How to Write a Short Story in 6 Steps

Summary

In this video, Jerry Jenkins outlines a six-step process for writing compelling short stories, emphasizing that they are an ideal starting point for new writers. He suggests reading great short stories, finding inspiration in everyday life, writing a first draft without concern for perfection, narrowing the story's scope, following a classic structure, and offering a satisfying ending. Jenkins also highlights the importance of rigorous editing and offers a free guide to help writers overcome blocks and finish their stories.

Takeaways

• 😀 Starting with short stories is better for new writers than beginning with a novel.
• 📚 Read as many great short stories as you can to learn from the best in the genre.
• 🧠 Come up with a compelling idea by asking 'what if' questions and drawing inspiration from people you know.
• ✍️ Write your first draft without worrying about perfection; focus on getting the story down.
• 🔍 Narrow your scope to keep your short story concise and impactful.
• 📖 Use a classic story structure, such as Dean Koontz's four-step approach: plunge your character into trouble, make it worse, create a hopeless predicament, and finally resolve it.
• 😊 Offer a satisfying ending that feels natural and emotionally moving, avoiding forced or contrived conclusions.
• 🔧 Edit your story rigorously, focusing on grammar, punctuation, sentence construction, and engaging readers' senses and emotions.
• 📈 Use proven fiction writing techniques and gain confidence by treating early efforts as learning experiences.
• 🚫 Avoid wasting precious reading real estate with excessive setup or backstory; get to the problem or quest quickly.

Q & A

Why should a new writer start with short stories rather than a novel according to Jerry Jenkins?

Jerry Jenkins suggests that starting with a novel is like attending graduate school when you should be in elementary school. It's a big mistake because there's a lot to learn, and you'll progress faster if you start small, like with short stories.

What is the free bonus offered by Jerry Jenkins at the end of the video?

The free bonus is a guide to help overcome writer's block, start your short story, and most importantly, finish it.

What is the first step to writing a compelling short story as suggested by Jerry Jenkins?

The first step is to read as many great short stories as you can find, especially the classics, to familiarize yourself with the best in the genre and emulate their work.

Which author does Jerry Jenkins recommend to look up for modern-day short story mastery?

Jerry Jenkins recommends looking up the work of Brett Lott, a modern-day master of short stories.

What are some of the classic short stories mentioned by Jerry Jenkins?

Some of the classics mentioned include 'The Tell-Tale Heart', 'The Fall of the House of Usher', and 'The Pit and the Pendulum' by Edgar Allan Poe, 'The Gift of the Magi' and 'The Ransom of the Red Chief' by O. Henry, 'The Necklace' by Guy de Maupassant, 'The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County' by Mark Twain, and 'The Lady, or the Tiger?' by Frank Stockton.

What advice does Jerry Jenkins give about being 'bad' at reading short stories initially?

He advises to give yourself permission to be bad at reading short stories at first, as it should inspire you to try your hand at writing them. Treat your first efforts as learning experiences, and eventually, you'll refine your skills and get better at it.

What are three strategies to generating story ideas for a short story according to the script?

The three strategies are: 1) Learn to recognize the germ of an idea, such as a person, problem, or tension, and ask 'what if' questions about it. 2) Create characters from people you know, mixing and matching their characteristics. 3) Write your first draft to get down the basics of your story without worrying about grammar or other details.

How does Jerry Jenkins suggest narrowing the scope of a short story?

He suggests focusing on a single scene or incident that carries the weight of the story, avoiding unnecessary descriptions, and eliminating scenes that merely transition characters from one place to another.

What classic story structure does Jerry Jenkins endorse for writing a compelling short story?

Jerry Jenkins endorses Dean Koontz's four-step approach: 1) Plunge your character into terrible trouble as soon as possible. 2) Everything your character does to get out of trouble makes it worse. 3) The predicament appears hopeless. 4) The hero uses what they've learned to succeed in the end.

What does Jerry Jenkins say about the importance of a satisfying ending in a short story?

He emphasizes that the ending should not seem forced or contrived, nor should it give the impression that the story has ended too soon. It should be emotionally moving and leave a lasting impression on the reader.

