This week: Streamlined Storytelling Edited by: Jeff  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
 
1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
"Adventure is worthwhile in itself."
— Amelia Earhart
About The Editor: Greetings! My name is Jeff and I'm one of the regular editors of the official Action/Adventure Newsletter! I've been a member of Writing.com since 2003, and have edited more than 400 newsletters across the site in that time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me directly or submit feedback in the comment box at the bottom of this newsletter. |
Streamlined Storytelling
When it comes to longer written works like novels, stage plays, or screenplays, much discussion and debate is made about the importance of the subplots; those minor storylines that occur parallel to the main narrative that's being presented. In an action movie, you've got the hero searching for a treasure, but there's also that undercurrent of a love story with the female lead. In a mystery novel, you've got the murder to solve, but the protagonist often has something else going on in their personal life that requires some attention. In longer works of fiction, these subplots are virtually required into order to flesh out the story and give it a fully-developed sense of depth. But what does one do when they're trying to write a short story; a tale which, by definition is limited in the number of words you can write?
The most effective short stories are the ones that focus on the main narrative. There just isn't enough space to explore a character's personal and professional life, or to go into great depth about backstory, nuanced personality traits, or extravagant detail about every little thing unless you're planning on writing thousands of words. By necessity, short stories need to be streamlined and focus on only the most important information to present to the audience. The easiest way to do that is to make sure that your short stories focus on the main theme, main storyline, and main characters and don't deviate too much from this focus.
Longer works are an ideal medium for exploration. You can develop and investigate all the nuances of a character, or delve into all the mysteries of a place or an event until every last secret and bit of information has been unearthed. But short story writers should be on a mission, with something to accomplish, something to say, something to express... and they should attempt to get that across as efficiently as possible.
If a short story deviates from that efficiency and begins to explore tangents and facets of the story that are unrelated to the main narrative, it can quickly become unwieldy and exceed the word limit set by a contest or submission guidelines. Focusing on the main story and presenting that in a streamlined, focused manner can help you stay on target with your writing goals.
The best way I know to effectively plan writing a short story (or anything where you're restricted by a word or page count) is to break down the story into smaller components that you can use as milestones to make sure you're on track with your goals. Standard three-act structure typically yields a first act used to introduce the conflict and provide exposition for the characters, settings, or anything else that's necessary to set up. The second act is for rising action and conflict, and the third act is where you resolve that conflict and bring the story to an end. Structurally speaking, the first act accounts for about 25% of the space in a story, the second act accounts for about 50%, and the third act is the remaining 25%. In other words, by the time you're a quarter of the way into your story, you should be done setting up the premise and establishing the world. By the time you're three-quarters of the way into your story, you should be looking to wrap things up.
The best part about this general structure is that you can apply it to any word count. Writing a 100,000-word novel? That means you should be done with the setup by 25,000 words, writing about 50,000 words of rising action and conflict, then looking to resolve things and bring the story to a close from words 75,000-100,000. How about a Writing.Com official contest entry? Those stories usually have a 2,000-word limit, so by applying the same formula, you should be done setting up your story after 500 words, looking for about 1,000 words of rising action and conflict, then using the remaining 500 words to wrap things up. What about a 1,000-word Writer's Cramp entry? 250 words to set up, 500 words to build the conflict, and 250 words to resolve it!
Looking at the number of words you have to work with, even for a 2,000-word story, there's not a lot of space to set up complex, intricate webs of narrative or character relations. Short stories most often hinge on one central issue, which is explored and resolved within the allotted span of words. With a little planning, and a little structuring, you can provide yourself with the guidelines necessary to make sure your story stays on track and gets resolved in a timely manner. If you're halfway into your story and you're still describing the setting and the characters, your short story might not be short enough.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"New & Noteworthy Things" | "Blogocentric Formulations"
|
This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
You are also invited to check out these items from members of the community:
|
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
Feedback from "Action/Adventure Newsletter (June 25, 2025)" about finales:
Sounds good.
— Monty 
Of all the "endings" to pick, you chose the ending that isn't actually an ending. After Frodo throws the ring into Mt. Doom, there are still hundreds of pages to go. Ironically, the most enduring criticism of Lord of the Rings is that the ending was horrible. Most readers WANTED the story to end with Frodo's failure but Aragorn still has to claim the crown and his bride. The Scouring of The Shire hasn't even started yet. The Ring Bearers sail to the west. Etc.
— Rick Dean - Dinosaur 
Excellent article on the four parts of an ending. It was very valuable to me. Thanks!
— Jeffrey Meyer 
This came at a great time. I have an ending I think is too quick. I'm not sure how to lead up to it and make it more dramatic. I will read this over again to learn how I can build the suspense to the moment the item disappears, then the corroborating evidence to resolve the story.
— Quick-Quill 
|
To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.
|
Action/Adventure: July 23, 2025 Issue [#13261]
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
