“How to Write a Short-Short Story”

In very short fiction, there is no room for elaborate preambles.

For example, Allen’s cocktail party has already begun—the characters are in the midst of their conversation as the story begins. Think back…What term do we use for this type of beginning?

Start your story as late in the narrative as possible. The conflict and tension should already by present in the situation—you just need to put you characters in the midst of it.

Your reader should be able to answer the question “Where’s the trouble?” by the end of the first page (at the very latest). **Kuiper’s Advice—for us, it should be by the end of the first paragraph! We only have two pages!

It is not impossible to write a story in which a character is in conflict only with his or her environment, but it’s much easier to bring two people into conflict.

Someone wants something, but a second person is in the way. It is the oldest plot formula in the world—which means it has been working for millennia.

Short-shorts operate on truncated principles, so there is no time for extended rising action of a novel or long story. Still—you need movement in your story.

For example, the young man in “Marzipan,” suffers a sudden lapse of self- confidence.

Your characters might succeed, or they might fail, in facing the challenges in front of them, but at the end of the story they should be different than they were when it began.

You may feel that your story requires a sentence or two of tying things up, or you may stop at the point of maximum impact.

**Kuiper’s Advice: You don’t want to end before your conflict has played itself out, but don’t hang around too long after the climax. I don’t like being bored!

Some things to consider: O Have you begun your story at the most opportune moment? O Is the story’s conflict immediately clear? O Does some significant change occur during the course of your story? O Does your story end at the best possible place?