How does Jerry Jenkins describe the editing process for a short story?

He describes the editing process as being a ferocious self-editor, examining and revising every element of the story, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence construction, word choice, flow, cliches, and redundancies.

What is the key takeaway from Jerry Jenkins' advice on writing a compelling short story?

The key takeaway is that writing a compelling short story involves reading and studying great works, generating strong ideas, narrowing the scope, employing a classic story structure, offering a satisfying ending, and editing rigorously.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Starting Small: The Journey of a Writer

Jerry Jenkins introduces a six-step process for writing a compelling short story, emphasizing the importance of starting with short stories rather than novels for new writers. He likens writing a novel early in one's career to attending graduate school instead of elementary school, suggesting that short stories are a more manageable way to learn and grow as a writer. Jenkins also mentions a free bonus at the end of the video, a guide to overcoming writer's block and finishing a short story.

05:02

🎨 Crafting Ideas: The Art of Storytelling

The second paragraph delves into the process of coming up with a winning story idea. Jenkins advises writers to train themselves to recognize compelling story ideas in everyday life and suggests three strategies for generating ideas: asking 'what if' questions, creating characters from people they know, and writing a first draft without worrying about perfection. He stresses the importance of narrowing the scope of a short story to focus on fewer elements and establishing a character's status quo before the main event.

Keywords

💡Short Story

A 'short story' is a brief work of fiction, smaller in scope and length compared to a novel. In the script, the theme revolves around writing compelling short stories, emphasizing that they are an excellent starting point for new writers to develop storytelling skills and gain confidence.

💡Writing Process

The 'writing process' refers to the steps a writer takes from the initial idea to the final draft of a piece of writing. The video script outlines a six-step process for writing a short story, highlighting the importance of reading, idea generation, drafting, narrowing scope, story structure, and editing.

💡Character

A 'character' is a person or figure in a narrative. The script discusses creating characters based on people the writer knows, mixing and matching traits to form unique individuals that populate the story, which is crucial for engaging the reader's imagination.

💡Story Idea

'Story Idea' is the initial concept or spark that leads to the creation of a narrative. The video suggests strategies for generating story ideas, such as asking 'what if' questions and drawing from personal experiences or observations, which are essential for crafting a compelling short story.

💡Scope

'Scope' in the context of writing refers to the breadth and depth of a story. The script advises narrowing the scope in a short story to focus on a single incident or scene, which is critical for delivering a powerful and concise narrative within the limited word count.

💡Story Structure

'Story Structure' is the arrangement of events in a narrative. The video endorses Dean Koontz's four-step approach, which includes plunging the character into trouble, escalating the problem, reaching a point of hopelessness, and resolving the conflict, providing a framework for a satisfying story arc.

💡Editing

'Editing' is the process of revising and refining a written work. The script emphasizes the importance of rigorous self-editing for a short story, suggesting that it is a vital step to improve spelling, grammar, punctuation, and overall flow, and to ensure the story resonates emotionally with readers.

💡Emotional Impact

'Emotional Impact' is the effect a story has on the reader's feelings. The video stresses the importance of an emotionally moving ending in a short story, using the example of 'The Ride' to illustrate how a powerful conclusion can leave a lasting impression without needing to be overly explicit.

💡Writer's Block

'Writer's Block' is a condition, often regarded as a creative障碍, where a writer is unable to produce new work or new ideas. The script mentions a free bonus guide to help overcome writer's block, indicating the video's aim to provide practical solutions for common writing challenges.

💡Perfectionism

'Perfectionism' is the pursuit of flawlessness and setting extremely high standards for oneself. The video advises writers to take off their 'perfectionist cap' during the initial drafting phase to avoid getting bogged down by the desire to fix every detail, allowing for a more fluid creative process.

💡Reading

'Reading' in this context refers to the act of consuming literature, specifically short stories, as a means to learn from established authors. The script encourages reading numerous great short stories to understand the genre's nuances, a strategy that can lead to discovering one's own voice and style.

Highlights

Starting your writing career with a novel is compared to attending graduate school when you should be in elementary school.

Reading dozens of great short stories, especially classics, is the first step to writing compelling short stories.

