PDF Summary:The Master Guides: Storytelling for Fiction Writers, by Shortform

Storytelling is an elusive art—you may have found yourself moved to tears by a story without fully understanding why. This makes writing fiction a tricky endeavor. Is it possible to learn how to capture and communicate this kind of emotional magic? Arguably, yes. The same basic storytelling principles apply no matter what kind of story you want to write—whether it’s a hilarious short film, a heart-wrenching novel, or a chilling horror audio drama.

For this Master Guide, we’ve collected and distilled advice from successful authors and storytelling experts, including Stephen King, Robert McKee, and Lisa Cron. You’ll learn how to structure your story in a way that makes sense to audiences, use your characters to communicate your story’s theme, and convey your unique voice through your storytelling.

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• Story structure
• Symbolism
• A unique voice

Complex Component #1: Story Structure

Experts generally agree that effective stories loosely follow the same pattern—this is called story structure. Rob Biesenbach asserts that people tend to think of a story as any narrative with a beginning, a middle, and an end, but he thinks this definition of a story is too simplistic. Certain things need to happen at each point in the structure to make a story: The structure of beginning, middle, and end on its own is merely a series of events ordered from start to finish.

Biesenbach explains how you can map the essential elements of character, goal, and obstacles onto the familiar beginning-middle-end arc:

• At the beginning, set the scene, introduce your character, and set up an event that pushes your character into action to pursue their goal.
• In the middle, show the character working to overcome the obstacles that stand between them and their goal.
• At the end, give the character (and the audience) a resolution: Either the character reaches their goal or they don’t. (Without a resolution, your story will feel anticlimactic, frustrate your audience, and leave them confused about your message.)

Additionally, Robert McKee argues that to make a story continuously interesting, you must incrementally heighten the risk your protagonist is experiencing over the course of the story.

In life, we judge how valuable something is by how much we’re willing to risk or sacrifice for it, explains McKee. Thus, creating a protagonist who’s willing to risk everything they have is the most direct way to make an audience feel like the protagonist’s actions are important and meaningful.

If the protagonist continues to act in the same way, the audience knows to expect the same kinds of results, and they’ll get bored. Instead, force your protagonist to take progressively riskier and more extreme actions. That way, the audience knows that these actions will have new, interesting consequences, and they’ll be captivated.

Complex Component #2: Symbolism

Another way you can add complexity to your story is with symbolism: the use of an object or word to represent an idea other than its literal meaning. Stephen King states that you can use symbols as a focusing device, reinforcing your story’s central theme. Don’t decide on your symbols before you write the story—according to King, it’ll feel artificial. Instead, unearth the symbol as you write your story. When you revise, look for symbols you can bring out and refine, as though you were excavating and polishing a gem.

For instance, in Carrie, King noticed only after writing that blood perfused the story: It appeared at the beginning (when Carrie has her period), at the climax (in a prank in which Carrie was doused with pig’s blood), and at the end (where a survivor of Carrie’s wrath has her own period). King wasn’t conscious of this pattern while writing, but he found it meaningful when reading back over the story. Throughout the story, he tried to connect blood to its many connotations—sacrifice, women’s coming of age, and heredity.

That said, don’t assume that filling your story with symbols will automatically make it interesting to the audience. Thomas C. Foster warns that a symbol’s literal meaning within the narrative will always be its primary purpose, and its metaphorical meaning is secondary to that. If a novel is unsuccessful at telling the story, no amount of symbolism will change that. On the other hand, if a novel presents a great story and a variety of figurative symbols and imagery, that’s the sign of a great piece of literature.

Complex Component #3: A Unique Voice

The final component of a great story we’ll discuss is the storyteller’s unique voice. Rob Biesenbach contends that in addition to telling your audience something about themselves, a good story tells them something about you. By revealing something about who you are, the right story humanizes you. It illustrates how you see the world, communicates how you’re unique, and makes you memorable.

In On Writing Well, nonfiction writer William Zinsser contends that identity is a writer’s most recognizable quality. If someone likes your identity and the way you tell stories, they’ll seek out more of your stories because they’re interested in what you have to say and how you say it.

To develop your unique style, start by writing for yourself. Zinsser explains that your identity will shine through when you write about things that you want to write about. Or, ask yourself what you want to read, and write about that. By letting your interests direct your writing topic, you’ll be more passionate when writing about it.

