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How to Write a Short Story: The Short Story Checklist

Rosemary Tantra Bensko and Sean Glatch  |  November 17, 2023  |  6 Comments

how to write a short story

The short story is a fiction writer’s laboratory: here is where you can experiment with characters, plots, and ideas without the heavy lifting of writing a novel. Learning how to write a short story is essential to mastering the art of storytelling . With far fewer words to worry about, storytellers can make many more mistakes—and strokes of genius!—through experimentation and the fun of fiction writing.

Nonetheless, the art of writing short stories is not easy to master. How do you tell a complete story in so few words? What does a story need to have in order to be successful? Whether you’re struggling with how to write a short story outline, or how to fully develop a character in so few words, this guide is your starting point.

Famous authors like Virginia Woolf, Haruki Murakami, and Agatha Christie have used the short story form to play with ideas before turning those stories into novels. Whether you want to master the elements of fiction, experiment with novel ideas, or simply have fun with storytelling, here’s everything you need on how to write a short story step by step.

The Core Elements of a Short Story

There’s no secret formula to writing a short story. However, a good short story will have most or all of the following elements:

  • A protagonist with a certain desire or need. It is essential for the protagonist to want something they don’t have, otherwise they will not drive the story forward.
  • A clear dilemma. We don’t need much backstory to see how the dilemma started; we’re primarily concerned with how the protagonist resolves it.
  • A decision. What does the protagonist do to resolve their dilemma?
  • A climax. In Freytag’s Pyramid , the climax of a story is when the tension reaches its peak, and the reader discovers the outcome of the protagonist’s decision(s).
  • An outcome. How does the climax change the protagonist? Are they a different person? Do they have a different philosophy or outlook on life?

Of course, short stories also utilize the elements of fiction , such as a setting , plot , and point of view . It helps to study these elements and to understand their intricacies. But, when it comes to laying down the skeleton of a short story, the above elements are what you need to get started.

Note: a short story rarely, if ever, has subplots. The focus should be entirely on a single, central storyline. Subplots will either pull focus away from the main story, or else push the story into the territory of novellas and novels.

The shorter the story is, the fewer of these elements are essentials. If you’re interested in writing short-short stories, check out our guide on how to write flash fiction .

How to Write a Short Story Outline

Some writers are “pantsers”—they “write by the seat of their pants,” making things up on the go with little more than an idea for a story. Other writers are “plotters,” meaning they decide the story’s structure in advance of writing it.

You don’t need a short story outline to write a good short story. But, if you’d like to give yourself some scaffolding before putting words on the page, this article answers the question of how to write a short story outline:

https://writers.com/how-to-write-a-story-outline

How to Write a Short Story Step by Step

There are many ways to approach the short story craft, but this method is tried-and-tested for writers of all levels. Here’s how to write a short story step by step.

1. Start With an Idea

Often, generating an idea is the hardest part. You want to write, but what will you write about?

What’s more, it’s easy to start coming up with ideas and then dismissing them. You want to tell an authentic, original story, but everything you come up with has already been written, it seems.

Here are a few tips:

  • Originality presents itself in your storytelling, not in your ideas. For example, the premise of both Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Ostrovsky’s The Snow Maiden are very similar: two men and two women, in intertwining love triangles, sort out their feelings for each other amidst mischievous forest spirits, love potions, and friendship drama. The way each story is written makes them very distinct from one another, to the point where, unless it’s pointed out to you, you might not even notice the similarities.
  • An idea is not a final draft. You will find that exploring the possibilities of your story will generate something far different than the idea you started out with. This is a good thing—it means you made the story your own!
  • Experiment with genres and tropes. Even if you want to write literary fiction , pay attention to the narrative structures that drive genre stories, and practice your storytelling using those structures. Again, you will naturally make the story your own simply by playing with ideas.

If you’re struggling simply to find ideas, try out this prompt generator , or pull prompts from this Twitter .

2. Outline, OR Conceive Your Characters

If you plan to outline, do so once you’ve generated an idea. You can learn about how to write a short story outline earlier in this article.

If you don’t plan to outline, you should at least start with a character or characters. Certainly, you need a protagonist, but you should also think about any characters that aid or inhibit your protagonist’s journey.

When thinking about character development, ask the following questions:

  • What is my character’s background? Where do they come from, how did they get here, where do they want to be?
  • What does your character desire the most? This can be both material or conceptual, like “fitting in” or “being loved.”
  • What is your character’s fatal flaw? In other words, what limitation prevents the protagonist from achieving their desire? Often, this flaw is a blind spot that directly counters their desire. For example, self hatred stands in the way of a protagonist searching for love.
  • How does your character think and speak? Think of examples, both fictional and in the real world, who might resemble your character.

In short stories, there are rarely more characters than a protagonist, an antagonist (if relevant), and a small group of supporting characters. The more characters you include, the longer your story will be. Focus on making only one or two characters complex: it is absolutely okay to have the rest of the cast be flat characters that move the story along.

Learn more about character development here:

https://writers.com/character-development-definition

3. Write Scenes Around Conflict

Once you have an outline or some characters, start building scenes around conflict. Every part of your story, including the opening sentence, should in some way relate to the protagonist’s conflict.

Conflict is the lifeblood of storytelling: without it, the reader doesn’t have a clear reason to keep reading. Loveable characters are not enough, as the story has to give the reader something to root for.

Take, for example, Edgar Allan Poe’s classic short story The Cask of Amontillado . We start at the conflict: the narrator has been slighted by Fortunato, and plans to exact revenge. Every scene in the story builds tension and follows the protagonist as he exacts this revenge.

In your story, start writing scenes around conflict, and make sure each paragraph and piece of dialogue relates, in some way, to your protagonist’s unmet desires.

4. Write Your First Draft

The scenes you build around conflict will eventually be stitched into a complete story. Make sure as the story progresses that each scene heightens the story’s tension, and that this tension remains unbroken until the climax resolves whether or not your protagonist meets their desires.

Don’t stress too hard on writing a perfect story. Rather, take Anne Lamott’s advice, and “write a shitty first draft.” The goal is not to pen a complete story at first draft; rather, it’s to set ideas down on paper. You are simply, as Shannon Hale suggests, “shoveling sand into a box so that later [you] can build castles.”

5. Step Away, Breathe, Revise

Whenever Stephen King finishes a novel, he puts it in a drawer and doesn’t think about it for 6 weeks. With short stories, you probably don’t need to take as long of a break. But, the idea itself is true: when you’ve finished your first draft, set it aside for a while. Let yourself come back to the story with fresh eyes, so that you can confidently revise, revise, revise .

In revision, you want to make sure each word has an essential place in the story, that each scene ramps up tension, and that each character is clearly defined. The culmination of these elements allows a story to explore complex themes and ideas, giving the reader something to think about after the story has ended.

6. Compare Against Our Short Story Checklist

Does your story have everything it needs to succeed? Compare it against this short story checklist, as written by our instructor Rosemary Tantra Bensko.

Below is a collection of practical short story writing tips by Writers.com instructor Rosemary Tantra Bensko . Each paragraph is its own checklist item: a core element of short story writing advice to follow unless you have clear reasons to the contrary. We hope it’s a helpful resource in your own writing.

Update 9/1/2020: We’ve now made a summary of Rosemary’s short story checklist available as a PDF download . Enjoy!

how to write a short story 600 words

Click to download

How to Write a Short Story: Length and Setting

Your short story is 1000 to 7500 words in length.

The story takes place in one time period, not spread out or with gaps other than to drive someplace, sleep, etc. If there are those gaps, there is a space between the paragraphs, the new paragraph beginning flush left, to indicate a new scene.

Each scene takes place in one location, or in continual transit, such as driving a truck or flying in a plane.

How to Write a Short Story: Point of View

Unless it’s a very lengthy Romance story, in which there may be two Point of View (POV) characters, there is one POV character. If we are told what any character secretly thinks, it will only be the POV character. The degree to which we are privy to the unexpressed thoughts, memories and hopes of the POV character remains consistent throughout the story.

You avoid head-hopping by only having one POV character per scene, even in a Romance. You avoid straying into even brief moments of telling us what other characters think other than the POV character. You use words like “apparently,” “obviously,” or “supposedly” to suggest how non-POV-characters think rather than stating it.

How to Write a Short Story: Protagonist, Antagonist, Motivation

Your short story has one clear protagonist who is usually the character changing most.

Your story has a clear antagonist, who generally makes the protagonist change by thwarting his goals.

(Possible exception to the two short story writing tips above: In some types of Mystery and Action stories, particularly in a series, etc., the protagonist doesn’t necessarily grow personally, but instead his change relates to understanding the antagonist enough to arrest or kill him.)

The protagonist changes with an Arc arising out of how he is stuck in his Flaw at the beginning of the story, which makes the reader bond with him as a human, and feel the pain of his problems he causes himself. (Or if it’s the non-personal growth type plot: he’s presented at the beginning of the story with a high-stakes problem that requires him to prevent or punish a crime.)

The protagonist usually is shown to Want something, because that’s what people normally do, defining their personalities and behavior patterns, pushing them onward from day to day. This may be obvious from the beginning of the story, though it may not become heightened until the Inciting Incident , which happens near the beginning of Act 1. The Want is usually something the reader sort of wants the character to succeed in, while at the same time, knows the Want is not in his authentic best interests. This mixed feeling in the reader creates tension.

The protagonist is usually shown to Need something valid and beneficial, but at first, he doesn’t recognize it, admit it, honor it, integrate it with his Want, or let the Want go so he can achieve the Need instead. Ideally, the Want and Need can be combined in a satisfying way toward the end for the sake of continuity of forward momentum of victoriously achieving the goals set out from the beginning. It’s the encounters with the antagonist that forcibly teach the protagonist to prioritize his Needs correctly and overcome his Flaw so he can defeat the obstacles put in his path.

The protagonist in a personal growth plot needs to change his Flaw/Want but like most people, doesn’t automatically do that when faced with the problem. He tries the easy way, which doesn’t work. Only when the Crisis takes him to a low point does he boldly change enough to become victorious over himself and the external situation. What he learns becomes the Theme.

Each scene shows its main character’s goal at its beginning, which aligns in a significant way with the protagonist’s overall goal for the story. The scene has a “charge,” showing either progress toward the goal or regression away from the goal by the ending. Most scenes end with a negative charge, because a story is about not obtaining one’s goals easily, until the end, in which the scene/s end with a positive charge.

The protagonist’s goal of the story becomes triggered until the Inciting Incident near the beginning, when something happens to shake up his life. This is the only major thing in the story that is allowed to be a random event that occurs to him.

How to Write a Short Story: Characters

Your characters speak differently from one another, and their dialogue suggests subtext, what they are really thinking but not saying: subtle passive-aggressive jibes, their underlying emotions, etc.

Your characters are not illustrative of ideas and beliefs you are pushing for, but come across as real people.

How to Write a Short Story: Prose

Your language is succinct, fresh and exciting, specific, colorful, avoiding clichés and platitudes. Sentence structures vary. In Genre stories, the language is simple, the symbolism is direct, and words are well-known, and sentences are relatively short. In Literary stories, you are freer to use more sophisticated ideas, words, sentence structures and underlying metaphors and implied motifs.

How to Write a Short Story: Story Structure

Your plot elements occur in the proper places according to classical Act Structure so the reader feels he has vicariously gone through a harrowing trial with the protagonist and won, raising his sense of hope and possibility. Literary short stories may be more subtle, with lower stakes, experimenting beyond classical structures like the Hero’s Journey. They can be more like vignettes sometimes, or even slice-of-life, though these types are hard to place in publications.

In Genre stories, all the questions are answered, threads are tied up, problems are solved, though the results of carnage may be spread over the landscape. In Literary short stories, you are free to explore uncertainty, ambiguity, and inchoate, realistic endings that suggest multiple interpretations, and unresolved issues.

Some Literary stories may be nonrealistic, such as with Surrealism, Absurdism, New Wave Fabulism, Weird and Magical Realism . If this is what you write, they still need their own internal logic and they should not be bewildering as to the what the reader is meant to experience, whether it’s a nuanced, unnameable mood or a trip into the subconscious.

Literary stories may also go beyond any label other than Experimental. For example, a story could be a list of To Do items on a paper held by a magnet to a refrigerator for the housemate to read. The person writing the list may grow more passive-aggressive and manipulative as the list grows, and we learn about the relationship between the housemates through the implied threats and cajoling.

How to Write a Short Story: Capturing Reader Interest

Your short story is suspenseful, meaning readers hope the protagonist will achieve his best goal, his Need, by the Climax battle against the antagonist.

Your story entertains. This is especially necessary for Genre short stories.

The story captivates readers at the very beginning with a Hook, which can be a puzzling mystery to solve, an amazing character’s or narrator’s Voice, an astounding location, humor, a startling image, or a world the reader wants to become immersed in.

Expository prose (telling, like an essay) takes up very, very little space in your short story, and it does not appear near the beginning. The story is in Narrative format instead, in which one action follows the next. You’ve removed every unnecessary instance of Expository prose and replaced it with showing Narrative. Distancing words like “used to,” “he would often,” “over the years, he,” “each morning, he” indicate that you are reporting on a lengthy time period, summing it up, rather than sticking to Narrative format, in which immediacy makes the story engaging.

You’ve earned the right to include Expository Backstory by making the reader yearn for knowing what happened in the past to solve a mystery. This can’t possibly happen at the beginning, obviously. Expository Backstory does not take place in the first pages of your story.

Your reader cares what happens and there are high stakes (especially important in Genre stories). Your reader worries until the end, when the protagonist survives, succeeds in his quest to help the community, gets the girl, solves or prevents the crime, achieves new scientific developments, takes over rule of his realm, etc.

Every sentence is compelling enough to urge the reader to read the next one—because he really, really wants to—instead of doing something else he could be doing. Your story is not going to be assigned to people to analyze in school like the ones you studied, so you have found a way from the beginning to intrigue strangers to want to spend their time with your words.

Where to Read and Submit Short Stories

Whether you’re looking for inspiration or want to publish your own stories, you’ll find great literary journals for writers of all backgrounds at this article:

https://writers.com/short-story-submissions

Learn How to Write a Short Story at Writers.com

The short story takes an hour to learn and a lifetime to master. Learn how to write a short story with Writers.com. Our upcoming fiction courses will give you the ropes to tell authentic, original short stories that captivate and entrance your readers.

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Rosemary – Is there any chance you could add a little something to your checklist? I’d love to know the best places to submit our short stories for publication. Thanks so much.

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Hi, Kim Hanson,

Some good places to find publications specific to your story are NewPages, Poets and Writers, Duotrope, and The Submission Grinder.

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“ In Genre stories, all the questions are answered, threads are tied up, problems are solved, though the results of carnage may be spread over the landscape.”

Not just no but NO.

See for example the work of MacArthur Fellow Kelly Link.

[…] How to Write a Short Story: The Short Story Checklist […]

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Thank you for these directions and tips. It’s very encouraging to someone like me, just NOW taking up writing.

[…] Writers.com. A great intro to writing. https://writers.com/how-to-write-a-short-story […]

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Guides • Perfecting your Craft

Last updated on Oct 29, 2023

How to Write a Short Story in 9 Simple Steps

This post is written by UK writer Robert Grossmith. His short stories have been widely anthologized, including in The Time Out Book of London Short Stories , The Best of Best Short Stories , and The Penguin Book of First World War Stories . You  can collaborate with him on your own short stories here on Reedsy .  

The joy of writing short stories is, in many ways, tied to its limitations.  Developing characters, conflict, and a premise within a few pages is a thrilling challenge that many writers relish — even after they've "graduated" to long-form fiction.

In this article, I’ll take you through the process of writing a short story, from idea conception to the final draft.

How to write a short story:

1. Know what a short story is versus a novel

2. pick a simple, central premise, 3. build a small but distinct cast of characters, 4. begin writing close to the end, 5. shut out your internal editor, 6. finish the first draft, 7. edit the short story, 8. share the story with beta readers, 9. submit the short story to publications.

