Stuck on a SHORT Story?

10 Second Tip:
Stuck on a SHORT Story?

Stuck on what to put in your story?
-- This is the list of things I check off when I create a story:

Do you have a Setting in mind?

• - Sci-fi
• - Historical
• - Modern day

Do you have ONE big Main Event for the story to focus on?

• - A battle
• - An escape
• - A love scene
• - An act of revenge
• - A sacrifice
• - A treasure to claim

Do you know what you want to SAY with your story?

• - Love sucks.
• - Friendship is forever.
• - No good deed goes unpunished.
• - A snake can only ever be a snake.
• - Sometimes you have to take chances.

Do you know where you want to END your story?

• - A wedding?
• - A funeral?
• - A bloody battlefield?
• - An empty street?
• - The bottom of an ocean?

Do you have your three central Characters ready?

Just to make things interesting, any one of these three could be the Hero, the Villain, or the Ally.

• - A main character that personifies what your story is trying to say?
• - A main character that personifies an opposing opinion of the same topic?
• - A buddy / friend/ love interest of one or both to personify Joe Normal stuck in the Middle?

Why did I mention Characters Last?

Instead of making a story for my characters, I do the opposite. I make characters for my story.

Some people can come up with a cool character and then build a story around them. Sadly, I am not one of those. I can build a back-story just fine, but my back-stories are never good enough to be the Main Story. A back-story is how a character GOT his Issues. The main story is how they FIXED those Issues. See the difference?

Anyway...
-- When I'm stuck on a story, I try thinking on these questions and often, they'll jog something loose.

Enjoy!