5 Things Every Good Short Story Needs
There are some common elements across all fiction writing, but short stories specifically feature:
A clearly defined mood or feeling. This can be a genre (humor, romance, horror); an idea (adultery,
childbirth, life lessons); or an emotion (loss, grief, joy). Or it can be a combination—as long as it is
cohesive and the point is clear.
Clear, descriptive language that sets up the concept of the story quickly and without being superfluous.
A small cast of characters, including a main character and supporting character(s) who must serve a vital
role in the story. Learn about writing characters with our guide on character development.
A strong point of view. Know from the beginning what it is you want to say with your short story. Ask
yourself: what do you want people to feel or think as they read your story? Make sure this point of view
is clearly reflected throughout the story. Read more about point of view in our complete guide.
Experimental elements. Short stories don’t necessarily have to stick to traditional storytelling
techniques, which means that you can feel free to play around with certain conventions. For example,
while the general advice is that every scene in a story should have a “turn”—shifting the emotional
charge to its opposite—this doesn’t have to be the case in a short story. Don’t feel shy about breaking a
few rules and see what works best for you.
A Short History of the Short Story
Short stories evolved from oral storytelling techniques which produced epics like Homer's Iliad and
Odyssey. Anecdotes emerged early, during the Roman Empire. The tradition continued with the
development of the novella during the seventeenth century in Europe, and later, the first fairy tale
compendiums. The Brothers Grimm published their first volume of fairy tales in 1812.
In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the dominance of literary print magazines and journals saw a
spike in short fiction. Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, and Arthur Conan Doyle all wrote short stories
during this time; Doyle introduced the world to his famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, in an 1891 series
of short stories published in The Strand Magazine.
Edgar Allan Poe, known for his short stories focused on the macabre, became a pioneer of genre short
fiction. Later, W. Somerset Maugham, P.G. Wodehouse, Agatha Christie, Virginia Woolf, Graham
Greene, William Faulkner, O. Henry, and James Joyce experimented and perfected the form—many of
these authors got their first big break with short story writing before becoming celebrated novelists and
authors.
Today, contemporary authors like Alice Munro and Neil Gaiman have revived the short story format and
given it new life.
How to Write a Short Story in 5 Steps
Follow this step-by-step guide to writing a great short story.
Pick the mood you want to evoke. This is the feeling or emotion you want to give to your readers, and
what all the elements in your short story will work together to achieve. What kind of story do you want
to tell—and why?
Start with a strong opening. Because of the restrictions of the short story format, you won’t have a lot of
room for exposition. To get around this, consider starting your story in medias res—a writerly practice
that means opening in the middle of the action and filling in details later. This takes you straight to your
important scene.
Build your story, remembering that you only have a certain number of words. Don’t waste time and
space. Everything in the short story needs to be vital. Read and re-read every sentence and ask yourself:
does it really need to be there? Does it serve the higher purpose of illuminating your story’s mood? As
Edgar Allan Poe once said: “A short story must have a single mood and every sentence must build
toward it.”
Land the ending. Everything has been building up to this key moment. When writing the ending of your
short story, focus on the mood you’re trying to create and ask yourself: what would be the most
satisfying way for the ending to capture this mood? Remember, a short story is still a story, which means
the plot has to make sense, and nothing should be too obvious. Does the ending follow naturally from
where the story began? Does it make sense?
Edit, edit, edit. Spend some time away from your story, and go back later with a pair of fresh eyes. Once
again, keep in mind the key mood you’re trying to express. Read your short story back at least three
times, paying attention to how plot, characters, dialogue, scenes and settings all work together toward
one common goal. Note any inconsistencies and fix them—or get rid of them. Strike anything which
feels superfluous or slows down the pace.