But first, let’s talk about what makes a short story different from a novel. 

The simple answer to this question, of course, is that the short story is shorter than the novel, usually coming in at between, say, 1,000-15,000 words. Any shorter and you’re into flash fiction territory. Any longer and you’re approaching novella length . 

As far as other features are concerned, it’s easier to define the short story by what it lacks compared to the novel . For example, the short story usually has:

  • fewer characters than a novel
  • a single point of view, either first person or third person
  • a single storyline without subplots
  • less in the way of back story or exposition than a novel

If backstory is needed at all, it should come late in the story and be kept to a minimum.

It’s worth remembering too that some of the best short stories consist of a single dramatic episode in the form of a vignette or epiphany.

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A short story can begin life in all sorts of ways.

It may be suggested by a simple but powerful image that imprints itself on the mind. It may derive from the contemplation of a particular character type — someone you know perhaps — that you’re keen to understand and explore. It may arise out of a memorable incident in your own life.

how to write a short story 600 words

For example:

  • Kafka began “The Metamorphosis” with the intuition that a premise in which the protagonist wakes one morning to find he’s been transformed into a giant insect would allow him to explore questions about human relationships and the human condition.
  • Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener” takes the basic idea of a lowly clerk who decides he will no longer do anything he doesn’t personally wish to do, and turns it into a multi-layered tale capable of a variety of interpretations.

When I look back on some of my own short stories, I find a similar dynamic at work: a simple originating idea slowly expands to become something more nuanced and less formulaic. 

So how do you find this “first heartbeat” of your own short story? Here are several ways to do so. 

Experiment with writing prompts

Eagle-eyed readers will notice that the story premises mentioned above actually have a great deal in common with writing prompts like the ones put forward each week in Reedsy’s short story competition . Try it out! These prompts are often themed in a way that’s designed to narrow the focus for the writer so that one isn’t confronted with a completely blank canvas.

how to write a short story 600 words

Turn to the originals

Take a story or novel you admire and think about how you might rework it, changing a key element. (“Pride and Prejudice and Vampires” is perhaps an extreme product of this exercise.) It doesn’t matter that your proposed reworking will probably never amount to more than a skimpy mental reimagining — it may well throw up collateral narrative possibilities along the way.

Keep a notebook

Finally, keep a notebook in which to jot down stray observations and story ideas whenever they occur to you. Again, most of what you write will be stuff you never return to, and it may even fail to make sense when you reread it. But lurking among the dross may be that one rough diamond that makes all the rest worthwhile. 

Like I mentioned earlier, short stories usually contain far fewer characters than novels. Readers also need to know far less about the characters in a short story than we do in a novel (sometimes it’s the lack of information about a particular character in a story that adds to the mystery surrounding them, making them more compelling).

how to write a short story 600 words

Yet it remains the case that creating memorable characters should be one of your principal goals. Think of your own family, friends and colleagues. Do you ever get them confused with one another? Probably not. 

Your dramatis personae should be just as easily distinguishable from one another, either through their appearance, behavior, speech patterns, or some other unique trait. If you find yourself struggling, a character profile template like the one you can download for free below is particularly helpful in this stage of writing.   

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Reedsy’s Character Profile Template

A story is only as strong as its characters. Fill this out to develop yours.

  • “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman features a cast of two: the narrator and her husband. How does Gilman give her narrator uniquely identifying features?
  • “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe features a cast of three: the narrator, the old man, and the police. How does Poe use speech patterns in dialogue and within the text itself to convey important information about the narrator?
  • “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor is perhaps an exception: its cast of characters amounts to a whopping (for a short story) nine. How does she introduce each character? In what way does she make each character, in particular The Misfit, distinct?

how to write a short story 600 words

He’s right: avoid the preliminary exposition or extended scene-setting. Begin your story by plunging straight into the heart of the action. What most readers want from a story is drama and conflict, and this is often best achieved by beginning in media res . You have no time to waste in a short story. The first sentence of your story is crucial, and needs to grab the reader’s attention to make them want to read on. 

One way to do this is to write an opening sentence that makes the reader ask questions. For example, Kingsley Amis once said, tongue-in-cheek, that in the future he would only read novels that began with the words: “A shot rang out.”

This simple sentence is actually quite telling. It introduces the stakes: there’s an immediate element of physical danger, and therefore jeopardy for someone. But it also raises questions that the reader will want answered. Who fired the shot? Who or what were they aiming at, and why? Where is this happening?

We read fiction for the most part to get answers to questions. For example, if you begin your story with a character who behaves in an unexpected way, the reader will want to know why he or she is behaving like this. What motivates their unusual behavior? Do they know that what they’re doing or saying is odd? Do they perhaps have something to hide? Can we trust this character? 

As the author, you can answer these questions later (that is, answer them dramatically rather than through exposition). But since we’re speaking of the beginning of a story, at the moment it’s enough simply to deliver an opening sentence that piques the reader’s curiosity, raises questions, and keeps them reading.

“Anything goes” should be your maxim when embarking on your first draft. 

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How to Craft a Killer Short Story

From pacing to character development, master the elements of short fiction.

By that, I mean: kill the editor in your head and give your imagination free rein. Remember, you’re beginning with a blank page. Anything you put down will be an improvement on what’s currently there, which is nothing. And there’s a prescription for any obstacle you might encounter at this stage of writing. 

  • Worried that you’re overwriting? Don’t worry. It’s easier to cut material in later drafts once you’ve sketched out the whole story. 
  • Got stuck, but know what happens later? Leave a gap. There’s no necessity to write the story sequentially. You can always come back and fill in the gap once the rest of the story is complete. 
  • Have a half-developed scene that’s hard for you to get onto the page? Write it in note form for the time being. You might find that it relieves the pressure of having to write in complete sentences from the get-go.

Most of my stories were begun with no idea of their eventual destination, but merely an approximate direction of travel. To put it another way, I’m a ‘pantser’ (flying by the seat of my pants, making it up as I go along) rather than a planner. There is, of course, no right way to write your first draft. What matters is that you have a first draft on your hands at the end of the day. 

It’s hard to overstate the importance of the ending of a short story : it can rescue an inferior story or ruin an otherwise superior one. 

If you’re a planner, you will already know the broad outlines of the ending. If you’re a pantser like me, you won’t — though you’ll hope that a number of possible endings will have occurred to you in the course of writing and rewriting the story! 

In both cases, keep in mind that what you’re after is an ending that’s true to the internal logic of the story without being obvious or predictable. What you want to avoid is an ending that evokes one of two reactions:

  • “Is that it?” aka “The author has failed to resolve the questions raised by the story.”
  • “WTF!” aka “This ending is simply confusing.”

Like Truman Capote said, “Good writing is rewriting.”

Once you have a first draft, the real work begins. This is when you move things around, tightening the nuts and bolts of the piece to make sure it holds together and resembles the shape it took in your mind when you first conceived it. 

In most cases, this means reading through your first draft again (and again). In this stage of editing , think to yourself:

  • Which narrative threads are already in place?
  • Which may need to be added or developed further?
  • Which need to perhaps be eliminated altogether?

how to write a short story 600 words

All that’s left afterward is the final polish . Here’s where you interrogate every word, every sentence, to make sure it’s earned its place in the story:

  • Is that really what I mean?
  • Could I have said that better?
  • Have I used that word correctly?
  • Is that sentence too long?
  • Have I removed any clichés? 

Trust me: this can be the most satisfying part of the writing process. The heavy lifting is done, the walls have been painted, the furniture is in place. All you have to do now is hang a few pictures, plump the cushions and put some flowers in a vase.

Eventually, you may reach a point where you’ve reread and rewritten your story so many times that you simply can’t bear to look at it again. If this happens, put the story aside and try to forget about it.

When you do finally return to it, weeks or even months later, you’ll probably be surprised at how the intervening period has allowed you to see the story with a fresh pair of eyes. And whereas it might have felt like removing one of your own internal organs to cut such a sentence or paragraph before, now it feels like a liberation. 

The story, you can see, is better as a result. It was only your bloated appendix you removed, not a vital organ.

It’s at this point that you should call on the services of beta readers if you have them. This can be a daunting prospect: what if the response is less enthusiastic than you’re hoping for? But think about it this way: if you’re expecting complete strangers to read and enjoy your story, then you shouldn’t be afraid of trying it out first on a more sympathetic audience. 

This is also why I’d suggest delaying this stage of the writing process until you feel sure your story is complete. It’s one thing to ask a friend to read and comment on your new story. It’s quite another thing to return to them sometime later with, “I’ve made some changes to the story — would you mind reading it again?”

how to write a short story 600 words

So how do you know your story’s really finished? This is a question that people have put to me. My reply tends to be: I know the story’s finished when I can’t see how to make it any better.

This is when you can finally put down your pencil (or keyboard), rest content with your work for a few days, then submit it so that people can read your work. And you can start with this directory of literary magazines once you're at this step. 

The truth is, in my experience, there’s actually no such thing as a final draft. Even after you’ve submitted your story somewhere — and even if you’re lucky enough to have it accepted — there will probably be the odd word here or there that you’d like to change. 

Don’t worry about this. Large-scale changes are probably out of the question at this stage, but a sympathetic editor should be willing to implement any small changes right up to the time of publication. 

how to write a short story 600 words

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This short short story (586 words) was originally a submission for an e-pub contest hosted by Lulu. The max word count was 600 words, so it was a challenge! Like my other short short, Curiosity Shop, this story was directly inspired by a dream I had. THE LAST FLEA The girl crouched in the shadow…

Curiosity Shop

This short short story (580 words) was originally a submission for an e-pub contest hosted by Lulu. The max word count was 600 words, so it was a challenge! The premise for this story was directly inspired by a dream I had. CURIOSITY SHOP It’s a shop I must have walked past a million times…

  • Curiospondence
  • In Plain Sight

How to write short stories

How to Write a Short Story That Captivates Your Reader

Trying to write a short story is the perfect place to begin your writing career .

Because it reveals many of the obstacles, dilemmas, and questions you’ll face when creating fiction of any length.

If you find these things knotty in a short story, imagine how profound they would be in a book-length tale.

Most writers need to get a quarter million clichés out of their systems before they hope to sell something.

And they need to learn the difference between imitating their favorite writers and emulating their best techniques.

Mastering even a few of the elements of fiction while learning the craft will prove to be quick wins for you as you gain momentum as a writer.

I don’t mean to imply that learning how to write a short story is easier than learning how to write a novel —only that as a neophyte you might find the process more manageable in smaller bites.

So let’s start at the beginning.

  • What Is a Short Story?

Don’t make the mistake of referring to short nonfiction articles as short stories. In the publishing world, short story always refers to fiction. And short stories come varying shapes and sizes:

  • Traditional: 1,500-5000 words
  • Flash Fiction: 500-1,000 words
  • Micro Fiction: 5 to 350 words

Is there really a market for a short story of 5,000 words (roughly 20 double-spaced manuscript pages)?

Some publications and contests accept entries that long, but it’s easier and more common to sell a short story in the 1,500- to 3,000-word range.

And on the other end of the spectrum, you may wonder if I’m serious about short stories of fewer than 10 words (Micro Fiction). Well, sort of.

They are really more gimmicks, but they exist. The most famous was Ernest Hemingway’s response to a bet that he couldn’t write fiction that short. He wrote: For sale: baby shoes. Never worn.

That implied a vast backstory and deep emotion.

Here are some other examples of micro fiction from my Facebook page.

Writing a short story is an art, despite that they are so much more concise than novels. Which is why I created this complete guide.

  • How to Come Up with Great Short Story Ideas

Do you struggle coming up with short story ideas?

Or is your list so long you don’t know where to start?

Writing fiction i s not about rules or techniques or someone else’s ideas. 

It’s about a story well told .

Short story ideas are all around you, and you can learn to recognize them. Then you can write with confidence and enjoy the process.

I recommend these strategies to generate story ideas:

1. Recognize the germ.

Much fiction starts with a memory—a person, a problem, tension, fear, conflict that resonates with you and grows in your mind. 

That’s the germ of an idea that can become your story.

2. Write it down.

Write your first draft to simply get the basics of the story down without worrying about grammar, cliches, redundancy or anything but the plot.

3. Create characters from people you know.

Characters come from people you’ve or have known all your life (relatives). 

Brainstorming interesting, quirky, inspiring, influential people and mix and match their looks, ages, genders, traits, voices , tics, habits, characteristics. The resulting character will be an amalgam of those.

4. Get writing.

The outlining and research has to end at some point.  

You’ve got to start getting words onto the page.

Interested in reading more about these strategies?

Click here to read my in-depth blog post on how to come up with story ideas .

  • How to Structure Your Short Story

Regardless whether you’re an Outliner or a Pantser like me (one who writes by the seat of their pants),  I recommend a basic story structure .

It looks like this, according to bestsellin g Dean Koontz :

  • Plunge your main character into terrible trouble as soon as possible. (That trouble will mean something different depending on your genre. For a thriller it might be life-threatening. For a romance it might mean choosing between two suitors.)
  • Everything your character does to try to get out of the trouble makes it only worse.
  • Eventually things appear hopeless.
  • Finally, everything your character has learned through all that trouble gives him what he needs to win the day—or fail.

That structure will keep you —and your reader—engaged.

  • How to Write a Short Story in 9 Steps
  • Read as Many Great Short Stories as You Can Find
  • Aim for the Heart
  • Narrow Your Scope
  • Make Your Title Sing
  • Use the Classic Story Structure
  • Suggest Backstory, Don’t Elaborate
  • When in Doubt, Leave it Out
  • Ensure a Satisfying Ending
  • Cut Like Your Story’s Life Depends on It

How to Write a Short Story Step 1. Read as Many Great Short Stories as You Can Find

Read hundreds of them—especially the classics .

You learn this genre by familiarizing yourself with the best. See yourself as an apprentice. Watch, evaluate, analyze the experts, then try to emulate their work.

Soon you’ll learn enough about how to write a short story that you can start developing your own style.

A lot of the skills you need can be learned through osmosis .

Where to start? Read Bret Lott , a modern-day master. (He chose one of my short stories for one of his collections .)

Reading two or three dozen short stories should give you an idea of their structure and style. That should spur you to try one of your own while continuing to read dozens more.

Remember, you won’t likely start with something sensational, but what you’ve learned through your reading—as well as what you’ll learn from your own writing—should give you confidence. You’ll be on your way.

How to Write a Short Story Step 2. Aim for the Heart

The most effective short stories evoke deep emotions in the reader.

What will move them? The same things that probably move you:

  • Heroic sacrifice

How to Write a Short Story Step 3. Narrow Your Scope

It should go without saying that there’s a drastic difference between a 450-page, 100,000-word novel and a 10-page, 2000-word short story.

One can accommodate an epic sweep of a story and cover decades with an extensive cast of characters .

The other must pack an emotional wallop and tell a compelling story with a beginning, a middle, and an end—with about 2% of the number of words.

Naturally, that dramatically restricts your number of characters, scenes, and even plot points .

The best short stories usually encompass only a short slice of the main character’s life —often only one scene or incident that must also bear the weight of your Deeper Question, your theme or what it is you’re really trying to say.

Tightening Tips

  • If your main character needs a cohort or a sounding board, don’t give her two. Combine characters where you can.
  • Avoid long blocks of description; rather, write just enough to trigger the theater of your reader’s mind.
  • Eliminate scenes that merely get your characters from one place to another. The reader doesn’t care how they got there, so you can simply write: Late that afternoon, Jim met Sharon at a coffee shop…

Your goal is to get to a resounding ending by portraying a poignant incident that tell a story in itself and represents a bigger picture.

How to Write a Short Story Step 4. Make Your Title Sing

Work hard on what to call your short story.

Yes, it might get changed by editors, but it must grab their attention first. They’ll want it to stand out to readers among a wide range of competing stories, and so do you.

How to Write a Short Story Step 5. Use the Classic Story Structure

Once your title has pulled the reader in, how do you hold his interest?

