Planning Your Story in Five Steps

Have you ever started writing a story, gotten a few sentences in, and then just... stopped, not sure what was supposed to happen next? That stall usually isn't a sign you're not a good writer. It's usually a sign you started writing before you knew where you were headed.

You now have every piece this course has covered so far, which means you have everything you need to plan a complete short story. You don't need a complicated outline — five short answers are enough to start: who your character is, where and when the story happens, what they want, what's in their way, and how it ends.

Why a light plan is enough

Notice that last question doesn't ask exactly how every scene goes, just how it ends — does your character get what they wanted or not, and what changes because of it? A light plan like this isn't meant to lock in every detail before you write a single word.

It's meant to make sure you're not starting to write without knowing where you're headed, which is the single most common reason a first short story stalls out halfway through. You can absolutely change your mind about the ending once you're actually writing and see what feels right — having a plan just means that's a choice you're making on purpose, instead of a story trailing off because nothing was decided yet.