In The Practice, nonfiction writer Seth Godin offers a caveat to this advice: Sharing your unique voice doesn’t always mean sharing your “authentic” voice. There’s a common misconception that successful artists should strive for authenticity by sharing their innermost thoughts and feelings. But Godin points out that very few things are truly authentic—almost everything we do is the result of a series of intentional choices. Godin advises you to create art in such a way that the audience has what feels like an authentic experience—which doesn’t necessarily involve using your authentic voice.

For example, if you wanted to write an effective personal essay, you wouldn’t just tear a page out of your journal that contains unfiltered, authentic thoughts. You’d need to make choices about the structure of your essay, the dialogue, and the characters. You’d need to decide which of your inner thoughts the audience needs to know and which don’t serve the story. While your writing voice certainly isn’t “fake,” it’s also not an exact match for the voice you use in everyday life.

How to Actually Write a Story

Now that we’ve outlined the main ingredients of an effective story, let’s discuss the writing process. We’ve drawn on the advice of several experts to distill the writing process into five steps:

• Step #1: Find story ideas
• Step #2: Write a first draft
• Step #3: Take a break
• Step #4: Revise your story
• Step #5: Declare the story finished and share it

Step #1: Find Story Ideas

Before you can write a story, you have to know what to write about. But how do you come up with story ideas? Rob Biesenbach recommends noticing the stories that play out in your everyday life. You can also interview people about their stories. Alternatively, plumb your own personal history for stories that relate to the message you want to convey, like calling on a childhood memory of building a treehouse to talk about collaboration.

Stephen King advises writers to “write what they know.” However, he’s not referring to what you literally know (otherwise nobody could write about going to Mars). Rather, he means you should write about the truths you understand—what life feels like, how romance and friendships develop, and the details of your work, for example. You know some unique truths about the world, and these truths will make your writing unique.

In Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) asserts that all creative people get their ideas from a mystical or spiritual force of creativity that she calls “Big Magic.” According to Gilbert, Big Magic is always trying to leave clues to help you in your creative pursuit. All you need to do is look out for these clues.

Gilbert writes that clues can take the form of coincidences, items of beauty, dreams, feelings of déjà vu, and other strange occurrences that interrupt usual daily life. For example, imagine you’re traveling by bus in a foreign country and accidentally get off at the wrong stop on your way to an attraction. You wander down empty streets with no idea of where you’re going or how to get back home. Suddenly, you come upon a magnificent ancient structure. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen and immediately makes you think of a panel of your graphic novel about the ancient world that you haven’t quite been able to get right. This apparent accident was Big Magic leaving you a clue.

Step #2: Write a First Draft

Next, how do you write the first draft of your story? We’ve split this step up into two parts: one on the drafting mindset and the other on specific drafting strategies.

The First Draft Mindset

Here are three tips on how to cultivate an effective writing mindset:

Tip #1: Don’t wait for inspiration. According to Seth Godin, creativity is an action, not a feeling. If you want to create art of any kind, you don’t sit around waiting until you feel creative: You put in the work, day after day, and creativity follows. Committing to action can change how you feel and change your beliefs about yourself. Identities like “writer” and “artist” aren’t innate; they’re a choice. If you want to be an artist, make art, Godin says. You become what you do.

One benefit of a consistent practice is that you’re working every day and constantly moving forward, so it’s harder to get “blocked.” You create regardless of whether you want to or not and regardless of whether or not you're inspired. It’s better to create something that’s not great and work to improve it than to say you’re stuck and not create anything at all.

Tip #2: Focus on the journey, not the destination. As you approach a new project, Elizabeth Gilbert stresses that your enjoyment of the creative journey should be your only focus. Let go of any goals or desired outcomes and prioritize the process. According to Gilbert, if you create to receive external validation or to achieve something in particular, you make your creativity contingent upon forces outside of your control. You’re then much more likely to give up your pursuit if you don’t achieve your goals.

Gilbert advises specifically against striving for some perceived form of “success.” You ultimately have little control over your creative success, so to avoid anguish and unhappiness, don’t even aim for it.

Tip #3: Protect your story from the outside world. When you write your first draft, Stephen King suggests that you close your door. He means this both literally and metaphorically. Literally, close your study or office door to help you focus and block out the outside world. Metaphorically, write the first draft of your story just for you. By and large, don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. There is no outside world. The story belongs to you.