As you might imagine, this is as crucial in a short story as it is in a novel. So use the same basic approach:

Plunge your character into terrible trouble from the get-go .

Of course, terrible trouble means something different for different genres.

  • In a thriller, your character might find himself in physical danger, a life or death situation.
  • In a love story, the trouble might be emotional, a heroine torn between two lovers.
  • In a mystery, your main character might witness a crime, and then be accused of it.

Don’t waste time setting up the story. Get on with it.

Tell your reader just enough to make her care about your main character, then get to the the problem, the quest, the challenge, the danger—whatever it is that drives your story.

How to Write a Short Story Step 6. Suggest Backstory, Don’t Elaborate

You don’t have the space or time to flash back or cover a character’s entire backstory.

Rather than recite how a Frenchman got to America, merely mention the accent he had hoped to leave behind when he emigrated to the U.S. from Paris.

Don’t spend a paragraph describing a winter morning.

Layer that bit of sensory detail into the narrative by showing your character covering her face with her scarf against the frigid wind.

How to Write a Short Story Step 7. When in Doubt, Leave it Out

Short stories are, by definition, short. Every sentence must count. If even one word seems extraneous, it has to go.

How to Write a Short Story Step 8. Ensure a Satisfying Ending

This is a must. Bring down the curtain with a satisfying thud.

In a short story this can often be accomplished quickly, as long as it resounds with the reader and makes her nod. It can’t seem forced or contrived or feel as if the story has ended too soon.

In a modern day version of the Prodigal Son, a character calls from a taxi and leaves a message that if he’s allowed to come home, his father should leave the front porch light on. Otherwise, he’ll understand and just move on.

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 childhood home, only to find not only the porch light on, but also every light in the house and more out in the yard.

That ending needed no elaboration. We don’t even need to be shown the reunion, the embrace, the tears, the talk. The lights say it all.

How to Write a Short Story Step 9. Cut Like Your Story’s Life Depends on It

Because it does.

When you’ve finished your story, the real work has just begun.

It’s time for you to become a ferocious self-editor .

Once you’re happy with the flow of the story, every other element should be examined for perfection: spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence construction, word choice , elimination of clichés, redundancies, you name it.

Also, pour over the manuscript looking for ways to engage your reader’s senses and emotions.

All writing is rewriting . And remember, tightening nearly always adds power. Omit needless words.

She shrugged her shoulders .

He blinked his eyes .

Jim walked in through the open door and sat down in a chair .

The crowd clapped their hands and stomped their feet .

Learn to tighten and give yourself the best chance to write short stories that captivate your reader.

  • Short Story Examples
  • The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
  • The Bet by Anton Chekhov
  • The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant
  • To Build a Fire by Jack London
  • Journalism In Tennessee by Mark Twain
  • Transients in Arcadia by O. Henry
  • A New England Nun by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
  • Miggles by Bret Harte
  • The McWilliamses And The Burglar Alarm by Mark Twain
  • Vanka by Anton Chekhov
  • Where to Sell Your Short Stories

1. Contests

Writing contests are great because the winners usually get published in either a magazine or online—which means instant visibility for your name.

Many pay cash prizes up to $5,000. But even those that don’t offer cash give you awards that lend credibility to your next short story pitch .

2. Genre-Specific Periodicals

Such publications cater to audiences who love stories written in their particular literary category.

If you can score with one of these, the editor will likely come back to you for more.

Any time you can work with an editor, you’re developing a skill that will well serve your writing.

3. Popular Magazines

Plenty of print and online magazines still buy and publish short stories. A few examples:

  • The Atlantic
  • Harper’s Magazine
  • Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine
  • The New Yorker
  • Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine
  • Woman’s World

4. Literary Magazines

While, admittedly, this market calls for a more intellectual than mass market approach to writing, getting published in one is still a win.

Here’s a list of literary magazine short story markets .

5. Short Story Books

Yes, some publishers still publish these.

They might consist entirely of short stories from one author, or they might contain the work of several, but they’re usually tied together by theme.

Regardless which style you’re interested in, remember that while each story should fit the whole, it must also work on its own, complete and satisfying in itself.

  • What’s Your Short Story Idea?

You’ll know yours has potential when you can distill its idea to a single sentence. You’ll find that this will keep you on track during the writing stage. Here’s mine for a piece I titled Midnight Clear (which became a movie starring Stephen Baldwin):

An estranged son visits his lonely mother on Christmas Eve before his planned suicide, unaware she is planning the same, and the encounter gives them each reasons to go on.

Amateur writing mistake

Are You Making This #1 Amateur Writing Mistake?

White blooming flower

Faith-Based Words and Phrases

how to write a short story 600 words

What You and I Can Learn From Patricia Raybon

how to write a short story 600 words

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Craft Your Own Short Story: The Complete Guide

Last Updated: January 25, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Lucy V. Hay . Lucy V. Hay is a Professional Writer based in London, England. With over 20 years of industry experience, Lucy is an author, script editor, and award-winning blogger who helps other writers through writing workshops, courses, and her blog Bang2Write. Lucy is the producer of two British thrillers, and Bang2Write has appeared in the Top 100 round-ups for Writer’s Digest & The Write Life and is a UK Blog Awards Finalist and Feedspot’s #1 Screenwriting blog in the UK. She received a B.A. in Scriptwriting for Film & Television from Bournemouth University. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 4,686,908 times.

For many writers, the short story is the perfect medium. It is a refreshing activity. For many, it is as natural as breathing is to lungs. While writing a novel can be a Herculean task, just about anybody can craft—and, most importantly, finish —a short story. Writing a novel can be a tiresome task, but writing a short story, it's not the same. A short story includes setting, plot, character and message. Like a novel, a good short story will thrill and entertain your reader. With some brainstorming, drafting, and polishing, you can learn how to write a successful short story in no time. And the greatest benefit is that you can edit it frequently until you are satisfied.

Sample Short Stories

how to write a short story 600 words

Brainstorming Ideas

Step 1 Come up with a plot or scenario.

  • For example, you can start with a simple plot like your main character has to deal with bad news or your main character gets an unwanted visit from a friend or family member.
  • You can also try a more complicated plot like your main character wakes up in a parallel dimension or your main character discovers someone else's deep dark secret.

Step 2 Focus on a complicated main character.

Making Characters that Pop: Finding Inspiration: Characters are all around you. Spend some time people-watching in a public place, like a mall or busy pedestrian street. Make notes about interesting people you see and think about how you could incorporate them into your story. You can also borrow traits from people you know. Crafting a Backstory: Delve into your main character’s past experiences to figure out what makes them tick. What was the lonely old man like as a child? Where did he get that scar on his hand? Even if you don’t include these details in the story, knowing your character deeply will help them ring true. Characters Make the Plot: Create a character who makes your plot more interesting and complicated. For example, if your character is a teenage girl who really cares about her family, you might expect her to protect her brother from school bullies. If she hates her brother, though, and is friends with his bullies, she’s conflicted in a way that makes your plot even more interesting.

Step 3 Create a central conflict for the main character.

  • For example, maybe your main character has a desire or want that they have a hard time fulfilling. Or perhaps your main character is trapped in a bad or dangerous situation and must figure out how to stay alive.

Step 4 Pick an interesting setting.

Tips on Crafting a Setting: Brainstorming descriptions: Write the down names of your settings, such as “small colony on Mars” or “the high school baseball field.” Visualize each place as vividly as you can and jot down whatever details come into your head. Set your characters down there and picture what they might do in this place. Thinking about your plot: Based on your characters and the arc of your plot, where does your story need to take place? Make your setting a crucial part of your story, so that your readers couldn’t imagine it anywhere else. For example, if your main character is a man who gets into a car crash, setting the story in a small town in the winter creates a plausible reason for the crash (black ice), plus an added complication (now he’s stranded in the cold with a broken car). Don’t overload the story. Using too many settings might confuse your reader or make it hard for them to get into the story. Using 1-2 settings is usually perfect for a short story.

Step 5 Think about a particular theme.

  • You can also focus on a more specific theme like “love between siblings,” “desire for friendship” or “loss of a parent.”

Step 6 Plan an emotional climax.

  • For example, you may have an emotional climax where your main character, a lonely elderly man, has to confront his neighbor about his illegal activity. Or you may have an emotional climax where the main character, a young teenage girl, stands up for her brother against school bullies.

Step 7 Think of an ending with a twist or surprise.

Creating a Satisfying Ending: Try out a few different endings. Outline a few different endings you could use. Visualize each option and see which ones feel more natural, surprising, or fulfilling. It’s okay if you don’t find the right ending right away—it’s one of the hardest parts of the story to write! How do you want your readers to feel when they finish? Your ending is the last impression you’ll leave on your reader. How will they feel if your characters succeed, fail, or land somewhere in the middle? For example, if your main character decides to stand up to her brother’s bullies but gets scared at the last second, the readers will leave feeling like she still has a lot of soul-searching to do. Stay away from cliches. Make sure you avoid gimmick endings, where you rely on familiar plot twists to surprise your reader. If your ending feels familiar or even boring, challenge yourself to make it more difficult for your characters.

Step 8 Read examples of short stories.

  • “The Lady with the Dog” by Anton Chekhov [7] X Research source
  • “Something I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You” by Alice Munro
  • “For Esme-With Love and Squalor" by J.D. Salinger [8] X Research source
  • “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury [9] X Research source
  • “Snow, Glass, Apples” by Neil Gaiman
  • "Brokeback Mountain” by Annie Proulx [10] X Research source
  • “Wants” by Grace Paley
  • “Apollo” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • “This is How You Lose Her” by Junot Diaz
  • “Seven” by Edwidge Danticat

Creating a First Draft

Step 1 Make a plot outline.

  • You can also try the snowflake method, where you have a one-sentence summary, a one-paragraph summary, a synopsis of all the characters in the story, and a spreadsheet of scenes.

Step 2 Create an engaging opening.

  • For example, an opening line like: “I was lonely that day” does not tell your reader much about the narrator and is not unusual or engaging.
  • Instead, try an opening line like: “The day after my wife left me, I rapped on the neighbor’s door to ask if she had any sugar for a cake I wasn’t going to bake.” This line gives the reader a past conflict, the wife leaving, and tension in the present between the narrator and the neighbor.

Step 3 Stick to one point of view.

  • Some stories are written in second person, where the narrator uses “you.” This is usually only done if the second person is essential to the narrative, such as in Ted Chiang’s short story, “Story of Your Life” or Junot Diaz’s short story, “This is How You Lose Her.”
  • Most short stories are written in the past tense, though you can use the present tense if you’d like to give the story more immediacy.

Step 4 Use dialogue to reveal character and further the plot.

Quick Dialogue Tips: Develop a voice for each character. Your characters are all unique, so all of their dialogue will sound a little different. Experiment to see what voice sounds right for each character. For example, one character might greet a friend by saying, “Hey girl, what’s up?”, while another might say, “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in ages.” Use different dialogue tags—but not too many. Sprinkle descriptive dialogue tags, like “stammered” or “shouted,” throughout your story, but don’t make them overwhelming. You can continue to use “said,” in some situations, choosing a more descriptive tag when the scene really needs it.

Step 5 Include sensory details about the setting.

  • For example, you may describe your old high school as “a giant industrial-looking building that smells of gym socks, hair spray, lost dreams, and chalk.” Or you may describe the sky by your house as “a blank sheet covered in thick, gray haze from wildfires that crackled in the nearby forest in the early morning.”

Step 6 End with a realization or revelation.

  • You can also end on an interesting image or dialogue that reveals a character change or shift.
  • For example, you may end your story when your main character decides to turn in their neighbor, even if that means losing them as a friend. Or you may end your story with the image of your main character helping her bloodied brother walk home, just in time for dinner.

Polishing the Draft

Step 1 Read the short story out loud.

  • Notice if your story follows your plot outline and that there is a clear conflict for your main character.
  • Reading the story aloud can also help you catch any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors.

Step 2 Revise the short story for clarity and flow.

Parts to Delete: Unnecessary description: Include just enough description to show the readers the most important characteristics of a place, a character, or an object while contributing to the story’s overall tone. If you have to clip out a particularly beautiful description, write it down and save it—you may be able to use in another story! Scenes that don’t move the plot forward: If you think a scene might not be necessary to the plot, try crossing it out and reading through the scenes before and after it. If the story still flows well and makes sense, you can probably delete the scene. Characters that don’t serve a purpose: You might have created a character to make a story seem realistic or to give your main character someone to talk to, but if that character isn’t important to the plot, they can probably be cut or merged into another character. Look carefully at a character’s extra friends, for example, or siblings who don’t have much dialogue.

Step 3 Come up with an interesting title.

  • For example, the title “Something I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You” by Alice Munro is a good one because it is a quote from a character in the story and it addresses the reader directly, where the “I” has something to share with readers.
  • The title “Snow, Apple, Glass” by Neil Gaiman is also a good one because it presents three objects that are interesting on their own, but even more interesting when placed together in one story.

Step 4 Let others read and critique the short story.

  • You can also join a writing group and submit your short story for a workshop. Or you may start your own writing group with friends so you can all workshop each other’s stories.
  • Once you get feedback from others, you should then revise the short story again so it is at its best draft.

Community Q&A

Community Answer

You Might Also Like

Freewrite

  • ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/there-are-no-rules/how-to-brainstorm-give-your-brain-free-rein
  • ↑ https://blog.reedsy.com/character-development/
  • ↑ http://www.nownovel.com/blog/how-to-write-a-short-story/
  • ↑ https://www.masterclass.com/articles/understanding-story-setting
  • ↑ https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-develop-a-theme-for-your-story
  • ↑ https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/102799.50_Best_Short_Stories_of_All_Time
  • ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/need-a-pick-me-up-5-best-short-stories-of-all-time/
  • ↑ http://www.listchallenges.com/the-50-best-short-stories-of-all-time
  • ↑ https://writers.com/freytags-pyramid/
  • ↑ https://writingcooperative.com/how-to-write-a-short-story-17c615853bf2

About This Article

Lucy V. Hay

If you want to write a short story, first decide on the central conflict for your story, then create a main character who deals with that problem, and decide whether they will interact with anyone else. Next, decide when and where your story will take place. Next, make a plot outline, with a climax and a resolution, and use that outline to create your first draft, telling the whole story without worrying about making it perfect. Read the short story out loud to yourself to help with proofreading and revision. To learn more about how to add details to your story and come up with an interesting title, keep reading the article! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Write a Good Story in 800 Words or Less

Most of the good stories we tell can be told in 800 words or less. Let me try one. It involves my father, Ted Clark, who used to have the annoying habit of sucking on ice cubes, which he was doing one day, sitting in his recliner in front of the television set. My mother was in the basement doing the laundry, when she heard a great thump above her. She rushed upstairs and found my father unconscious on the bathroom floor. She called 911 and the paramedics arrived, but not before my father had recovered, seemingly unharmed. It turned out that an ice cube had lodged in his windpipe, cutting off his air supply, knocking him out as he staggered toward the bathroom. Fortunately, his body heat melted the ice cube, restoring the flow of oxygen, and saving his life. He’s never sucked on an ice cube again.

It took me 128 words to tell that story. If I measure the story another way, by Approximate Reading Time (ART), I can say that the story is about 42 seconds long. I think any discussion of story length should measure a story not just by the number of words or column inches, but how long it takes the average person to read it.

I found this gem in a collection of radio reports from the great Edward R. Murrow of CBS News. The date is April 12, 1951. It involves two controversial American icons and a bit of technological trivia. Here’s the whole report:

Western Union has delivered about sixty thousand telegrams to Congress and the White House, most of them in favor of General MacArthur. Republican Senator McCarthy, of Wisconsin, says, ‘It was a victory for Communism and shows the midnight power of bourbon and Benedictine.’ In Los Angeles, a man smashed a radio over his wife’s head in the course of an argument about MacArthur’s removal. Reports say it was a table model.