Familiarize yourself with the best in the genre and try to emulate their work to find your own voice and style.

Brett Lott is a modern-day master of short stories and a good starting point for study.

Embrace the learning process and give yourself permission to be bad at reading short stories initially.

Compelling story ideas are everywhere; train yourself to recognize them through 'what if' questions.

Create characters from people you know, mixing and matching their characteristics to form unique personalities.

Write your first draft focusing on the plot without worrying about grammar, cliches, or redundancies.

Narrow your scope by focusing on a single scene and character status quo in a short story.

Eliminate unnecessary scenes and focus on a poignant incident that reveals the story's point.

Employ a classic story structure with four steps: plunging into trouble, worsening attempts, apparent hopelessness, and eventual success.

Dean Koontz recommends starting the story with the character in trouble to avoid wasting reading real estate on backstory.

A satisfying ending should not seem forced, contrived, or rushed; it should emotionally move the reader.

Editing is crucial; become a ferocious self-editor, examining and revising every element of your story.

Editing involves checking spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence construction, word choice, flow, cliches, and redundancies.

Recognize when you've improved your story to the best version and avoid making it only different.

A free bonus guide is offered at the end of the video to help overcome writer's block and maximize writing time.

Transcripts

hi Jerry Jenkins here talking about

writing today I want to show you a

proven six step process for writing a

compelling short story way a short story

had not a novel I'll have a video on

doing that too but frankly the biggest

mistake you could make as a new writer

would be to start your career with a

novel a novel should not be where you

begin but rather where you arrive in

fact starting your writing career with a

novel would be like attending graduate

school when you should be in elementary

school there's a lot to learn and you'll

progress much faster if you start small

like with short stories you'll face many

of the same obstacles and dilemmas and

questions you'd face when creating

fiction of any length and you'll learn

to work with an editor and be critiqued

and you just might get a quarter million

cliches out of your system ideally

you'll learn proven fiction writing

techniques and gain confidence and

momentum now before we dive in let me

tell you about a free bonus at the end

of this video a guide to help you

overcome writer's block start your short

story and most importantly finish it so

stay with me to the end to get that

special bonus all right the first step

to writing a compelling short stories to

read as many great ones as you can find

and I mean dozens and dozens of them

seriously especially the classics

familiarize yourself with the best in

this genre study what works for the

experts then try to emulate their work

soon enough you'll find your own voice

and develop your own style where to

start with the work of Brett Lott a

modern-day master look him up online and

dig in then google classic short stories

and you'll run across several of my

favorites the tell-tale heart by Edgar

Allan Poe but fall of the House of Usher

also by Poe the pit and the pendulum

also by Poe the Gift of the Magi by oh

Henry

the Ransom of the red chief also by oh

Henry the necklace by Guy de Maupassant

the celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras

County by Mark Twain

the lady and the tiger by Frank Stockton

and one of my all-time favorites the

most dangerous game by Richard Connell

I'll leave that slide up for you for a

bit if you want to jot those down but of

course you can always pause this

recording to now this may sound like

strange advice but it's important give

yourself permission to be bad at reading

short stories at first reading the

modern-day masters and the classics

should inspire you to try your hand at

this which is the point of this video

but your first efforts are not likely to

match the quality of the best short

story writers in history but think about

it you don't remember learning to walk

either but you've seen toddlers do this

they plop down dozens at times before

they finally get the hang of it same

with learning to ride a bike or dance or

bake a cake just treat your first

efforts as learning experiences and

eventually you'll refine your skills and

get better at it the second step to

writing a compelling short story is to

come up with a winning idea at its core

fiction writing isn't about rules or

techniques or someone else's idea it's

about your story well told compelling

story ideas are all around you so train

yourself to recognize them here are

three strategies to generating story

ideas first learn to recognize the germ

you might remember a person a problem

some tension a time of fear ask yourself

what if questions about it what if that

had turned out differently what if I

didn't have an alibi for a devastating

accusation what if my loved one had died

stories are born from such questions

then create characters from people you

know friends neighbors co-workers and

relatives form the basis for the

characters who inhabit your story but be

sure to mix and match their

characteristics you might use one's

gender another's age and others looks

