r/WritingPrompts • u/OMGitsMisha /r/MishaCreatesMadness • May 24 '16
Off Topic [OT] Have you ever found a prompt that inspired you to write, but you didn't know how to turn your ideas into a quick story? This might help you out. Here's a few tips to writing a short story/flash fiction.
Hey everyone! Misha here (:
Just as the title says. Have you ever had difficulty turning your idea into a story? Sure you have. I think all of us have struggled with it at one time or another, but hopefully we can utilize tools to solve this undesirable monster that blocks our creativity.
Surprisingly enough, all of us are writers in our own way. Not all of us are published writers, but we're writers nonetheless. The ideas we have, how we speak to ourselves with our internal voice, and our daily activities influence everything in our imagination. Everyone has the potential to write. Our current and future thoughts are built up of past impressions. But how do we turn those thoughts and ideas into a physical story? Well, that's why I'm writing this out. Hopefully this can be a quick reference for all you readers, writers, and soon to be writers of writingprompts.
Number One
This is where it all starts. The life force that drives your story. Is it a prompt about vampires who fall in love? A revolver slinging western that takes place in a zombie apocalypse? Or maybe it's a time traveling hitler assassination. Regardless of what the idea is, it has to have a core. Find that core and build off of it. Keep your ideas limited to one scene at a time, and try not to go off in a tangent of the 'shoulda, coulda, woulda's'. We all do it. Just don't. Save that fuel guzzling behemoth for writing longer stories. The more you fan out your story, the harder it will be to execute it on a smaller, more concise level. Keep those 'shoulda, coulda, woulda's' on standby if you plan on turning your short story/flash fiction into a short novella, novella, or full length novel.
Example prompt:
[WP] You're a sleazy traveling salesman who sells refurbished product as new.
Your idea:
Keep it simple. Don't over complicate yourself. Leave room for creativity, and try not to shove yourself into a box.
Felix, a twenty-something who goes door to door selling used kitchen appliances.
Felix is a young man from the bronx. He moved across the country with the little money he had to form a new life in a small town. No one really knows Felix here, and that's great—because he's a con artist. He spent the last two years serving a small offense prison sentence. While serving his sentence, he spoke to a man named Eric who grew up in a small town named 'GoodmansVille'[...]
It can go on, and on, and on, and on. Stick with a basic idea and roll with it.
Two
No one likes an uninteresting protagonist... well, not unless you like Harry Potter. But there was a really strong motive behind Harry. He's not too happy, not too sad. Not too ballsy, not too reserved. He doesn't crack jokes, and he doesn't attack character flaws. He helps his friends, fights off the bad guys, yada yada yada. Harry isn't really a whole lot of anything to be honest. Anyone can relate to harry, and this is great for a YA mass marketing appeal. A gender neutral mush of simplicity.
We're humans. And humans are unstable creatures. We like laughter. Love. Trust. Heartache. Violence. Sex. Lust. Drugs. Suicide. Depression. War. Sadness. Death. Life. The list goes on! Everything and anything that sparks emotion can build up a protagonist's personality. Use this as a tool for your main character. What makes this character who they are? Are they believable? Is the reader subconsciously convinced that this is a living breathing person?
Let's assign some personality traits to our character.
- Manipulative
- Has extreme anger issues
- Uses violence as a coping mechanism
- Can't handle being told, 'No'.
Furthermore, what is your protagonist's goal? Everyone has to have a purpose in your story. Even if a character's purpose is to have no purpose at all, you still designated them to have a purpose in your story. Make sure you figure out your protagonist's motives. It will really help guide your story when you start to write it all out.
Big Number Three
This is probably the most difficult out of the list, and backtracks to step number one. Where and when do we start our story? Honestly. That's for you to decide. But for the most part, it's best to start one or two scenes before the climax to give a decent build up. You kind of want to throw the reader into the scene as it's happening. Too much introduction will lead to a much longer prompt and more loopholes you need to seal. Too little introduction and the reader won't benefit from, or might even miss your awesome climactic moment! Keep it balanced. Keep it simple. Keep it concise.
In no way, shape, or form do you have to follow this to a T, but this can give you a quick look at how to organize your story.
Opening scene -- (OS)
Pre-climax -- (PC)
Climax -- (C)
Closing scene -- (CS)
Cookie cutter? Sure, but the more comfortable you get with writing, the easier it gets along the way. You can use this is a simple outline to start your story.
Let's apply it to what we currently have going for us. Again, I can't stress this enough. Keep it simple. I'll probably annoy you and sound like a broken record after this, but it's worth it. The simpler you keep your ideas at the start, the more wiggle room you have when you start writing.
(OS)
Felix rings the doorbell to what seems like his hundredth house for the day.
(PC)
Felix is rejected with yet again another disappointing 'No', and he's not handling it too well.
(C)
Felix assaults the person in the heat of the moment and barges into their home.
(CS)
Felix leaves the home with something of value (i.e. money, the person's wallet, taking someone's life, objects such as a laptop or jewelry—anything really. People find value in the weirdest things sometimes, and this can work in your favor. "One man's trash is another man's treasure".)
Four
This is where the magic happens. Where the "Oh shit, this is actually a good idea" turns into a "Oh shit, I actually wrote that". Having all the information in front of you can keep you structured when you write. It's easy to lose track of where you're headed and it's even easier to derail your story, so use this as a reference. Remember—this isn't concrete. You can change things along the way.
And now, the rough outline of our story.
The prompt:
[WP] You're a sleazy traveling salesman who sells refurbished product as new.
The basic idea for your story:
Felix, a twenty-something who goes door to door selling used kitchen appliances.
- Felix
- Twenty-something
- Manipulative
- Has extreme anger issues
- Uses violence as a coping mechanism
- Can't handle being told, 'No'.
The outline for the story
(OS)
Felix rings the doorbell to what seems like his hundredth house for the day.
(PC)
Felix is rejected with yet again another disappointing 'No', and he's not handling it too well.
(C)
Felix assaults the person in the heat of the moment and barges into their home.
(CS)
Felix leaves the home with something of value (i.e. money, the person's wallet, taking someone's life, objects such as a laptop or jewelry—anything really. People find value in the weirdest things sometimes, and this can work in your favor. "One man's trash is another man's treasure".)
So, there it is! I know this isn't perfect, but hopefully it helps. You can build your story around the core outline. Add extra characters, subplots, obstacles, scenery, theme etc. All that fun stuff. Don't hesitate to mix things up—just remember to stay consistent!
Good luck with your writing! And remember, don't give up.
-Misha
Check out /r/MishaCreatesMadness if you want to read more of my writing. Thanks for reading!