A table model, rather than a console! In other words, the man was kind enough not to strike his wife with a big piece of furniture. This report of 71 words can be read aloud in about 25 seconds. My rough calculations reveal that it takes the average person about 33 seconds to read 100 words.

Let’s round that off to 200 words per minute. That means that my new serial narrative, which is about 15,000 words long, would take a reader about 75 minutes to read. That ART is good to know as I consider with my editors whether to publish it as a special section, in four daily parts, or over a greater number of days. Maybe each of my chapters can be very short, say 800 words or less, requiring only four minutes of my reader’s time.

If you want to write shorter, or if your editor wants you to, I’ve got some tips that I’ve gathered from the best wordsmiths in the business. You can write short without sacrificing your news values or your literary sensibilities. That’s the good news. The bad news is that you can’t do it alone. Well, maybe that’s also good news.

Start off with three story collections–all published by Norton. The first is called “Radios: Short Takes on Life and Culture,” by the late writing professor of Florida State University, Jerome Stern. These are printed versions of public radio commentaries. A typical one is about 350 words. Then check out “In Short: A Collection of Brief Creative Nonfiction,” edited by Judith Kitchen & Mary Paumier Jones. For some real fun, enjoy Jerome Stern’s edition of “Micro Fiction.” Among the shortest stories is this 53-word nugget by Amy Hempel:

She swallowed Gore Vidal. Then she swallowed Donald Trump. She took a blue capsule and a gold spansule — a B-complex and an E — and put them on the tablecloth a few inches apart. She pointed the one at the other. ‘Martha Stewart,” she said, ‘meet Oprah Winfrey.’ She swallowed them both without water.

2. Know from the beginning whether you’re writing a sonnet or an epic.

One of my favorite sonnets begins Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet :

Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife. The fearful passage of their death-marked love, And the continuance of their parents’ rage, Which, but their children’s end, naught could remove, Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage; The which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

That’s 14 lines, 106 words. Never was there a summary of complex news more carefully crafted or more beautifully expressed. Perhaps a reporter for the London Globe would have written it this way:

A pair of teenaged lovers died Thursday, the result of a failed plot to bring their warring families together. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, both of Verona, were pronounced dead from what appeared to be self-inflicted dagger wounds. ‘This is the most woeful story I’ve ever heard,’ said Escalus, Prince of Verona and chief law enforcement officer. ‘I hope the families learn from this terrible tragedy.’

In his sonnet lead, Shakespeare includes the basic elements of news telling, usually referred to as the Five W’s and H. We know the Who: a pair of unlucky lovers; the What: they took their lives; the Where: in fair Verona; the When: right now; the Why: an ancient feud. Of course, the How is about to be experienced: the “two hours’ traffic of our stage,” the narrative of the play.

Shakespeare wrote short poems and long plays. Like other writers, he was guided by knowing from the beginning the technical limits of his genre. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the 5 W’s or the form of writing called the inverted pyramid. Just remember to keep it short.

This advice comes from editor Rick Zahler at The Seattle Times . The traditional version of the 5W’s freezes those story elements into informational ice cubes. If you thaw them out, the narrative begins to flow. Who becomes Character. What becomes Action. Where becomes Setting. When becomes Chronology. Why becomes Motive. How becomes Narrative. One of the great reporters of his day was Meyer Berger of The New York Times . He won a Pulitzer in the late 1940s for his narrative reconstruction of a multiple shooting. He wrote it on deadline and at great length. But he also was the master of the short human interest feature. Just before his death in 1959, he wrote a story, about 1,200 words on an old, poor, blind man who was once a classical musician. Then he wrote a sequel:

Eight violins were offered the other day to Laurence Stroetz, the 82-year-old, cataract-blinded violinist who was taken to St. Clare’s Hospital in East Seventy-first Street from a Bowery flophouse. The offers came from men and women who had read that though he had once played with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, he had been without a violin for more than 30 years. The first instrument to reach the hospital was a gift from the Lighthouse, the institution for the sightless. It was delivered by a blind man. A nun took it to the octogenarian. He played it a while, tenderly and softly, then gave it back. He said: ‘This is a fine old violin. Tell the owner to take good care of it.’ The white-clad nun said: ‘It is your violin, Mr. Stroetz. It is a gift.’ The old man bent his head over it. He wept.

In 145 words, Berger turns a traditional Who (“the 82-year-old, cataract blinded violinist”) into a real character, brimming with human emotions.

Tom Wolfe argued that the tools of fiction writing could be adapted for nonfiction, as long as the reporting was deep and careful. Those tools include setting scenes, using dialogue, drawing details that define character, and revealing the world through various points of view. Although we associate these tools with long forms of journalism, such as the narrative reconstruction of events, they can work in short forms as well. Notice the miniature scene created by Meyer Berger above. A nun enters the room with the violin. He plays. She engages in dialogue with the blind man. He weeps.

5. Turn the pyramid right side up. Or use the hourglass.

We think of the inverted pyramid as one of the Great Wonders of the newspaper writing world, and it is; but alternative forms of news narrative have always co-existed with it. George C. Bastian wrote this in a 1923 textbook on editing:

Two Important Types of Narratives — Most news stories, and indeed most news paragraphs, begin with their climax, or most important and most newsy feature, and then proceed to detail and amplify. Some, however, notably those resembling the short story form of writing, begin with details and reserve their climax until the last. These two types of stories may be compared to two triangles, one resting on its base and the other on a point.

Professor Bastian might have added a third form in which the two triangles are joined at their points, forming a structure that looks like an hourglass. Many stories lend themselves to an informational beginning, with the key facts stacked in the order of importance. But the story can then take a turn (“Police and witnesses gave the following account of what happened.”) with the bottom of the story rendering a chronological version of events.

6. Experiment with the forms of short writing that already exist: the headline, the tease, the photo caption, the brief, the “brite,” the notes column.

There is no more underdeveloped writing form in American journalism than the photo caption or cutline. Here Jeffrey Page of The Record in New Jersey shows the storytelling potential of the form. Frank Sinatra has just died, so imagine a one-column photo of him. It shows Sinatra from the waist up. He’s wearing a tux with a black bow tie. He’s got a mike in his hand. He’s obviously singing. Caption:

If you saw a man in a tux and black bow tie swagger on stage like an elegant pirate, and if you had been told he would spend an hour singing Cole Porter, Gershwin, and Rodgers and Hart, and if when he opened his mouth you heard a little of your life in his voice, and if you saw his body arch back on the high notes (the ones he insisted you hear and feel and live with him), and if his swing numbers made you want to bounce and be happy and be young and be carefree, and if when he sang ‘Try a Little Tenderness’ and got to the line about a woman’s wearing the same shabby dress it made you profoundly sad, and if years later you felt that his death made you a little less alive, you must have been watching this man who started as a saloon singer in Hoboken and went on to become the very definition of American popular music.

How can you write a 198-word caption without using the dead man’s name? Jeffrey Page explains: “I know, I know, it violates every damned rule. Screw it. They keep telling us to take chances, right? So I did. … If you’re a U.S. paper, and especially if you happen to be in New Jersey, you don’t have to tell people that they’re looking at a picture of Sinatra and not Mother Teresa.”

Even a very long work, such as the Bible, can be divided into books, chapters, and verses. Sometimes little drips of writing can turn into puddles, into streams, into rivers. But the process can work the other way around. Consider this paragraph from an essay titled “Proofs,” by Richard Rodriguez:

You stand around. You smoke. You spit. You are wearing your two shirts, two pants, two underpants. Jesus says, if they chase you throw that bag down. Your plastic bag is your mama, all you have left; the yellow cheese she wrapped has formed a translucent rind; the laminated scapular of the Sacred Heart nestles flame in its cleft. Put it in your pocket. The last hour of Mexico is twilight, the shuffling of feet. A fog is beginning to cover the ground. Jesus says they are able to see in the dark. They have X-rays and helicopters and searchlights. Jesus says wait, just wait, till he says. You can feel the hand of Jesus clamp your shoulder, fingers cold as ice. Venga, corre. You run. All the rest happens without words. Your feet are tearing dry grass, your heart is lashed like a mare. You trip, you fall. You are now in the United State of America. You are a boy from a Mexican village. You have come into the country on your knees with your head down. You are a man.

Although this is only one of 11 such vignettes in the piece, it can stand on its own as a brilliant 150-word essay on the tensions between freedom, opportunity, and servitude.

8. Focus, focus, focus.

This is the central act of the writing craft. Ultimately, we focus all other parts of the process. We focus the idea or assignment. We focus the reporting. We focus the lead. We select to support the focus. The focus is the cornerstone for building a structure. We revise to eliminate that which fails to support the focus.

Good questions helps us find the focus and keep the story short. What is this story about? What do I want my reader to learn? What’s the heart or nut of the story? What is the news? What is the point? What is the theme? What’s the most important question answered by the story? Can I describe story in a single paragraph? A sentence? Six words? Three words?

A humorous radio commentary by the late Jerome Stern makes fun of the way famous athletes and celebrities talk about themselves in the third person: “Meryl Streep,” says Meryl Streep, “resents her loss of privacy.” After a wicked inventory of such atrocities, Stern suggests that common folks should take up the habit: “We owe this to ourselves. We’re as good, we’re as complicated, we’re as important. These celebrities, they have fame, fortune–should they have all the proper nouns, too? / In naming ourselves we create ourselves, we are the stars of our own sweet universe.”

All 350 words of his essay lead to that one, final exquisite point.

9. Turn lumps of coal into little diamonds. Accept the challenge of transforming a routine assignment into something special: an obit, a spelling bee, a high school graduation, daylight savings time, the new phone book.

Famous for his long narratives, Ken Fuson was assigned to do a quick hit on the first day of spring. This piece appeared the next morning on the front page of The Des Moines Register :

Here’s how Iowa celebrates a 70-degree day in the middle of March: By washing the car and scooping the loop and taking a walk; by daydreaming in school and playing hooky at work and shutting off the furnace at home; by skate-boarding and flying kites and digging through closets for baseball gloves; by riding that new bike you got for Christmas and drawing hopscotch boxes in chalk on the sidewalk and not caring if the kids lost their mittens again; by looking for robins and noticing swimsuits on department store mannequins and shooting hoops in the park; by sticking the ice scraper in the trunk and the antifreeze in the garage and leaving the car parked outside overnight; by cleaning the barbecue and stuffing the parka in storage and just standing outside and letting that friendly sun kiss your face; by wondering where you’re going to go on summer vacation and getting reacquainted with neighbors on the front porch and telling the boys that yes! yes! they can run outside and play without a jacket; by holding hands with a lover and jogging in shorts and picking up the extra branches in the yard; by eating an ice cream cone outside and (if you’re a farmer or gardener) feeling that first twinge that says it’s time to plant and (if you’re a high school senior) feeling that first twinge that says it’s time to leave; by wondering if in all of history there has ever been a day so glorious and concluding that there hasn’t and being afraid to even stop and take a breath (or begin a new paragraph) for fear that winter would return, leaving Wednesday in our memory as nothing more than a sweet and too-short dream.

So, it turned out, Ken Fuson could write a short story. Now about that sentence: a single, glorious, 280-word catalog of vernal ecstasy.

Smart editors who crave short writing must find a place in the newspaper where such stories can flourish. Writers need and deserve praise–and good play–to encourage them to turn their epic hands to an occasional sonnet, and maybe, on one glorious day, a haiku.

This essay on short writing is about 3,000 words long. The Approximate Reading Time is 15 minutes.

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How to Write a Short Story: A 6 Step Guide with Examples

how to write a short story 600 words

Writing a full-blown novel can be a daunting prospect. With multiple chapters, character arcs, and plot points, the prospect of novel-writing is a myriad of possibilities, twists, and turns.

Then there’s the matter of time. Not all writers will have the time to put into a novel. With the world a busy and demanding place, time isn’t a luxury that many people have, especially when they’re first starting out as a writer or trying to write as a new hobby. Here is where short stories are ideal.

So, what is a short story? Essentially, it’s a condensed version of a novel. Like novels, they have a fully developed and explored theme, but are just less elaborate. We follow fewer characters and a single plot thread, to quickly engage a reader.

However, short stories still need a coherent and engaging plot: a beginning, middle, and end. Usually, they can be anywhere from under 1,500 words, known as flash fiction stories, to 8,000 words. There is another category called long short stories, which range from 8,000 to 20,000 words. These are also known as novelettes.  

Short stories can give new writers the “opportunity to find their own voice, to learn the fundamentals of narrative, and, most importantly, to produce a complete piece of work over a limited time scale” (Cox, 2005, pg. 1). Think of short stories as a calling card to bigger writing opportunities. 

how to write a short story 600 words

On the flip side, short stories are ideal for the aspiring author. Think of them as calling cards for new opportunities. Publications such as newspapers, magazines, blogs, and anthologies are always on the lookout for short stories and will pay for them too. Many will pay per word, so it can be a financially smart choice for writers.

You may be thinking, if a short story is just a condensed version of a novel, surely, it’s quite straightforward to write. Think again! A short story means a greatly reduced word count, so you’ll need to be selective in the scenes you include to tell your story from beginning to end. Problems need to be solved quickly, and elaborate detail discarded.

Just like a novel, planning is key! Before you even write your first few words, you’ll need to have an outline in place to ensure your plot is snappy, characters are fully developed, and you have that all important, clear beginning, middle and end.

So, let’s begin our journey into how to write a short story…

1. Choosing Your Story Idea

Finding inspiration.

Deciphering that one key idea for your story can be the trickiest part of the story writing process. Ideas don’t always appear out of thin air or just pop into your head.

Most of the time, you’ll need to actively work on getting your creative juices flowing. Here are some ways to do exactly that:

Break Down the Key Elements of the Story

Known as the Six Elements of Fiction, these points can help determine everything you need to construct your story. On a piece of paper or in a word processor, write out the six elements. Then, as you determine each, write it down.

  • Plot: what happens in your story?
  • Character: who is going on the journey within the story?
  • Setting: what world is the story set in?
  • Point of View: from whose eyes does the story unfold?
  • Theme: what is the meaning of the story?
  • Style: what words and sentence structures will you use to tell the story?

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have all the answers straight away.

Experiment with different combinations until you find something that works. The important thing is that you have something for each of these six elements.

You don’t have to begin with plot either. If you have a fantastic setting in mind, start there and branch off into character, plot, theme, and style.

Freewriting

Freewriting is when you take a writing prompt and then start writing! It could be something as simple as “There’s a locked door. What’s behind it? Why is it locked?”.

Or something a little more elaborate: “You are an FBI agent who has lost contact with their superiors. You are surrounded by criminals. What do you do?”.

how to write a short story 600 words

Once you’ve found a writing prompt you like, write for five to ten minutes without stopping and without criticizing your work as you write. After your time is up, read through what you’ve created. Is there a character, a moment, a place that sticks out to you? If so, use it and expand on it.

If nothing sticks out to you this time around, try a different writing prompt or modify the prompt you’ve already used. For example, you could be one of the criminals surrounding the FBI agent. Change the perspective or setting of the piece.

Does anything change?

Use Real Life Experience

Now, we’re not saying you need to write a shortened version of your autobiography, or an extensive diary entry. Instead, draw on your personal experiences to create something brand new.

Perhaps you went on a one-in-a-lifetime trip. Use this destination as the setting for your short story. You have first-hand experience of spending time there, so use it.

If you’d prefer to find inspiration from the stories of others, the news, magazines, and historical events can be fantastic places to start. Even eavesdropping when you’re chilling in your local coffee shop can get your creative mind whirring.

Remember, all stories stem from real life, written by real people, no matter how outlandish they seem.

Remember that You’re Writing a Short Story

Are your creative juices flowing yet? Great! However, keep in mind that the less characters and plot threads, the better.

As we’ve already discussed, short stories have a limited word count, so always have that at the forefront of your mind, and don’t go overboard with multiple character arcs and story lines.

2. Crafting Your Characters

While we’re on the subject of characters, let’s go onto character development within your short story.