First Draft Writing Strategies

Stephen King recommends writing your first draft before you know where the story is going. Arranging a plot before you write the story feels artificial. Our lives are plotless—we don’t know in advance what’s going to happen—and that gives life a constantly surprising, entertaining flavor. Writing a story shouldn’t be any different. King believes the story reveals itself as he writes.

Writing this way, without plot, helps in a few ways. First, it creates a more truthful story. If you force the arc to move in a particular way, your characters may behave unrealistically, contorted to fit the plot. In contrast, if you merely observe how characters behave, they’ll be more likely to ring true. Second, this style of writing maintains suspense—if you as the author are held in suspense during the writing, your audience probably will be too. King also recommends you write as quickly as you comfortably can. This keeps your enthusiasm high and limits the extent to which self-doubt can creep in.

Another strategy is to write an outline before you begin the first draft. Robert McKee recommends writers begin with an outline that’s solely an overview of the plot, without dialogue or elaborate scene descriptions. Since you’re essentially writing your entire story in outline form, this step will take up the majority of your time. McKee recommends outlining many more scenes than you end up using. The way to find outstanding ideas is to write as many of them as possible, then select the very best and throw the rest away.

Once you have a complete outline of the story, McKee recommends pitching it to a friend. Tell them the entire story, beat by beat. Keep fine-tuning your outline until you have a story that reliably impacts your friends emotionally. That way, you don’t waste time fleshing out a story that doesn’t work.

Step #3: Take a Break

After you’ve finished your first draft, some experts recommend taking a break from your writing. Stephen King suggests taking at least six weeks off from your draft and working on shorter pieces like novellas or short stories. During this time, resist the temptation to read your draft: The point is to get distance from it so you can be a more objective critic when you revise. That way, it’ll be easier to “kill your darlings”—cut weak elements of your story that you feel attached to despite their flaws.

You may not need to wait until your first draft is finished to take a break—Elizabeth Gilbert recommends stepping away whenever you find yourself struggling to progress. Find a different creative pursuit to engage with temporarily. By engaging in a creative activity you have no prior investment in, and by having no expectation of quality results, you’re often able to re-access your creative playfulness. That playfulness can then find its way into your original project, unblocking you.

Step #4: Revise Your Story

Next, it’s time to revise your story. William Zinsser contends that although many writers avoid rewriting, all great writers revise their work—no one writes a masterpiece on the first try. Rewriting is part of the writing process, so don’t skip this crucial step. This process will help you find better, simpler ways of expressing your ideas.

Stephen King asserts that when you revise, you need to “open your door.” Think about your audience and how to make at least some of them happy. Take in feedback from people you trust and work to reconcile their feedback with your vision.

As you revise, King suggests you ask yourself big-picture questions: What’s the story about? Is there a theme? Are there recurring elements? Is the story coherent? Polish these big-picture ideas as well as fixing the small, specific issues. Once you define your theme, add scenes and shape the story to strengthen the theme.

Step #5: Declare the Story Finished and Share It

Finally, you have to finish your story. Some experts contend this step is more difficult than it appears: To finish and share your work, you must overcome perfectionism—which is, according to Elizabeth Gilbert, one of the greatest mental obstacles to creativity. She believes that no matter how hard you try, you’ll never be able to attain perfection: There’ll always be a way someone can find your work lacking. It’s therefore pointless to strive for perfection and better just to create something imperfect and put it into the world.

To curb perfectionism, take pride in the completion of a project rather than in the attainment of an ideal, recommends Gilbert. Many creators don’t complete projects, so finishing is an achievement in itself.

Seth Godin takes this idea further, asserting that sharing “bad” work or ideas is essential to creating good work. Sharing work that’s not good shows you that you can survive it and learn from it. To this end, he recommends promising to deliver your work on a schedule, no matter how each project turns out.

Shortform Resources

For more practical tips that will help you write stories, see the following Shortform guides:

• Unleash the Power of Storytelling, Rob Biesenbach
• On Writing, Stephen King
• Wired for Story, Lisa Cron
• On Writing Well, William Zinsser

For more information on the theory behind storytelling, see:

• Story, Robert McKee
• How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster
• The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell

For more general advice on how to live a productive, creative life, see:

• The Practice, Seth Godin
• Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert