 Short Stories: November 27, 2024 Issue [#12864] |
This week: In Three Acts Edited by: Lilli 🧿 ☕  
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The cool thing about reading is that when you read a short story or you read something that takes your mind and expands where your thoughts can go, that's powerful.
~ Taylor Swift
Writing a short story is like painting a picture on the head of a pin. And just getting everything to fit is - sometimes seems impossible. Writing a novel, though, is - has its own challenges of scope. And I think of that as painting a mural, where the challenge is that if you are close enough to work on it, you're too close to see the whole thing.
~ Rebecca Makkai
I do think that short story writing is often a matter of luck.
~ Robert Sheckley
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We sometimes find ourselves in a situation where we need to write and finish a story quickly. Whether it's because we need to get the concepts down before we lose our train of thought or only have 24 hours to submit a story, like with "The Writer's Cramp" . Or perhaps you're new to writing short stories and unsure how and where to start. Maybe this type of framework might help get you over the hump and writing.
 What is a Three Act Structure?
Simply put: It's the beginning, middle, and end. Think about where/how your story starts and finishes. Then what happens between those two points - how do you get from point A to B. Easy-peasy? No, but it's a good place to start and will help you flesh out your story.
Start With Introductions
The introduction to your short story should introduce readers to your characters, setting, and conflict. This is also where you really have to hook readers into continuing your story. Therefore, the tension needs to rise sooner than later with short stories.
The Middle
The midpoint usually represents a turning point in the character’s fortunes that occurs late in the second act. Sometimes, it’s when the heroes think all has been lost but then get a glimmer of hope. Sometimes, it’s a moment when things are going great, but then everything falls apart. It’s often where the odds of success look smallest, so the protagonist can turn things around in the climax.
 Sidenote Regarding Tension
Let’s discuss rising tension. The three-act structure revolves around tension getting tenser as the story progresses. The tension can drop slightly, but it has to keep going upwards in general.
In the introduction, the conflict meets the characters. As the first act goes on, the characters get further involved, and the stakes get higher. As the second act goes on, the stakes get even higher.
By the midpoint, the heroes cannot walk away without life-changing consequences of one type or another. The tension is high. The climax is when the tension reaches its highest point, where everything is on the line for the protagonists.
Act Three
Tension needs to be high, having risen during the prior acts. Remember, your story doesn’t need to be high stakes. It could be about anything from the end of the world to a child hunting for their lost dog. It’s okay for the tension to be relative to the story. Maybe the child is just really, really worried they’ll never see their dog again. The appropriate level of tension keeps readers engaged.
At the climax of your short story, it’s time for the big decisions and consequences to happen. Your protagonist must confront the conflict and make choices reflecting their character. Here, the day is either saved or lost. The heroes make the right choices and defeat evil, or they choose the wrong path and let evil prevail. The child either joyously reunites with their dog or sullenly surrenders their pet.
After that, you can choose to write a denouement for your short story. Where are the characters headed? You can hint at what the future has in store for them (or state it directly). You can give readers a little glimpse of happiness to make up for all the hardships the characters have gone through.
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