The advantage of having minimal character in a short story is that you can fully explore who they are and how they interact with the world around them. A protagonist and antagonist should be all you’d need, plus one or two secondary characters.

how to write a short story 600 words

The protagonist is the character who drives the plot. They could be a hero in pursuit of the greater good, for example. Most importantly, the protagonist must be someone who the reader can root for.

The antagonist opposes the protagonist and their goals. They usually hinder the protagonist’s journey, providing obstacles along the way.

When you’re first exploring your characters, create a profile for each of them. A fact file that tells you all you need to know about them. Now, the key here is that you don’t reveal all this information in the story. These facts are useful tools for you as a writer to work out why a character may react in a certain way and their tastes.

Crucially, your characters need to develop throughout the story. For example, the protagonist must begin with a motivation that they spend the entire story trying to fulfill. Obstacles then appear in their way, perhaps through the setting or the actions of the antagonist.

At the end of the story, the protagonist will have gone through a significant change, triggered by the journey they’ve been on.

The reader must care about the protagonist’s journey and be intrigued to find out if they’re successful in fulfilling their goals. But how do we create memorable, likeable characters that a reader would love?

How to Create Memorable Characters

We’ve mentioned that a character needs to be likeable, but what does that actually mean? For a character to be likeable, they need to embody positive traits such as compassion, humility, generosity, and kindness. Your job as a writer is to show these traits as quickly as possible when the story starts.

It could be a brief moment where your protagonist showcases a kind gesture or word towards a minor character, for example.

As well as liking the character, the reader also needs to relate to them on a human level. We all have fears and worries in our lives, so it makes sense for our characters to have them too, and for them to be visible to a reader. No one is perfect, so a character flaw is also important to remember. What do they need to learn and overcome in order to reach the end of their journey?

Additionally, you’ll need to challenge the reader with your protagonist; they don’t always have to agree with everything the protagonist does on their journey. Take Dexter Morgan from the TV show Dexter . He’s a protagonist who murders other murderers who have escaped justice with an intense urge to kill.

how to write a short story 600 words

With a successful TV show like this, the protagonist is indeed likeable despite his pursuit of delivering justice, even if it isn’t in line with US law and justice system practices.

The writers have Dexter fall in love, fear losing those he loves, and struggle to curb his urge to kill. His determination and battle to lead a normal life is inherently human. Therefore an audience relates to him despite his actions challenging their moral code.

Once again, stealing from real life is an effective way to determine memorable and well-rounded characters. Think of someone in your own life who has had a huge impact on you.

Consider their personality. What are their flaws and struggles? What are their goals? You may not want to use their whole personality, but you can of course take elements and craft them into your own character.

Before you start writing, also work out whether your protagonist will learn a lesson from their journey. Are they going to be redeemed, or do they come to a particular realization about themselves or the world, or do they not change at all, learning nothing from their experiences?

By having a clear understanding of the conclusion your protagonist will come to, it’ll make crafting the plot points leading to it much easier.

Developing Realistic Dialogue

How your characters express themselves and their personalities is just as important as the personality itself. Every character should have a unique voice that gives the reader insight into who they are and the world they live in.

Setting plays a huge role in how your characters speak. Are they living in the here and now, in which case you’d use modern words and phrases, or are they living in a by-gone era, such as the medieval times? A medieval peasant wouldn’t talk like we do now, so ensure you do your research into how people of that time spoke.

Show differences in character through varied speech patterns. We can define speech pattern in two different ways. First is the pitch, volume, and placement of the character’s voice (is it throaty, nasal, hoarse, loud, high-pitched, whispery?) Secondly, is their voice gentle and soft, or harsh and blunt?

A character’s personality would inform which patterns you’d choose for them. For example, if a character is optimistic and happy-go-lucky, we would expect their voice to be light and use positive vocabulary.

On the other hand, a gloomy character may mumble and not say many words. Some characters may be more of a listener, so wouldn’t naturally say a great deal.

A top tip is to flip this around. Could a seemingly happy-go-lucky character try and come across more melancholy, so as not to be annoying to those around them? Or could a seemingly gloomy character try and make a real effort to come across more carefree than they actually are?

As you can see, it all stems back to character motivation and what they want to get out of each interaction they have with people around them. 

Small variations in speech patterns between characters can make all the difference and allow a reader to distinguish who is speaking.

Check out more top tips on creating awesome characters in our blog post: Developing Your Characters .

3. Developing Your Plot

As we’ve already discussed, a clear beginning, middle, and end is crucial to a short story.

Think of it as writing in three acts.

Act One introduces us to the characters and hooks us into the events.

Act Two is the main body of the story, where most of the action happens.

Act Three concludes and wraps up what has happened so far, and is where your protagonist (does or doesn’t) fulfill their goals.

how to write a short story 600 words

The first Act should capture the reader’s attention immediately, quickly introducing characters and setting. Our advice is to always start on a huge event to immediately establish tension and your single point of conflict for your story (we wouldn’t recommend anymore than one for a short story).

This point of conflict should trigger a dilemma for the protagonist that they must navigate throughout the rest of the story. It may sound miserable, but make bad things happen to your protagonist to show the reader what they can do.

Act Two will then develop this point of conflict, your protagonist working their way around all the obstacles thrown at them by the antagonist or other antagonistic forces, such as the environment around them. This section of the story is the trickiest to write, as it is very easy for the plot to flounder.

Here is where your planning will come in extremely useful. Ensure you have clear plot points that drive your protagonist’s development towards their goal.

Act Three brings everything together and is where the protagonist succeeds or doesn’t! Whatever you decide, it must be a satisfying ending. The key to an effective ending lies in the stakes you set up at the start. Is your protagonist challenged enough? Is there ample reason for a reader to root for them?

A satisfying ending doesn’t mean you have to answer all your readers’ questions, but it can be helpful to revisit something discussed earlier in the story and wrap things up that way. You don’t want your readers going away thinking they’ve read part of a longer story.

4. Setting the Scene

Creating a vivid setting.

The setting is a key literary device, which provides atmosphere and background in which your story takes place. Think of the setting like scenery when you go to the theater. It adds to the ambience and theme of the story. It can almost be a character itself in its ability to drive and influence the plot.

It’s important that your setting needs to be vivid and carefully considered. Remember, it’s up to you as the writer to paint the picture of where your characters are.

If your story is set in the modern day, are you in a particular country, city, or town? How does this modern location influence your characters’ lives? Will it help or hinder them in pursuit of their goals? How are the characters connected to these places?

When writing a short story, stick to one or two locations, you can really set the scene and focus on what’s unique about these places. How are these locations different from other places?

Ways to Describe a Setting

When describing your setting, consider all five senses: touch, smell, taste, sight, and sound. Which of these are most prominent in your location? For example, if your setting is a bakery, smell and taste would be the two key senses being used.

 As this is a short story, don’t get too carried away with description. Consider the most important aspects of your setting, and how they relate to your characters and connect to the plot itself. Does this place have a special significance to them? Or does the protagonist feel caged and suffocated when they’re in this place?

A short paragraph per new setting should be more than enough to introduce a reader. Throughout the rest of the story, use the essential elements from the setting you’ve established, and pepper them in to continue to help develop your characters.

5. Writing the First Draft

You’ve planned and refined the plot for your entire short story, and now it’s time to start writing! Set yourself up in a comfortable writing space, free of distraction and clutter. Perhaps curate a music playlist that’ll keep you motivated. Plan a writing schedule that works for you, a few hours a day or even just 10 minutes, as long as you’re consistent!

how to write a short story 600 words

Once you’re settled in, we recommend writing the story in its entirety as quickly as possible. Don’t edit as you go along, just keep writing. No first draft is perfect, but you need a completed story in order to look over it as a whole and identify any key areas of strength and improvement.

The whole point of your original story plan is to allow you to almost free write and work with what comes naturally. This will also reduce the chance of writer’s block taking hold. If you do struggle with writer’s block, we have your back with our What is Writer’s Block (Causes and How to Overcome) article.

Refining Your Draft

No first draft is perfect, so refining and editing your story once it’s written is an extremely beneficial exercise. It’s normal for rewrites to take longer than the first draft itself, so don’t worry. The reason for this is that you now have a full picture of your story structure, so can look more critically at what could be changed.

Once you have completed your first draft, leave it for a few days or even a few weeks, and return to it with a fresh pair of eyes. You’ll find you’ll spot more this way, and less errors will dodge your attention. Focus on the overall flow and pace of the plot, whether your characters are defined, their goals and motivations clear, and the small details such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

It can be helpful to complete several ‘passes’ of your script. For example, read through your script once, focusing on plot only. Make any notes you need. Then read it again, focusing on character, then so on with setting, dialogue, and finally SPAG.

Remember, you can also seek feedback from other writers. A second opinion is useful in highlighting errors you’ve missed or elements you may not have thought about. This can be a daunting prospect, so make sure you send your story to someone you trust. You could even send it to a professional editor, who will give you some advice. Of course, this will cost a little money, but can be well worth it.

6. Publish Your Short Story

You’ve put enormous amounts of work into planning, writing, and perfecting your short story, so why not show it off? Publishing your short stories or submitting to literary journals and competitions can help you gain credibility as a writer and gain your own clan of readers.

Of course, you don’t have to submit to publications if you’d prefer not to – Why not start your own blog instead and promote on social media?

how to write a short story 600 words

Tips for Submitting to Literary Journals

Don’t submit your stories to every literary journal you can find. Be strategic. Do your research and compile a list of journals that would best suit your story’s genre, length, and most of all, the requirements of the particular journal to which you’re submitting.

Pay attention to any requirements:

  • Do they require a specific genre or topic?
  • Is there a specific length the short story needs to be?
  • Are there specific author requirements (e.g. age restriction)
  • Do they allow submissions that have been sent elsewhere?
  • Do they allow you to submit more than one short story?

When researching, we recommend you create a spreadsheet or separate document to record which journals you’re interested in and meet the specifics of your short story.

Preparing a Cover Letter and Author Bio

Once you have chosen the journals you’d like to submit to, you’ll likely need to write a cover letter to accompany the short story you’re sending. Typically, you’ll need to include:

  • The story title, genre, and word count
  • Your writing CV (if applicable – make sure to include any and all experience you have)
  • Whether this is the first time you’re submitting for publication
  • Include some further information about yourself (this is key for your author bio if your story is selected)
  • A thank you note thanking the judges for their consideration.

What Should I Do If My Story Gets Rejected?

Rejection can be a good thing, especially if the publications you’ve submitted to, provide feedback.

how to write a short story 600 words

You can use this to improve your current story and overall writing.

A rejection is always one step closer to acceptance, so keep going! Continue to write stories as frequently as you can, continue to edit the ones you already have.

There we have it, our step-by-step guide on crafting a short story! Remember to begin with intriguing and likeable characters in a situation that will challenge them, and a setting that helps or hinders them on their way. Extensively plan your story before writing, and edit it within an inch of its life when you have written it! Most of all, enjoy the process!

On that note, we’ll leave you in the wonderful world of short stories.

Good luck out there!

how to write a short story 600 words

Natasha is a UK-based freelance screenwriter and script editor with a love for sci-fi. In 2022 she recently placed in the Screenwriters' Network Short Film Screenplay Competition and the Golden Short Film Festivals. When not at her desk, you'll find her at the theater, or walking around the English countryside (even in the notorious British weather)

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March 8, 2015 By Jodie Renner 68 Comments

How to Write a Prize-Worthy Short Story: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Write a Prize-Worthy Short Story: A Step-by-Step Guide

by Editor Jodie Renner

Writing short stories is a great way to test the waters of fiction without making a huge commitment, or to experiment with different genres, characters, settings, and voices.

Even if you’ve published a novel or two, it’s a good idea to try to release a few high-quality, well-edited short stories between books to help with discoverability and growing a fan base.

Also, today’s busy readers (especially the young ones) have more distractions and temptations for their time, therefore shorter attention spans, and they’re reading on smaller devices, so a short story is a nice escapism-byte for increasing numbers of people.

As our multi-talented host Anne R. Allen said in an excellent article in Writer’s Digest magazine, “Bite-sized fiction has moved mainstream, and today’s readers are more eager than ever to ‘read short’.” For a brief mention of each of Anne’s “nine factors working in favor of a short story renaissance”, see her article, Short is the New Long  and there’s more in her post,  Why You Should be Writing Short Fiction .

31 STEPS TO A WINNING SHORT STORY

Here are 31 concrete tips for writing a compelling short story that is worthy of publishing or submitting to contests, magazines, and anthologies. Of course, these are only guidelines—like any good cook with a recipe, you’ll tweak them to suit your own vision, goal, genre, and story idea.

When referring to the main character, I’ll be alternating between using “he” and “she”, so just fill in the gender of your own protagonist.

PLANNING STAGE:

1. keep the story tight..

Most short stories are between 2,000 and 7,000 words long, with the most popular length between 2,500 and 4,000 words. Unlike a novel or even a novella, a short story is about just a small slice of life, with one story thread and one theme. Don’t get too ambitious. It’s best to limit it to one main character plus a few supporting characters, one main conflict, one geographical location, and a brief time frame, like a few weeks maximum—better yet, a few days, or even hours.

2. Create a main character who is complex and charismatic, one readers will care about.

Your protagonist should be multi-dimensional and at least somewhat sympathetic, so readers can relate to him and start bonding with him right away. He should be fascinating, with plenty of personality. But give him a human side, with some inner conflict and vulnerability, so readers identify with him and start worrying about him immediately. If readers don’t care about your character, they also won’t care about what happens to him.

3. Give your protagonist a burning desire.

What does he or she want more than anything? This is the basis for your story goal, the driving force of your story.

4. Decide what your character is most afraid of.

What does your heroine regret most? What is she feeling guilty about? Give her some baggage and secrets.

5. Devise a critical story problem or conflict.

Create a main conflict or challenge for your protagonist. Put her in hot water right away, on the first page, so the readers start worrying about her early on. No conflict = no story. The conflict can be internal, external, or interpersonal, or all three. It can be against one’s own demons, other people, circumstances, or nature.

6. Develop a unique “voice” for this story.

First, get to know your character really well by journaling in his voice. Pretend you are the character, writing in his secret diary, expressing his hopes and fears and venting his frustrations. Just let the ideas flow, in his point of view, using his words and expressions.

Then take it a step further and carry that voice you’ve developed throughout the whole story, even to the narration and description, which are really the viewpoint character’s thoughts, perceptions, observations, and reactions. This technique ensures that your whole story has a unique, compelling voice. (In a novel, the voice will of course change in any chapters that are in other characters’ viewpoints.)

7. Create a worthy antagonist.

Devise an opposition character who is strong, clever, determined, and resourceful – a force to be reckoned with. And for added interest, make him or her multi-faceted, with a few positive qualities, too.

8. Add in a few interesting, even quirky supporting characters.

Give each of your characters a distinct personality, with their own agenda, hopes, accomplishments, fears, insecurities, and secrets, and add some individual quirks to bring each of them to life. Supporting and minor characters should be quite different from your protagonist, for contrast. Start a diary for each important character to develop their voice and personality, and ensure none of them are closely modeled after you, the author, or your friends.

But don’t fully develop any very minor or “walk-on” characters, or readers will expect them to play a more important role. In fact, it’s best not to name minor characters like cab drivers and servers, unless they play a bigger role.

9. To enter and win contests, make your character and story unique and memorable.

Try to jolt or awe the readers somehow, with a unique, enigmatic, even quirky or weird character; an unusual premise or situation; and an unexpected, even shocking revelation and plot twist.

10. Experiment – take a chance.

Short stories can be edgier, darker, or more intense because they’re brief, and readers can tolerate something a little more extreme for a limited time.

WRITING STAGE:

11. start with a compelling scene..

Short stories need to grab and emotionally engage the readers right from the first paragraph. Don’t open with a description of the scenery or other setting. Also, don’t start with background information (backstory) on the character or an explanation of their world or situation.

