Writing short stories can be difficult if you’re not used to it. But they’re fairly easy once you know what each short story needs to have, and they’re much easier to write at first. They’re not long, but they need to include everything that is included in a full length novella.
Short stories are a great way to get into writing before trying to tackle a book length piece (a novella length piece is typically classified as 40,000 words or more). They can help to start creative processes and to deeply, effectively create characters that readers can connect with and care for.
What is a short story?
A short story is typically a story with a beginning, middle, and end that ends up around 2,500 to 9,000 words. The Merriam Webster definition for a short story is “an invented prose narrative shorter than a novel usually dealing with a few characters and aiming at unity of effect and often concentrating on the creation of mood rather than plot.”
Parts of a Short Story
There are six parts to a story that are required for a longer length story as well as a short story. These are just the main parts that will be seen on any plot line assigned by an English teacher. The main parts include:
- Exposition
- Conflict
- Rising action
- Climax
- Falling action
- Resolution
While a short story is confined by length restraints and a full novel is not, both use these six parts of a story to become whole. There will be small explanations on how to use these parts in a novella length piece, but we’ll be focusing on short stories today.
To really understand the parts of a short story, we’ll be going through a fairytale story together: Cinderella. Cinderella is a good example of a short story, as long as the original fairytale is followed.
Exposition
The exposition includes things like characters, location, weather, and any background that is absolutely necessary for the story to begin. This is where a main character is introduced, and likely the supporting characters as well. Although not necessary, the exposition is where we learn what a character looks like and where they live. For a short story, a specific place is not required unless it’s a part of the story. This also applies to appearance, there’s no need to describe everything about a character unless it matters in the course of the story.
The conflict can begin to be introduced in the exposition, but it typically has its own moment of reveal. That’s why exposition will oftentimes include conflict when you’re looking at a plot line.
In Cinderella, the exposition is about Cinderella and her father, along with the introduction of the stepmother and stepsisters. Oftentimes, the death of Cinderella’s father can also be included in exposition but is also thought to be part of the plot. This is considered exposition because otherwise we have no tie to Cinderella, or we might not feel anything for her.
Conflict
Within the first page or so of the story, a conflict needs to be introduced. For a short story, these conflicts don’t need to be extremely long, a disagreement or misunderstanding is perfectly acceptable. The problem with conflicts like these are that they are easily fixable, and trying to write a short story on the longer side will ensure that something else needs to happen for the story to continue.
Conflicts can be hard to figure out at first, which is why there are so many prompt generators on the internet. Some commonly used prompt sites are Dylan Drakes, Editing.services, and Reedsy Prompts. My personal favorite is Reedsy because they also have plot and character generators, they can basically help with anything.
The main conflict in Cinderella is that she wants to go to the ball, but there’s also the conflict of little money and Cinderella being treated as a servant in her own household. A short story can have more than one conflict, the problem is when there’s too many conflicts. Too many conflicts can lead to an unsatisfying ending or too many loose ends.
Rising Action
While a story can be interesting while just talking about the main conflict, having tension or reasons that the conflict is so important can make the story feel more interesting and it’ll make a reader more likely to continue reading. Rising actions are just more moments of tension that draw the reader to continue, these actions will also show the stakes for each character. In an argument, what does each character have at stake for continuing arguing?
The rising action doesn’t always revolve around the main conflict, either, but it needs to give tension to the plot. In a breakup conversation, is character A feeling worse because their mother’s in the hospital and they’re not sure how to break the news? Did character B promise to have dinner with their family that night and say they were bringing their partner?
The rising action in Cinderella is the invitation to the ball and getting ready. The fairy godmother and magic are also included in the rising action, giving Cinderella exactly what she wants– but with a deadline. The rising action also includes the ball and the stroke of midnight, all the way to Cinderella going home that night and the prince beginning his search. It’s tempting to call Cinderella going to the ball as the climax, but it doesn’t actually change much in the story. It also continues to build tension towards the end of the story, instead of stalling in the middle.
Climax
The climax is the point of the story with the most tension, it’s also where (likely) the conflict is mostly resolved. It’s often referred to as the “turning point” of the story. Now, this doesn’t have to be where everything is fixed or the characters apologize, but it’s the step where the characters start to realize that they haven’t been listening to one another.
The climax is also the hardest to write, arguably, because it can feel out of the blue if done incorrectly. A good example of a climax is the end of The Hunger Games, where Katniss and Peeta choose to eat the deadly berries instead of falling prey to the Capitol. It’s the largest moment of tension because (if you’re reading it for the first time) you’re not sure what’s going to happen.
The climax in our story is when the slipper fits on Cinderella’s foot. It’s the “turning” point of the story, when the situation that Cinderella is in turns into something else. It changes Cinderella’s position in life from a servant to (almost) a queen. It might feel late in the story, but a climax doesn’t sit towards the middle.
Falling Action
The falling action is the area where the tension begins to bleed out of the story, where things start turning for oftentimes the better. This is the part of a conversation where the two characters really start to listen to one another. A lot of times, this is the most emotional part of a story, because the tension slowly releases and the characters stop feeling the flight or fight adrenaline that they have been feeling since the beginning.
Falling action is the prince proposing to Cinderella and the two of them leaving the house. In books, falling tension is far more important than in movies, there needs to be some kind of falling action so that the story doesn’t fall flat on its face. There’s often not much falling action in stories that don’t have continuations, but it’s important to bleed the tension out so an ending doesn’t feel too forced.
Resolution
The resolution doesn’t always have to be good, but it’s often where the story ends. Sometimes, a resolution can lead to another conflict, but it’s not common for a short story. Short stories often end with a full resolution because the plot that they’re based around have a hard time continuing into a second or third installment. Resolutions are not a large part of the story, mostly relegated to a couple sentences at the end that tell the reader how the characters are doing after the conflict.
The resolution for our story is Cinderella and the prince getting married! There’s not much more that needs to be said, and that’s a good resolution to a story. Most short stories will have some kind of hard ending, there’s not much need of a second or third installment. This is especially true because short stories should be regulated to one or two conflicts. If you feel there’s a need for a continuation, it might be worth it to make the piece longer to accommodate those conflicts and climaxes.
Putting it all Together
Once you have each piece of a short story, the final thing is putting all the pieces together so that they fit. This seems easy at first, but transition sentences can be difficult. The best way to make a story flow is to find the most natural ways of connecting, which for me includes reading the story out loud to make sure nothing feels too choppy.
Another great way to make sure a story flows well is to ask another person to read it and provide feedback. This can be scary for new writers, but I think it’s also the best way to develop writing skills and to grow in a writing career. Writing includes a lot of getting and giving feedback, and being unable to give or receive it can affect your abilities going forward.
Conclusion
A short story has six parts to it that make up the piece. Each of the six parts creates a different aspect to the story, and together they create something that is eye catching and thought inducing. All of these parts are necessary, they create tension and drama that keeps a reader’s attention all the way through.
All of these parts can also be altered slightly to fit into a full, novella length story. But short stories are the perfect way to get a foot in the door and gain writing experience. Even if the only person reading the story is you, each time a word is written down, it makes for a better writer.
