The theme, on the other hand, is interwoven into every aspect of your short story and hard to omit once you've started. You may think that you need to devote time to working out further characteristics, be it external or internal, but given that short stories are so short, it's far more important (in my opinion) that you nail down the theme and reason of your character for the first draft than it is the appearance, as the appearance can easily change. Yes, it really can be that simple if needed. My main character is all about examining workplace habits and Americans desire to overwork themselves. Then, explain what you are trying to say with them as well. Write why they are important to the story and what they are trying to express in this story. You can even just write "main character."įrom there, write down your character's theme and what they represent. Next, put your story's summary aside and write down your main character's name, or a temporary name if you haven't decided on one yet.
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Define your character's theme and importance to your story. This may not seem like much, but if you can take this one-sentence summary and expand on it with one or two more sentences, you already have a solid start to your outline. It doesn't need to resolve the ending or explain all the details-just quickly explain your idea in a sentence, like so:Ī young woman witnesses something out of the ordinary at work and decides to investigate it. If you're having trouble summarizing your short story, try writing a one-sentence summary about the piece. It's up to you, though there are no hard rules here as this phase is just to help you nail the idea on paper. This can be by just talking about what you want to happen in your short story or to actually discuss the narrative from start to finish. Whether you have a small, seemingly uneventful short story idea or fully developed character arc, you'll want to first begin by summarizing your short story.
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This is, of course, if outlining is your preferred method of creative writing. Of course, before you begin outlining your short story, it's important to note that you must also first have a short story idea. If you don't look into ways to discover new ideas in your environment or by looking to work you admire.Īfter you've created or discovered your short story idea, only then you can then begin outlining your story.
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Examples of short stories to write how to#
Plus, not only is the structure much different, but it also requires more efficiency with your words, which is why knowing how to write a short story outline can be a lifesaver for some in the brainstorming phase, and even great for writers approaching second and third drafts!