12. Start right out in the head of your main character.

It’s best to use his name right in the first sentence to establish him as the point-of-view character, the one readers are supposed to identify with and root for. And let readers know really soon his rough age, situation, and role in the story world.

13. Put your character in motion right away.

Having her interacting with someone else is usually best—much more dynamic than starting with a character alone, musing. Also, it’s best not to start with your character just waking up or in an everyday situation or on the way to somewhere. That’s trite and too much of a slow lead-up for a short story—or any compelling story, for that matter.

14. Use close point of view.

Get up close and personal with your main character and tell the whole story from his point of view. Continually show his thoughts, feelings, reactions, and physical sensations. And take care not to show anyone else’s thoughts or inner reactions. You don’t have time or space to get into anyone else’s viewpoint in a short story. Show the attitudes and reactions of others through what the POV character perceives – their words, body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, actions, etc.

Even the narration should be expressed as your POV character’s thoughts and observations. Don’t intrude as the author to describe or explain anything to the readers in neutral language. You want to keep your readers immersed in your fictive dream, and interrupting as the author will burst the bubble of make-believe they crave.

15. Situate the reader early on.

To avoid reader confusion and frustration, establish your main character immediately and clarify the situation and setting (time and place) within the first few paragraphs. On the first page, answer the four W’s: who, what, where, when. But as mentioned above, avoid starting with a long descriptive passage.

16. Jump right in with some tension in the first paragraphs.

As I mentioned, there’s no room in a short story for a long, meandering lead-up to the main problem, or an extended description of the setting or the characters and their background. Disrupt the main character’s life in some way on the first page. As Kurt Vonnegut advises, in short fiction, start as close to the end as possible.

17. Show, don’t tell.

Don’t use narration to tell your readers what happened—put them right in the middle of the scene, with lots of dialogue and action and reactions, in real time. And skip past transitional times and unimportant moments. Use just a few words to go from one time or place to another, unless something important happens during the transition.

18. Your character needs to react!

Continually show your character’s emotional and physical reactions, both inner and outer, to what’s going on around him. And to bring the character and scene to life on the page, evoke as many of the five senses as possible, not just sight and hearing. Scents or smells are especially powerful and evocative.

19. Every page needs tension of some sort.

It might be overt, like an argument, or subtle, like inner resentments, disagreements, questioning, or anxiety. If everybody is in agreement, shake things up a little.

20. Withhold key information.

This adds tension and intrigue, especially when a character has secrets or regrets. Hint at them to arouse reader curiosity, then reveal critical info bit by bit, like a tantalizing striptease, as you go along.

21. Dialogue in fiction is like real conversation on steroids.

Skip the yadda-yadda, blah-blah, “How are you? I’m fine. Nice weather,” etc., and add spark and tension to all your dialogue. And make the characters’ words and expressions sound as natural and authentic as you can. Avoid complete, correct sentences in dialogue. Use plenty of one or two-word questions and responses, evasive replies, abrupt changes of topics, and even a few silences.

22. Each character should speak differently, and not like the author.

Each character’s word choices and speech patterns should reflect their gender, age, education, social standing, and personality. Don’t have your kids sounding like adults or your thugs sounding like university professors! Even men and women of similar cultural backgrounds and social standing speak differently. Read your dialogue out loud or role-play with a friend to make sure it sounds real, has tension, and moves along at a good clip.

23. Build the conflict to a riveting climax.

Keep putting your protagonist in more hot water until the big “battle,” showdown, or struggle—whether it’s physical, psychological, or interpersonal. This is where they’re challenged to the max and have to draw on all their courage, wit, and resources to avoid defeat and/or reach their goals.

24. Go out with a bang.

Don’t stretch out the conclusion – tie it up pretty quickly. Like your first paragraph and page, your ending needs to be memorable and also satisfying to the readers. Try to create a surprise twist at the end – but of course it needs to make sense, given all the other details of the story. It should be unexpected, but also, in retrospect, inevitable.

25. Provide some reader satisfaction at the end.

It’s not necessary to tie everything up in a neat little bow, but do give your readers some sense of resolution, some payout for their investment of time and effort in your story. As in novels, most readers want the character they’ve been rooting for all along to resolve at least some of their problems. But be sure the protagonist they’ve been identifying with succeeds through their own courage, determination, and resourcefulness, not through coincidence, luck, or a rescue by someone else. Keep your hero or heroine heroic.

REVISION STAGE:

26. hook ’em in right away..

Now that you’ve got your whole story down, go back and grab the readers with an opening that zings. Write and rewrite your first line, opening paragraph, and first page. They need to be as gripping and as intriguing as you can make them, in order to compel the readers to read the rest of the story. Your first sentence and paragraph should arouse curiosity and raise questions that demand to be answered.

27. Cut to the chase!

The short story requires discipline and editing. Trim down any long, convoluted sentences to reveal the essentials. Less is more, so make every word count. If a paragraph, sentence, or line of dialogue doesn’t advance the plot, add intrigue, or develop a character, take it out.

Also, use strong, evocative, specific nouns and verbs and cut back on supporting adjectives and adverbs. For example, instead of saying “He walked heavily” say “He stomped” or “He trudged.” Or instead of “She walked quietly,” say “She tiptoed” or “She crept.”

28. Make every element and every image count.

Every significant detail you insert in the story should have some significance or some relevance later. If it doesn’t, take it out. Don’t show us a knife or special character skills, for example, if they don’t show up later and play an essential role. You have no room for filler or extraneous details in a compelling short story.

29. Make descriptions do double duty.

When you’re describing a character, for example, rather than just listing their physical attributes and what they’re wearing, search for details that reveal their personality, their mood, their intentions, and their effect on those around them, and also the personality and attitude of the character who is observing them. And there’s no need to go into detail on everything they’re wearing. Just paint in bold brush strokes and let readers fill in the details – or not, as they prefer.

30. Stay in character for all descriptions.

Filter all descriptions through the attitude and mood of the main character. If your POV character’s aging father shows up at the door, don’t describe him neutrally and in detail as a brand new character. Show him as that character actually sees her own father arriving at her house.

Similarly, if a teenage boy walks into a room, don’t describe the room as an interior designer would see it – stay in his viewpoint. He is most concerned with why he entered that room, not all the details of what it looks like.

31. Pay attention to word count and other guidelines!

As I mentioned earlier, short stories are generally between 500 and 7,500 words long, with the most popular length around 2,500 to 4,000 words. If you want to submit your short story to a website, magazine or contest, be sure to read their guidelines as to length, genre, language no-no’s, and so on. Also, for your own protection, do read the fine print to avoid giving away all rights to your story.

by Jodie Renner (@JodieRennerEd) March 8, 2015

What about you, Scriveners? Do you write short stories? Or are you like me and keep getting bogged down in big novels? Can you work on stories when you’re in the middle of a novel? Have you ever won a story contest? Are you going to run out and enter one now? (If so, do scroll down to our “opportunity alerts”.) Do you have any questions for Jodie?…Anne Giveaway: Jodie will be giving away an electronic copy of her new writing guide, Captivate Your Readers , to the first four people who request it below, and she’d love it if winners wanted to leave a review at Amazon.com or Amazon.ca. Also, if you haven’t read any of Jodie’s writing guides, mention that in the comments! You’ll be eligible for a grand prize of all three books, in mobi, ePub, or PDF (your choice).

how to write a short story 600 words

BOOK OF THE WEEK

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This third guide to writing compelling fiction by respected editor and award-winning author Jodie Renner provides concrete advice for captivating readers and immersing them in your story world. It’s all about engaging readers through techniques such as deep point of view, showing instead of telling, avoiding author intrusions, writing riveting dialogue, and basically stepping back and letting the characters tell the story.Today’s readers want to lose themselves in an absorbing story. Renner shows you how to provide the immediacy and emotional involvement readers crave in fiction, the direct, close connection to the characters and their world.

This book is available in both e-book and print form, through all Amazon websites. Available soon in print through Ingram and at many independent bookstores and libraries.

“Jodie’s books are packed with practical writing and editing advice. Get ready to improve your manuscript today.” – Steven James, author of  Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules

“Want to write solid, marketable fiction? Read this book. Regardless of your experience level, CAPTIVATE YOUR READERS gives you clear and concise tools that will help you create a believable story world and spin a good yarn.”  – DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Dub Walker and Samantha Cody thriller series”Jodie Renner nails it! Captivate Your Readers should be at the top of every new and experienced writer’s arsenal, as well as a preferred resource for every teacher of writing. Her no-nonsense, easy-to-understand approach is perfect. Bravo, Jodie Renner!” – Lynn Sholes, bestselling author of the Cotten Stone series and  The Shield

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March 8, 2015 at 5:10 pm

They can be grittier because readers can tolerate extremes in short doses – never thought of it that way. That's probably easier on the writer as maintaining that kind of atmosphere for hundreds of pages is difficult. I've only written one fiction short story in recent years, but maybe I should write more.

March 8, 2015 at 5:17 pm

I encourage you to write more short fiction and even experiment with different genres as a way to broaden out your writing and develop different "voices," Alex.

And for award-winning fiction or for submitting to anthologies, your story should stand out in some way and affect the readers (and judges) emotionally, to rise it above the pack.

Good luck with all your writing projects! 🙂

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December 9, 2015 at 10:52 am

best advice ever thank you for the advice

March 8, 2015 at 5:21 pm

Thanks, Anne, for the opportunity to guest post on your highly rated, award-winning blog! I've recommended various articles of yours to my aspiring author clients for years, and it's a privilege to be here this week.

March 8, 2015 at 6:21 pm

Jodie–We're honored to have you with us!

March 8, 2015 at 5:32 pm

Brava. These short story suggestions would fly as excellent pointers for writing novels, too. Thanks, once more, for some fine advice.

March 8, 2015 at 5:43 pm

Thanks, CS. Glad you found my tips helpful!

March 8, 2015 at 6:03 pm

I do write short stories. Unlike other writers, I don't have a problem with a short story wanting to be a novel. Short stories are great for experimentation because you can do things that might not work at all if exposed to the longer form of the novel.

But you left out something, and it's a major thing that editors look for and writers leave out: Setting. Most writers deal with setting by saying, "They went to a bar and sat down." Unfortunately, some of this probably because description is almost universally described as "boring" and "excessive." No one ever stops to think "How do I make it not boring?" Instead, they just leave it out.

Even you put description near the end, which kind of implies it's not that important. The opposite is true: Setting should be firmly established with all the five senses in your first 300 words. It also should very clear — and this one is hard — that if you removed the setting from the story, the story wouldn't work without it.

Most writers tend to focus on making sure the words are perfect, fearing that a misplaced comma will get a rejection. It's things like missing setting that gets rejections.

March 8, 2015 at 6:11 pm

Linda, you make an excellent point about setting, and I definitely should have included it. I find that a lot of aspiring fiction writers get carried away with describing the setting, as if they're writing a travelogue, and of course there's no room in a tight short story for that. But setting the stage for the readers and showing the story world through the main character's observations and sensations, with attitude, is very important, as you point out. Show what he's seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting, and color the description through his personal observations and his personality, mood, and intentions. Thanks for the reminder! I must add that as another key point.

March 8, 2015 at 6:09 pm

Great post for short-story writers and novelists alike.

I'm in, Jodie. You already have my e-mail address. I'd love a copy of your book.

March 8, 2015 at 6:12 pm

Thanks, Kathy. I'm glad you found these tips useful for fiction writers. I'll email you with an e-copy of my book.

March 8, 2015 at 6:28 pm

What a helpful post for fiction writers. I've bookmarked it. Thanks for such a thorough treatment.

March 8, 2015 at 6:31 pm

Thanks for your kind comments, Elizabeth. Glad you found it helpful.

March 8, 2015 at 7:09 pm

Loved this post and I'd love to read your new book, Jodie! I wasn't aware of any of them, so of course I'd like to win all three : ) I think I see the problem now with a short story I've been wrestling with for too long.Thanks!

March 8, 2015 at 7:15 pm

Great to hear these tips gave you a light-bulb moment, Deb! I'll put your name in the hat to win e-copies of all three of my writing guides!

March 9, 2015 at 2:55 am

Congratulations, Deb! You've won e-copies of all three of my writing guides! Please email me at info(at)JodieRenner(dot)com to claim your prizes.

March 8, 2015 at 7:05 pm

Thanks so much, Jodie. This is a very complete guide for writing and revising short stories. Especially loved the revision section. I plan to bookmark and return to this over and over. What a great article. My best, Paul

March 8, 2015 at 7:14 pm

So glad you found this checklist useful, Paul! Good luck with your short stories and all your writing projects!

March 8, 2015 at 7:21 pm

Makes one want to write a short story or at least give it a try. 🙂 Thank you for the post, Jodie.

March 8, 2015 at 7:32 pm

You're most welcome, Sasha! Hope this helps you develop a compelling short story!

March 8, 2015 at 9:58 pm

Tanks for this post, Jodie. Love the short story. I got hooked when they were the magazine rage from Red Book to Playboy. My first love was the master … O Henry. Back in the day many novel writers had collections. I am gratified to see interest in this form making a comeback.

I have written them, played with them for quite some time, and use flash fiction on my blog … often taking prompt sentences from my readers. I don't know if I'll ever do more with them, but your post motivates me to think about trying 🙂

March 8, 2015 at 10:45 pm

So glad I'm providing some motivation for you to keep writing short stories, Florence! I'll be sure to keep an eye out for them in print!

March 9, 2015 at 7:14 am

So glad I found you. I see so much here that you have accomplished I'm amazed. I have one short story titled " The Bunny Trail n` murder" 54 pages and you're done. Vale. Waiting on the proof to come back on the 10th. Hope you keep doing good stuff. I would love to inspire others the way you have with me. Have a wonderful day.

March 9, 2015 at 4:02 pm

Thanks for your kind words, Donald! So glad I inspired you! Good luck with all your writing projects! 🙂

March 9, 2015 at 4:52 am

Great advice. I have been wanting to start writing for so long now, particularly short stories. I'm inspired to begin. I would also love to be able to read your books. Thank you.

March 9, 2015 at 4:01 pm

I'm pleased that I've inspired you to write some short stories, Nimisha! If you contact me at info(at)JodieRenner(dot)com, I'll send you an e-copy of my new book.

March 9, 2015 at 8:48 am

If it's still available, I'd love to read your book

March 9, 2015 at 4:03 pm

Hi Ash, Please email me at info(at)JodieRenner(dot)com and I'll send you an e-copy of my new book. 🙂

March 9, 2015 at 2:29 pm

Love your rundown on both writing and revising short stories. I'll definitely be coming back to this post later.

March 9, 2015 at 4:06 pm

Glad you found my tips useful, Tyrean! 🙂

March 9, 2015 at 9:21 am

I love short stories and have written dozens (though only one collection out with 8 stories but I have participated in anthologies). Great fun to write, much more fun than a novel. You, as the writer, get instant satisfaction – whereas a novel is a much bigger effort, and of course, a lot harder to pace. Can't keep the stakes up too high throughout a novel without tiring your reader out! And congrats to Editor Jodie Renner: that's exactly the way I see it, that's the way a good short story should be. Shall spread the word around!

March 9, 2015 at 4:05 pm

Thanks so much for spreading the word around about my tips for writing a winning short story, Claude! So glad you enjoy this format for fiction! Keep on writing!

March 9, 2015 at 5:27 pm

Hi Jodie -Excellent article. I've written three novels and have recently made a foray into the realm of short story writing for a change of pace. You have condensed indispensable advice on story writing into a ready-made checklist for aspiring or accomplished writers. Thanks!

March 9, 2015 at 6:20 pm

Thanks so much for your kind words, Vicky. Good luck with your short stories!

March 9, 2015 at 9:19 pm

Those steps suspiciously sound like the same steps for a novel… 🙂

March 9, 2015 at 9:51 pm

Yes, Southpaw, most of them work for a novel, too, except a few tips specific to short stories, like word count, keep it to a tight time frame, only one main character and one POV, no subplots, etc.