another's tone of voice you name it

you'll wind up with a character with

recognizable traits but no one who can

be assumed to be your soul model

lastly get your story down write your

first draft to simply get down the

basics of your story without worrying

about grammar cliches redundancies or

anything but the plot you'll get back to

it later so you can edit and revise it

all you want but for now just get it

down this requires taking off your

perfectionist cap while writing so you

don't slow yourself to a crawl trying to

fix things as you go okay the third step

to writing a compelling short story is

to narrow your scope naturally there's a

drastic difference between a full-length

novel and a short story containing about

two percent of a novels number of words

a novel can accommodate decades and an

extensive cast of characters subplots

and all the rest a short story must pack

an emotional wallop with dramatically

fewer elements the best short stories

establish a character status quo often

only one scene that also bears the

weight of what it is you're trying to

say about his life before whatever

happens in your story so here's how you

can tighten your story if your main

character needs a cohort or a sounding

board don't give her two combined

characters where you can avoid

description of settings or characters as

a separate element rather write just

enough to trigger the theater of your

readers mind eliminate scenes that

merely get your characters from one

place to another the reader doesn't care

how they got there or they can assume it

so you can simply write late that

afternoon Jim met Sharon at a coffee

shop we don't need to see him getting

ready arranging a ride at cetera the

goal is to get to a resounding ending by

portraying a poignant incident that

reveals your story and its point the

fourth step to writing a compelling

short story is to employ a classic story

structure I endorse the approach Dean

Koontz recommends in his book how to

write best-selling fiction

he suggests a simple four-step approach

first plunge your character into

terrible trouble as soon as possible

second everything your character does to

try to get out of that trouble makes it

only worse

until third the predicament appears

hopeless and then finally everything

your hero learns from trying to get out

of the terrible trouble he uses to

succeed in the end now of course

terrible trouble means something

different depending on your genre in a

thriller it might be life or death in

our love story the trouble might be

emotional

regardless it should be the worst

trouble you can conjure for your

character then it's crucial to avoid

wasting precious reading real estate

setting up your plot or providing a lot

of backstory give your readers just

enough to make them care about your main

character then get to the problem the

quest the challenge the danger whatever

it is that drives your story I'll write

the fifth step to writing a compelling

short story is to offer a satisfying

ending it can't seem forced or contrived

or give the impression the story has

ended too soon

here's an example of a great short story

ending in a modern-day version of the

prodigal son called the ride a character

calls his father and leaves a message

that if he's welcome to return home his

father should leave the front porch

light on otherwise if he finds the porch

light off he'll understand and tell his

cab driver to just keep going the rest

of the story is him telling the cabbie

how deeply his life choices have hurt

his family the story ends with the taxi

pulling into view of his child at home

only to find not only the porch light on

but also every light in the house and

more out in the yard on long extension

cords that ending needed no elaboration

we didn't even need to be shown the

reunion the embrace the tears the talk

the lights said it all that's the kind

of ending you want

you may have heard me say this before

but readers enjoy being educated and

entertained but they never forget being

emotionally moved the sixth and final

step to writing a compelling short story

is to edit it as if your life depends on

it

when you've finished the writing the

real work has just begun it's time to

become a ferocious self editor put on

your perfectionist cabin examine and

revise every element of your story

spelling grammar punctuation sentence

construction word choice flow cliches

redundancies you name it tightening adds

power omit needless words also pour over

the manuscript looking for ways to

engage your readers senses and evoke

their emotions all writing is rewriting

do whatever you have to do to give

yourself the best chance to succeed and

remember what makes you a writer is

learning when you've gone from making

your story better to making it only

different strive to recognize when

you've hit on the best version all right

that's it for today if you found this

video helpful like it comment on it and

share it you can also click the

subscribe button below to be notified

whenever I release a new writer training

video now here's that free bonus I

mentioned earlier click on the link on

your screen to get my guide how to

maximize your writing time this will

help you overcome writer's block and

eliminate distractions so you can not

only start your short story but also

stay motivated to stick with it until

it's finished and as good as it can be

all the best with your writing and I'll

see you next time