How to write a story? Learn the rules!

What is a story?

The short story has never been a strictly defined genre. It developed on the fringes of more established forms, such as the novel or reportage. It emerged in literature in the 19th century, initially contrasted with the novella, before eventually replacing it.

The rules of writing stories in practice

Learn practical rules worth familiarizing yourself with before starting work:

Story structure

Already in ancient times, Aristotle wrote in “Poetics” (or the holy book of writing) that every work should consist of three parts – introduction, development and conclusion. It may sound trivial, but actually building a plot according to this principle allows avoiding unnecessary chaos.

The story should ideally begin with a brief introduction to the fictional world and the lives of the characters. Then, the plot can develop dynamically until reaching the climax, which is the moment of resolution (such as catching the murderer, finding the beloved, etc.). In the conclusion, the further destinies of the characters are usually shown.

Clearly, this principle does not have to be strictly followed – some writers throw the reader “in at the deep end” and immediately start the story with action. However, despite appearances, they still follow Aristotle’s principle, as the protagonist or the setting is introduced shortly after the action begins.

The plot

Due to the short form, the plot must be simple and clear. It is best to base the course of action on one overarching event, around which the characters will be focused.

Heroes

Describe the characters in such a way that each of them possesses two or three distinctive traits that will leave an impression on the reader. In a novel, you have more space to describe the characters’ psyche, while in a short story, you must clearly emphasize their personalities.

The presented world

In the story, the world presented must be as vivid as the characters themselves, but it must not take the forefront – there is no time for that! You must guide the plot in such a way that all the elements of the “background” primarily enhance the scene and build the atmosphere.

Remember that you are not obliged to describe every smallest detail of the presented world – it is enough if you outline where the characters are and build the scene based on a selected fragment of literary reality.

Narration

In a story, it is worth using clear language and dynamically leading the narrative (which can be achieved, for example, through the accumulation of verbs). You don’t have much time to grab the reader’s attention, so you must quickly interest them with your text.

How to plan writing a story?

Thanks to this, you will avoid narrative chaos, plot holes, and logical inconsistencies, and at the same time, the writing process will be much smoother. Before starting to create, it is worth considering a few issues:

1. Try to describe the plot of your story in one sentence. At first, it may seem difficult, but it will bring many benefits. It will allow you to see the structure of the text and notice where the action is heading.
2. Establish a strict plot plan. The story must be contained in a short form, so the course of events should lead from point A to point B. Avoid elaborate scenes and additional considerations that are not related to the plot of the work (unless you are writing a philosophical story, in which case the character’s thoughts are somewhat an event in themselves). It is best to outline all the scenes of the story on a timeline – this will allow you to stick to the established plan and avoid logical gaps.
3. Always have a plan at hand. Write down all the information about your work in one place – the appearance and details of the characters, details of the world presented, the timeline of events, etc. This way, your character won’t change eye color or age halfway through the text.

Start writing with short stories

Some creative writing teachers suggest young creators to start their literary adventure by writing short stories. They justify this by the need to “practice” in short forms before starting a novel project. Is this a valid rule? Absolutely not!

Every writer also has certain natural predispositions for a chosen genre – some feel better in shorter forms, others cannot limit their story to a few dozen pages.

Contrary to appearances, creating a story also requires a lot of effort from the writer – they must construct the work in such a way as to include all the most important events in it while not deviating from the main storyline.

Therefore, the best advice for writers is not to start with writing stories, but to start with finding their creative “self”. Only through trying different genres can we determine what speaks to us the most and in which area we can best develop ourselves literarily.