March 9, 2015 at 9:30 pm

I didn't read every comment to see if you already took the 4 requests for your book, but I'm very interested! Add me to the request list.

This is a fantastic post. 🙂

March 9, 2015 at 9:52 pm

Glad you like the post, Jenny! I'm still waiting to hear from one or two of the winners, so if I don't hear from them, I'll get back to you.

March 10, 2015 at 6:08 pm

Thanks, Jodie! It was super helpful, since short writing is my sweet spot.

March 10, 2015 at 6:35 pm

Great! Glad you found this checklist helpful, Jenny! 🙂

March 11, 2015 at 1:20 am

I have nine published books and for me short stories are more challenging. Thanks for the great tips.

March 11, 2015 at 2:52 am

Barbara–Hi there! Great to see you here. Yeah, I'm the same way. Once I started writing novels, I abandoned my short fiction and it's hard to get my mojo back. I'm hoping Jodie's tips will help me too!

March 11, 2015 at 2:55 am

One thing about writing a short story, Barbara, is if it's not going as well as you'd like or you want to change direction, you (hopefully) haven't invested a great deal of time so you can put it aside for a while and brainstorm another idea. Good luck with your foray into short fiction!

March 11, 2015 at 2:37 am

As someone just starting out blogging and getting serious about my writing, I absolutely adore your blog! I have tagged several of your posts in my bookmarks page so I can easily go back and reread your advice! This one is especially going in my bookmarks as I am writing short stories right now. I'm too inexperienced and nervous about my writing right now to write an entire novel, but short stories I feel less self-conscious about writing. Thanks again for all your advice!

March 11, 2015 at 2:50 am

Scribbling–I'm so glad you like the blog! Do come back. We update every Sunday, 10 AM Pacific time.

Getting started with short stories is very wise. They're easier to place, and they can be sold again and again. We're so pleased Jodie could write this great post for us. Do take a look at her books.

March 11, 2015 at 2:57 am

Yes, isn't Anne's blog fabulous, Scribbling! I refer my writing clients and other authors and aspiring authors here all the time, and I'm honored to be a guest here this week. Short stories are a great way to experiment, so don't be nervous – jump right in! Good luck with that! 🙂

March 11, 2015 at 4:38 am

Great Blog, Jodie. I'm presently working on a short story. Even before hitting #31 on your list, I was contemplating ways to deepen and rev-up my work. Thanks!

March 11, 2015 at 3:46 pm

So great to hear my tips provided you inspiration for your current short story, Della! Good luck with this and your future stories!

March 12, 2015 at 2:26 pm

Great tips! When I have my lunch break and no one to talk to (which is usual, because I don't like a lot of people around me), I always take out a short story to provide me with a quick journey through some faraway land. Hence I need it to be gritty, aggressive, out of the ordinary, I don't have the time I have at night to enjoy the longer stuff. Great post!

March 12, 2015 at 3:06 pm

What a perfect way to spend your lunch break, Bernardo! (I hope you're eating lunch at the same time! LOL) More and more people are latching on to the advantages of having some short fiction ready on their reading devices, so writers should cash in on this growing demand.

March 12, 2015 at 10:48 am

This was excellent! Thank you!

Thanks, Nina!

March 13, 2015 at 12:55 pm

Great stuff, Jodie. I started out writing short stories, fell in love with them, and still write them in addition to novels. In fact, the protagonist in my first novel originally appeared in a short story. I have another character who has appeared in a half dozen stories and who is begging me to put her in a novel. I'm sure I will. I occasionally give presentations on writing short stuff and I'm sure I'll steal – I mean borrow – some of your great tips.

March 13, 2015 at 4:11 pm

I just checked out your Amazon Author Page, Earl – impressive! Next step – pick up some of your short stories. Can't wait to read them! Thanks for dropping by and commenting, and of course, steal away! 🙂

March 15, 2015 at 9:34 am

I'm going to paste the email I sent to my Beginner Writer Friend, along with the link to this article.

"This is THE best SHORT article I’ve seen on writing a good short story.

MOST of these things apply to every story we'll ever write.

If you can do MOST of these things, your stories will be good, and people will want to read more of YOUR stories. And that’s how you will succeed.

The article is actually about winning competitions, so a couple of the points don’t apply in your case (or mine). Because winning competitions doesn’t matter to us — it’s a different skill than SELLING BOOKS, which is currently our aim."

To be completely honest, Jodie, I then told him NOT to buy your books yet. As a beginner, he's feeling quite overwhelmed, so I told him, for now, to work on improving the 10,000 word story he's written, using this article as his guide, then to write another from scratch — again, using this article as his guide.

Of course, down the track, I'd highly recommend he go on to buy your books and/or use your editing services — anyone who can write such a succinct article must certainly have a lot to offer.

Thanks again for sharing it.

March 15, 2015 at 3:42 pm

Harry, these tips apply to anyone wanting to write short stories that sell, too! My whole focus as an editor and award-winning author of writing guides is to help writers create fiction that readers love and that sells!

And my books are a great resource for newbie writers as they're very reader-friendly, with lots of subheadings and before-and-after examples. And in the e-book, you can click on the chapters and subheadings to jump to them, then back to the TOC.

Good luck with everything! Glad you found my tips useful! 🙂

March 19, 2015 at 8:00 am

Awesome post! I have placed in a few writing contests recently, and I think point 9 is key. A lot of contests have themes or prompts, so writers have to make sure their story is different from the common storylines.

March 22, 2015 at 7:34 pm

Gargi–Congrats on placing in those contests! Those wins don't just help your self-esteem–they really raise your profile and help with queries. I like the ones with writing prompts, too. I always try to do the opposite of what seems "expected."

March 22, 2015 at 8:33 pm

Oops! Somehow this comment slipped past me. Gargi and Anne – good tactic about going for the unique, unusual, and unexpected. Hope the judges are delighted or even awed by your entries!

March 23, 2015 at 1:25 am

Coming way too late to request the books (drat!) but wanted to say thanks for a great post. I wrote short stories earlier, morphed into novels, wrote literary short stories for college classes (probably had quite enough of those, thanks), and my 2nd middle-grade book is coming out this summer. No time shorts now, but bookmarking this for later – I'd love to get back to them!

March 23, 2015 at 3:00 am

Thanks for dropping by and commenting, Jennifer. Good luck with all your writing projects – sounds like you've got lots on the go!

March 27, 2015 at 4:22 pm

Timothy–Good for you to be following these tips already! Jodie is a professional editor, so you would have to hire her at professional rates to get an evaluation of your work. The link to her website is in her bio above.

September 15, 2015 at 7:46 pm

At last I've found a mind like mine.i do appreciate what you've provided ma'am.hope I get all three e books even though I'm late reading this post.its better to be late than never being there.i do appreciate once again

September 15, 2015 at 11:29 pm

Obed–I'm not sure Jodie is still getting notifications on this post, but I'll let her know. I'm so glad you've bought her wonderful books!

September 15, 2015 at 11:39 pm

Glad you found these tips helpful, Obed, and I hope you enjoy my books!

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March 12, 2016 at 12:51 pm

i am planning to write short stories, but before starting up i want to read more and more short stories of yours, so let me know a few names of them . And thanks a lot for giving a very useful tips to the new writers..

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November 19, 2017 at 1:57 pm

Honestly l am more than impressed with what l just read. This is the best piece of advice l have gotten regarding writing and short stories. I m sure bookmarking this. Pity the contest is over l would have loved to win one of your books Jodie!

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August 14, 2019 at 4:43 am

Excellent! I appreciate the guidance you provided here, Anne. I’m trying short stories for the first time, and to be honest, I found it quite intimidating. It’s a challenge to craft a story containing all of these elements in a succinct narrative. You’ve given me a great foundation from which to start. Thanks!

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How to Write a Story in 500 Words

Last Updated: May 14, 2022

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 9 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 1,841 times.

Have you ever wanted to write a story in 500 words? This is a big accomplishment, and it takes careful thought and writing of the different parts of the story. Start from Step 1 to learn how.

Step 1 Create the beginning of your story

  • If you pick two or more settings, you need to describe them at least, but remember that you only have 500 words to write your story in, so keep it short! Give a short description of your characters and their surroundings. If you have a female character, you could describe their appearance and personality in a few words, or leave that for the reader to discover. It's totally up to you. Do not think that male characters don't need the same treatment.

Step 2 Create the conflict.

  • Not all stories involve conflict. A story may just explain from begging to end a series of occurrences.
  • A story can also describe how a tree changes through the seasons or picturesquely describe a sunset.
  • The middle is where the main theme of your story can settle in; for instance, "the girl finally slipped on her spy suit and dived for the door." In this example, the girl's actual identity is revealed, telling the reader that she is actually a spy.
  • Add a little detail, and if your character is in another world or place, describe that in a few sentences.

Step 3 Create the ending.

  • If you want the character trapped in the other world to not get out, and be stuck there, that's perfectly fine.
  • If you do write another story in the series, (this is optional; you don't need to write a whole series, a single story is fine), then be sure to continue your character's adventures and release him/her from the other world. When you've done all that, you are pretty much done!
  • Remember to decide if you want a cliff-hanger to end your story; these are especially useful for series stories. A cliff-hanger is when a writer uses suspense to pull the reader in and make the want more. For example; "the door creaked open and a dark figure emerged from the shadows." That's about it, then! Your finished story of 500 words!

Expert Q&A

  • A cliff-hanger can be used at the ends of paragraphs, as well as the ending, too. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • If you add a new character in the middle or end of your story, it will become confusing for the reader. Do not add any more characters after the beginning. Create all of the characters and settings in the beginning. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • Your 500-word story has to be interesting, in order to make your reader want more of the story. The best way to go would be to ask for feedback when they've done, and if they like it, well done! But if they don't, don't be depressed. Simply ask them what went wrong and what they didn't like about your story. Based upon that feedback, rewrite parts of your story, or even rewrite the story completely as you see fit. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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To Cut a Short Story Short

Curious Flash Fiction by Simon J. Wood

Tag: 600 word story

how to write a short story 600 words

Jolly as a Pie!

(550 words) “I’m a servant, milord, a maid to Sir Oswald’s household.” “And are you happy there?” I asked. “No, milord, cursed be the day I came into this house!” “What do you see around you?” “Stone flags, milord, and a great fire. There’s a kettle o’water a’heatin’ for the washing.” “Is it the scullery?” “Yes, milord, there be a great kitchen for the cooking.” “Is there anyone else there?” (subject laughs) “Yes, milord, there’s Jack, the varlet. He sits by the fire, his face red as any fox!”

how to write a short story 600 words

Fun of the Fair

(600 words) I was a schoolboy at St Paul’s when the incident I’m about to relate occurred. I was one of a small number of boarders – my parents were ‘swingers’ (as we’d now call them). Not that I knew that at the time, of course. They just said they had ‘business to attend to,’ so I was packed off to St Pauls for months at a time. Anyway, it was a quiet Saturday in May, and I’d gone down to the kitchens to fetch some milk for a pot of tea I’d just made. There was Sally, the kitchen maid, with her arms up to her plump elbows in a sink full of washing up. “Hello, Sally, what’s that smell?” I asked. There was an unpleasant odour, not unlike the dreaded boiled cabbage, cooked to death, served up four times a week.

how to write a short story 600 words

Completely Unexpected

(625 words) It was incredible and completely unexpected. The sensation as our fingers touched was electric, my heart skipped a beat and I momentarily forgot to breathe. Her fingers intertwined with mine and she twitched her lips in that funny way she used to, before kissing me tenderly. I gazed into her dark round eyes and knew it was love - deep, sacred love.

how to write a short story 600 words

Connections

(650 words) Given that there were fewer than seven hours before the Sapphire of the Seas sailed from Le Havre, Third Engineer Giuseppe ‘Joseph’ Marino queued anxiously at Portsmouth ferry terminal. The ferry was due to leave in thirty-five minutes and the sailing time to Le Havre was five and a half hours, given a calm sea. He became aware of a small girl at his side. “All those destined for Bilbao, please proceed to gate C,” came an announcement. Joseph’s heart thudded. No, he was destined for Le Havre, gate F. That was OK, everything was fine. He wiped the sweat from his brow. “I’m lost, I’m not sure where my mummy and daddy are.” Joseph looked down at two brilliant blue eyes in the little girl’s upturned face, and his heart melted. Then back to the noticeboard. Departure in less than thirty minutes. In a pocket, his fingers crushed a used train ticket. If he missed the ferry, he missed the cruise ship. If he missed the cruise ship, he missed three months’ work, three months’ good wages, wages he couldn’t afford to lose. He’d be busting his nuts in a crummy, low paid job at home. No contest.

how to write a short story 600 words

Scene in a Tent

(600 words) The tent flap opens, and Trevor comes in. Everyone’s here now. Everyone, that is, except Alan the group leader. He’ll be sorting out logistics with the mule team. Eating with them too. I give Trevor a bright smile from beneath my red baseball cap, holding out my plastic plate to Muhammed as he serves from a huge bowl of lamb and vegetable stew.

how to write a short story 600 words

A Triangle Across the Sky

(600 words) Martha Longthorn sat at the reception desk of the Beconsby Chronicle. She opened a desk drawer and took out a black crystal. She lifted her skirt and held the crystal between her legs. Outside, a few passersby went past on their anonymous business. Then she noticed a man on the opposite side of the street, looking across at the Chronicle office. He wore a beanie hat and a long dark-green jacket. A carrier bag dangled from one hand, whilst the other clasped a walking stick. He started to cross the road towards her. She hurriedly replaced the crystal in the drawer.

how to write a short story 600 words

Above the Volcano

(600 words) Alma stared out at an alien landscape, knobs of black volcanic rock formed into bizarre shapes and covered with moss. Somehow, in places even grass. She heard the roaring engine of her transport in the distance and breathed a sigh of relief, soon spotting the Land Rover driving along the narrow coastal road towards her. Then there was Gunnar, smiling. “Hop in,” he said in perfect English. As the vehicle powered its way to the unimaginable rendezvous, she thought of Hy and his love for Iceland. Perhaps that was why she was here again, she admitted to herself. Hy and his obsession with geology, his disdain for her and Charles in their ‘boring, suburban world,’ the world that had funded his education of course, but no matter, in his view. Then there’d been Vanessa and the crazy accident.

how to write a short story 600 words

The Peppermint Angel

(650 words) Helena lifted the angel to her cheek and felt the heavy varnish stick to her skin. She closed her eyes, picturing the peppermint green figure, a crude angel-shape with black stripes that reminded her of a sad humbug. But it brought back memories of the night, THAT night. “Has anyone NOT seen a demonstration of mediumship before?” She’d felt embarrassed, but seeing other hands going up, she’d stuck her arm up in the air, feeling her mother’s bangle sliding on her wrist. Would she be here? Was it even possible? “There’s nothing to worry about. If anything horrible comes along, I’ll be first out the door!” Laughter.

how to write a short story 600 words

Birthday Boy

(600 words) Long John Silver stepped forward on his crutch. “Ah, Jim lad, why so sad?” “Stop calling me Jim, my name’s Billy.” “Sorry, Jim lad, but it be your birthday tomorro’. Twelve years old thee’ll be, to the day!” Billy sat at his desk, looking at his homework on the screen. “Look, d’you think this’ll have enough thrust?” “Sure to, Jim, it’s a grand rocket motor!” “But the fuel lines, I don’t know if they’re wide enough.” “What do the equations say?” asked Harry Potter. “Oh, they seem OK, but fluid tensors aren’t my strong point, you know that.” Harry brushed the hair back from his forehead to reveal a lightning-shaped scar. “See this scar, Billy. Voldemort gave me this.” Billy put his hands over his eyes. “Shut up! You’ve told me that a thousand times.” “Look, Professor Snape killed Dumbledore. D’you think he’s in league with Voldemort?” “Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!” The door opened. It was dad. “Billy, what’s all the shouting about?”

how to write a short story 600 words

Dust to Dust

(600 words) The door creaked open and we were in a long entrance hall. The dust on the carpet was visible and a thick film of it coated a hall table holding a dead, brittle succulent. There was an overwhelming smell of must and neglect and something intangible too – loneliness.

how to write a short story 600 words

The Window Crack’d

(650 words) There’d been no problem getting a gondola ride. For the second day, a thick white mist hung in the air over the city and at the gondola station at San Moisè the vessels had loomed out of the fog like Viking ships. A man in a pink T-shirt with horizontal red stripes and a body-warmer had appeared from nowhere. “You wanna ride, signor e signora? Is foggy. I give you special price of sixty euros!”

how to write a short story 600 words

What’s in a Name?

