We've talked about the different type of short stories, different challenges, and ways that habits and short stories interact. Today we're going to touch on the idea of plotting the short story. I'll go through how I plot and why it works for me. You can feel free to try them out or see if one of the methods I use for a longer short story might work for you as flash fiction.
1. Drabble: This is pretty straight forward for me. I look for a prompt, feel it out by finding a definition or a picture, and try to figure out which characters I have would work best for the prompt. This is where one of the big books of prompts would help me and it has in the past. The only problems I run into is that sometimes I think a character and prompt fit but then they don't. When that happens, I will brain dump why it might not be working, which is a form of outlining sometimes, and one of two things will happen. I'll either go back to the drawing board and find a new character or the block will be broken to write the drabble.
2. Flash fiction: This is where plotting gets a bit more involved. Sometimes I'll use the same idea as the drabble. I'll find a prompt, select a character, and write. Sometimes it's a bit more tricky, like when I do a challenge and people have to read it, but that seems to be few and far between. When I do a challenge, I'll sit with the prompt and sketch out what I would like to write. Do I want to do fantasy or do I want to do a genre that is a bit outside of my comfort area? Do I want to use a character I know and love or would that be a point against me? It involved a bit of a brain dump at times, so I know what I'm doing but also so I can write a stronger story. I find that I do a lot less editing when I've brain dumped ahead of time or sketched out a basic framework of my story. That framework might be more of when to introduce or not introduce a plot point or character but that's about it.
3. Short Story: This is where it gets fun. What I like to do with a short story is create an outline of scenes as a pathway from start to finish. Sometimes I end up with a story that I realize would be better as a novella or novel than a short story. Sometimes I realize that I have a plot hole and I need to fill it in by creating a side character or adding a bit more to my main character. Either way, I try to make sure that it is a cohesive story. Now, this is the only time that I don't do a brain dump because I create an outline. Also, I usually have a story idea that came to me instead of using a prompt. This is not to say that I won't use a prompt from time to time to write a short story but it's less likely when I write the longer short story. I usually already have a story in mind, I outline it, and realize that the short story format will work for it or it won't.
So, that is how I plot my short stories. Do you feel these would work for you or do you have another way that you plot out a short story? Feel to share it below in the comments or hit me up on either Facebook or Twitter. Have a good Monday and keep on writing!
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