your
predicament can be a character flaw
versus a situation or vice versa this
predicament will be linked by your theme
but hold on what is a theme a theme is
the unspoken core idea your story
explores it's usually related to the
change your character makes at the end
of the story so what's an example of a
character in a particular predicament so
this is from my short story Jasmine's
brows and cuts which you can read for
free on the Puritan I'll link it in the
description if you don't want to read it
before continuing this video here's the
log line an eyebrow wax are questions
for ideology on beauty standards when a
bold woman named Sada becomes the first
client of her at-home salon so what's
Jasmine's predicament well Jasmine lost
her job because she lost her job she
starts an at-home eyebrow waxing
business she does this because she likes
making people feel beautiful as she
herself struggles with her body image
here the predicament is highlighted in
yellow the link to the theme on the
other hand is blue two event on rolls
that disrupts this predicament now that
you've identified a character and their
predicament you need to identify an
event that disrupts this predicament
this disruption causes the story to
actually happen AKA role on the page
this disruptive event is also known as
the inciting incident so what's an
example of a disruptive event in this
case SATA a Confident Woman a similar
age to Jasmine becomes the first client
of her at-home Salon if Santa didn't
show up in the story it wouldn't occur
at all yeah okay but what's disruptive
about sata's presence well she's very
confident and social all things
Jasmine's been taught not to be most
importantly she's Jasmine's age and
Jasmine's been taught that women in
their 30s can't be confident here's also
where I leave you with a special note a
disruptive event can be internal but
more often than not is an external
conflict that exacerbates the internal
conflict three event Peaks this is the
story's climax it's the moment the
character's predicament starts to shift
due to the disruptive event think of
this like an avalanche everything starts
falling apart to create something new at
the end of the day the event peaking is
the Tipping Point of your short story a
change whether that's progression in for
your character or regression will occur
because of this moment so what's an
example of an event peaking well sata's
confidence increasingly challenges the
world view Jasmine's mother taught her
about beauty standards Jasmine's
confused because Sada in her opinion is
everything she's not supposed to be but
at the same time sat is still totally
successful despite going against what
Jasmine's mother taught her about beauty
standards this leads to Jasmine asking
SATA if she ever feels old four a final
Revelation changes the predicament this
is a step a lot of newbie short story
writers including myself mess up the
ending of a short story is so important
because it recontextualizes everything
else that came before it essentially
signals to the reader what the story was
about this can be very daunting if you
don't know where to start but the answer
is simple all you need is for your
character to make a revelation that
changes their positioning on their
original predicament this revelation
will be the direct aftermath of the
event Peak finally what's an example of
a final revelation status flabbergasted
response to Jasmine calling herself old
really gets Jasmine thinking Jasmine
dips into internal reflection and has a
moment where her previous world view is
challenged she returns on the other side
changed I'm gonna read the ending of
Jasmine's browsing cuts to illustrate
this point Jasmine turns for the warmer
and quickly pulls up a glop of wax on
the popsicle stick she turns it around
around she'd always thought she'd like
to make people beautiful like she does
now to SATA she liked the idea of
changing someone's face so they'd be
surprised by the reflection they'd see
in the mirror as She lays the wax down
between sata's brows she tries to
remember the last time she felt
beautiful the last time she felt the
type of young her mother wanted her to
remain Untouchable maybe it was this
morning brushing her teeth in the mirror
maybe it was five years ago sitting
alone at her New Year's party sporting a
new lipstick color as she Twirls the wax
on the popsicle stick she catches a
glimpse of her face in her makeup
mirror's reflection she can hear her
mother now commenting on how she should
get some rest try Olay tea bags a cold
compress every morning but then there's
saddest voice coming from the chair I
know what that's like she says and
closes her eyes as Jasmine holds her
skin taut but when you get to a certain
age you've got to make a choice it's
either you choose you or get eaten by
wolves and I'm not a big fan of wolves
Jasmine looks at herself again something
softens on her face or maybe it's just
the way the LEDs hit her jaw but for a
moment a slow honeyed moment she's
tinged gold if you're at home and you're
like I don't get it what's the change
let me break it down the change in this
story is the moment when Jasmine sees
her reflection in the mirror and notices
she's tinged gold this indicates that
for once she looks at herself and isn't
seeing her mother's criticism but
someone new and glowing full of
possibility but Rachel my character
isn't supposed to change if this is you
listen closely if you're writing a short
story believing your character doesn't
change this might not be as true as you
think are you sure the character doesn't
change at all or do they actually
regress that's another type of change
really take a moment meant to think of
who your character is at the start of
the story and what happens over the
course of the story that might change
them perhaps the events of the story
don't change your character positively
but negatively at the end of the day
short stories are little nuggets of
writing that require change there are of
course exceptions but if you're just
starting out I wouldn't recommend
starting out with a story where a
character doesn't change at all on the
first go if your character isn't
changing you might need to revisit your
original idea and ensure the events in
the story do incur some kind of change
whether that's positive or negative so
that's it now you know how to write a
short story I honestly wish I had this
guide when I first started writing short
fiction short stories are a mystery but
not anymore what's your favorite short
story I'll link a list of my favorites
that you can read online in the
description so go forth and write a
short story you got this
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