(600 words) Dr. Rowina Scott stood at an enormous round window, gazing in awe at the towering pyramidal blocks a thousand stories high that dominated the city. She never grew tired of looking at them nor ceased to wonder at their immensity. Multi-coloured sky pods darted around and between them. A bleep from her pager jolted her out of her reverie. The director, Dr. Abraham Klein, wished to see her urgently. What the hell did the old bugger want?

  • Newsletters

Google’s Gemini is now in everything. Here’s how you can try it out.

Gmail, Docs, and more will now come with Gemini baked in. But Europeans will have to wait before they can download the app.

  • Will Douglas Heaven archive page

In the biggest mass-market AI launch yet, Google is rolling out Gemini , its family of large language models, across almost all its products, from Android to the iOS Google app to Gmail to Docs and more. You can also now get your hands on Gemini Ultra, the most powerful version of the model, for the first time.  

With this launch, Google is sunsetting Bard , the company's answer to ChatGPT. Bard, which has been powered by a version of Gemini since December, will now be known as Gemini too.  

ChatGPT , released by Microsoft-backed OpenAI just 14 months ago, changed people’s expectations of what computers could do. Google, which has been racing to catch up ever since, unveiled its Gemini family of models in December. They are multimodal large language models that can interact with you via voice, image, and text. Google claimed that its own benchmarking showed that Gemini could outperform OpenAI's multimodal model, GPT-4, on a range of standard tests. But the margins were slim. 

By baking Gemini into its ubiquitous products, Google is hoping to make up lost ground. “Every launch is big, but this one is the biggest yet,” Sissie Hsiao, Google vice president and general manager of Google Assistant and Bard (now Gemini), said in a press conference yesterday. “We think this is one of the most profound ways that we’re going to advance our company’s mission.”

But some will have to wait longer than others to play with Google’s new toys. The company has announced rollouts in the US and East Asia but said nothing about when the Android and iOS apps will come to the UK or the rest of Europe. This may be because the company is waiting for the EU’s new AI Act to be set in stone, says Dragoș Tudorache, a Romanian politician and member of the European Parliament, who was a key negotiator on the law.

“We’re working with local regulators to make sure that we’re abiding by local regime requirements before we can expand,” Hsiao said. “Rest assured, we are absolutely working on it and I hope we’ll be able to announce expansion very, very soon.”

How can you get it? Gemini Pro, Google’s middle-tier model that has been available via Bard since December, will continue to be available for free on the web at gemini.google.com (rather than bard.google.com). But now there is a mobile app as well.

If you have an Android device, you can either download the Gemini app or opt in to an upgrade in Google Assistant. This will let you call up Gemini in the same way that you use Google Assistant: by pressing the power button, swiping from the corner of the screen, or saying “Hey, Google!” iOS users can download the Google app, which will now include Gemini.

Gemini will pop up as an overlay on your screen, where you can ask it questions or give it instructions about whatever’s on your phone at the time, such as summarizing an article or generating a caption for a photo.  

Finally, Google is launching a paid-for service called Gemini Advanced. This comes bundled in a subscription costing $19.99 a month that the company is calling the Google One Premium AI Plan. It combines the perks of the existing Google One Premium Plan, such as 2TB of extra storage, with access to Google's most powerful model, Gemini Ultra, for the first time. This will compete with OpenAI’s paid-for service, ChatGPT Plus, which buys you access to the more powerful GPT-4 (rather than the default GPT-3.5) for $20 a month.

At some point soon (Google didn't say exactly when) this subscription will also unlock Gemini across Google’s Workspace apps like Docs, Sheets, and Slides, where it works as a smart assistant similar to the GPT-4-powered Copilot that Microsoft is trialing in Office 365.

When can you get it? The free Gemini app (powered by Gemini Pro) is available from today in English in the US. Starting next week, you’ll be able to access it across the Asia Pacific region in English and in Japanese and Korean. But there is no word on when the app will come to the UK, countries in the EU, or Switzerland.

Gemini Advanced (the paid-for service that gives access to Gemini Ultra) is available in English in more than 150 countries, including the UK and EU (but not France). Google says it is analyzing local requirements and fine-tuning Gemini for cultural nuance in different countries. But the company promises that more languages and regions are coming.

What can you do with it? Google says it has developed its Gemini products with the help of more than 100 testers and power users. At the press conference yesterday, Google execs outlined a handful of use cases, such as getting Gemini to help write a cover letter for a job application. “This can help you come across as more professional and increase your relevance to recruiters,” said Google’s vice president for product management, Kristina Behr.

Or you could take a picture of your flat tire and ask Gemini how to fix it. A more elaborate example involved Gemini managing a snack rota for the parents of kids on a soccer team. Gemini would come up with a schedule for who should bring snacks and when, help you email other parents, and then field their replies. In future versions, Gemini will be able to draw on data in your Google Drive that could help manage carpooling around game schedules, Behr said.   

But we should expect people to come up with a lot more uses themselves. “I’m really excited to see how people around the world are going to push the envelope on this AI,” Hsaio said.

Is it safe? Google has been working hard to make sure its products are safe to use. But no amount of testing can anticipate all the ways that tech will get used and misused once it is released. In the last few months, Meta saw people use its image-making app to produce pictures of Mickey Mouse with guns and SpongeBob SquarePants flying a jet into two towers. Others used Microsoft’s image-making software to create fake pornographic images of Taylor Swift .

The AI Act aims to mitigate some—but not all—of these problems. For example, it requires the makers of powerful AI like Gemini to build in safeguards, such as watermarking for generated images and steps to avoid reproducing copyrighted material. Google says that all images generated by its products will include its SynthID watermarks. 

Like most companies, Google was knocked onto the back foot when ChatGPT arrived. Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI has given it a boost over its old rival. But with Gemini, Google has come back strong: this is the slickest packaging of this generation’s tech yet. 

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The Write Practice

Six Word Stories: How to Write the Shortest Story You’ll Never Forget

by Joe Bunting | 62 comments

According to legend, Ernest Hemingway was challenged to write a short story using only six words. Ernest Hemingway's story? It was: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

While you're not going to be able to tell an entire life story in six words, you just might be able to catch a movement of conflict or a significant moment in a character's life. Plus it's fun. Let's look at how to write a really short story.

Six Word Stories

Six word stories are a great way to practice your writing without actually having to write much. They can also be used to warm up before working on a novel or short story.

When I first heard about six word stories, I thought, “A whole story in six words? That's impossible!”

Then I wrote my first one. It was really easy, not to mention fun! Once you write your first, you can write a whole slew of them. Let's look at how to write one.

1. Read examples

Start by looking at some examples. A great website you can use is sixwordstories.net . If you just want to look at a few examples, here are some I liked:

“Rapunzel! I am slipping! A wig?!” Misleadingly deep puddle. Curious child missing. “I love you, too,” she lied.

2. Choose a Moment of Conflict

Part of what makes a story, well, a story is a goal coupled with conflict . Think about the examples we listed above. Where is the moment of conflict?

Rapunzel's suitor has a goal (reaching Rapunzel) and the conflict is that the hair he is climbing is a wig that is slipping. Oops.

The second one implies one of two stories: the child lost in a puddle OR what happens next when someone realizes the child's fallen in. The goal will determine the conflict.

In the third one, the goal is to mislead someone. The conflict? The lie (or maybe why she lies).

3. How to Write a Six Word Story

Now that you've looked at some examples, you're ready to write!

Begin with a sentence or two that might be intriguing. A situation that tells a story without telling an entire story.

Who will the characters involved be? What do they want? What will get in the way? Choose words for each. Like this:

Now, combine them, distilling the ideas into just a handful of words.

Story in six words: “Hello? There's bones. In my flowerbed?”

Or: He planted lilies. But harvested bones.

If you have an idea, but can't figure out how to shorten it into six words, here's some advice: use contractions. Use “I'm” instead of “I am.” Use “They're” instead of “They are.”

And don't worry if your six word stories aren't works of art. They're supposed to be fun and creative.

If you're still stuck, try this tip: use magnetic poetry . You know the kind that you put on your refrigerator and mess around with? That often gives me ideas.

4. Use Your Six Word Stories as a Writing Prompt

When you write or read a six word story, you probably want to know more about the story, right? Six word stories severely limit you, and of course, that's the point!

Once you've written a few six word stories, why not turn it into a writing prompt? Choose one, and write that same story using as many words as you would like. Now you can create interesting characters , surprising plot twists, and as much description as you want. Give it a try and show us what you come up with!

Have you ever written a six word story? How did you like the process? Share in the comments . 

Write a six word story about anything you like. It can be humorous, dark, mysterious, or anything else you can think of. Then use that six word story as a writing prompt.

Write for fifteen minutes . Once you have a six word story, then work to expand your story into something longer. Then post both stories in the Pro Practice Workshop.

Be sure to comment on a few other writers' practices. Have fun!

Not a member yet? Join us here !

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Joe Bunting

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.

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  • Patient Care

My friend Dorothy (a pseudonym) is in her mid-40s. She loves parties and sharing good food with family and friends. She likes watching musicals and films, going to the ballet and the pantomime, to the pub and to church as well as expressing herself creatively. Whatever she is doing, she enjoys looking stylish and receiving compliments about her appearance.

It has not been possible for Dorothy to have a thorough dental examination in her adult life, nor blood pressure checks, women’s health checks or any other preventative health checks. Why? Because she has a severe intellectual disability, and there are few services that provide the adjustments she would need to access preventative healthcare. It is also not possible for her to share her story because she has few clear words, and so I, a friend and former member of her care team, have worked with members of her family to write on her behalf.

Dorothy is very wary of unfamiliar situations and people and often finds transitions hard. She finds physical proximity and touch difficult. She is particularly nervous of medical professionals and environments and will strenuously resist any physical interventions or investigations. Because she has very little speech, it is difficult for her to express her needs and concerns. In her care home, where she lives with other adults with intellectual disabilities, she is supported day-to-day by assistants. In addition, she has a circle of support which meets quarterly, helping to ensure that decisions about her care and support are in her best interest, in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act.

The National Health Service functions for patients in many ways. It provides help when a patient seeks support for a specific health problem and screening to identify health conditions. It also provides health checks such as dental check-ups, and preventative health programmes, such as vaccinations. But what happens for someone like Dorothy, who faces barriers to accessing all of these services due to her disability?

It is very likely that if Dorothy develops a health problem, it will take a while for her care team to recognise it. Probably her behaviour will change, but these changes may be subtle or develop, so slowly that they go unnoticed for a long time, or are attributed to events in her daily life. Once the behaviour change has been observed, identifying that there is an underlying medical need will also probably take a while. At the same time, symptoms could be misinterpreted as behavioural challenges; this is of particular concern at the moment as we are aware she may soon develop symptoms of peri-menopause. These things make disease prevention, health screening and health check-ups even more important for Dorothy than for the general public, yet it is rare to find any service that she can easily access. And so: delay, delay, delay.

It is difficult to support Dorothy to brush her teeth and it is quite likely that her teeth have never been brushed to the same daily standard as most people do for themselves, so dental checks are really important. Even for a routine dental check-up, Dorothy needs specialist dentistry and requires sedation. We face similar challenges for all of Dorothy’s health issues. For example, even though she is in the clinically vulnerable category for COVID-19, when she was due to receive her first vaccine in early 2021, it was not possible for her to give informed consent, nor to attend a normal vaccination clinic. After many months of negotiations, Dorothy was given a sedative medication to take at home, so that on arrival at the COVID-19 vaccination clinic, she was already relaxed and able to cope with the process. A private room, the company of an assistant, old friend and her sister, plus further sedation on arrival, enabled her to sleep through the vaccination and helped keep her calm and comfortable.

The barriers I have mentioned can seem insurmountable, and people die prematurely every year because of them. As a society, how can we provide people with intellectual disabilities with equitable care? Her family and I think there are three key issues. First, prioritising access to preventative care to reduce the risk of needing urgent surgery (eg, after developing tooth decay) or hospital intervention (eg, due to COVID-19 complications). Second, dealing with the issue of consent (eg, through a ‘best interests’ meeting) and third, by adapting services around an individual’s needs. For preventive care, working towards obtaining consent tends to be a low priority—it requires time-consuming coordination between all parties involved—and adapting services requires extra funding and bold thinking. Healthcare providers may be cautious, for example, with using sedation for non-urgent procedures or checks.

Now that we know that solutions such as short-acting sedation are so straightforward and effective, what Dorothy really needs is for such opportunities to be utilised to the maximum. What else can be done while she is sedated? Blood tests for hormonal changes? Blood pressure checks? Optometry? Audiology? How can we coordinate and co-design care for her that support her health and well-being while minimising the impact on her life and comfort? Would it be possible to set up a regular multidisciplinary one-stop-shop?

You might be thinking that such a multidisciplinary clinic would be expensive and unnecessary because not many people need sedation for routine procedures. We believe there may be a large unmet need throughout our country and many others. Dorothy and others like her cannot advocate for themselves, and the barriers they face are more complex than for many people with disabilities. Consider for yourself, if there are only a few people with intellectual disabilities using your services, maybe this is because the barriers to access the care you offer are too great. We need creative thinking to provide alternative routes to access care.

Ethics statements

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Ethics approval

Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Competing interests The author of this piece is known to the Editors of the journal.

Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer-reviewed.

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  4. [Writing Prompt] 600-Word Short Story

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  5. How to Write a Short Story: 10 Steps

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  6. How To Write A Short Story Book

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  1. How to Write a Short Story: The Short Story Checklist

    Learning how to write a short story is essential to mastering the art of storytelling. With far fewer words to worry about, storytellers can make many more mistakes—and strokes of genius!—through experimentation and the fun of fiction writing. Nonetheless, the art of writing short stories is not easy to master.

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  3. How to Write a Short Story: Step-by-Step Guide

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    Curiosity Shop April 8, 2013 Tania 600 Words or Less, Short Stories no comments This short short story (580 words) was originally a submission for an e-pub contest hosted by Lulu. The max word count was 600 words, so it was a challenge! The premise for this story was directly inspired by a dream I had.

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  11. How to Write a Good Story in 800 Words or Less

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  15. fiction

    Ask Question Asked 5 years, 9 months ago Modified 5 years, 7 months ago Viewed 2k times 7 Many short story competitions, at least in Israel, set a theme and a word count: up to 2500 words, 2000-5000 words, etc.

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    1. Have a basic story structure. This short story format should contain conflict—or rather, a teaser of a conflict conveyed with vivid words. It should also have a subject followed by a verb that gives it action and movement. Finally, a six-word story should have a feeling of resolution. 2. Have a small narrative arc.

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    600 word story - To Cut a Short Story Short To Cut a Short Story Short Curious Flash Fiction by Simon J. Wood Tag: 600 word story Jolly as a Pie! Posted on January 11, 2024 (550 words) "I'm a servant, milord, a maid to Sir Oswald's household." "And are you happy there?" I asked.

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  26. Equity of access to healthcare for a patient with a severe intellectual

    My friend Dorothy (a pseudonym) is in her mid-40s. She loves parties and sharing good food with family and friends. She likes watching musicals and films, going to the ballet and the pantomime, to the pub and to church as well as expressing herself creatively. Whatever she is doing, she enjoys looking stylish and receiving compliments about her appearance.