Short Story

For quick tales that deliver an emotional punch.

Overview

Short stories usually introduce a main character that’s having a particular problem, and follows their journey trying to solve it. It's important to show some type of transformation in either the world of the story, the situation, or the character themselves. This template will, above all, help you keep things simple and focused on your main character’s struggle. It's built on the principles of the MICE Quotient, a clever framework that keeps story events tidy, well-timed, and symmetrical across the story's structure. It's pre-populated with plot threads for the four MICE Quotient story types: Milieu, Inquiry, Character and Event. See the links below to learn more about MICE.

Structure

  1. Setup

    Briefly orients the reader to the story's protagonist, their surroundings and a problem they face.

  2. Try/Fail Cycle

    The protagonist makes a series of attempts to solve their problem and is set back further each time. Each attempt introduces another challenge they need to overcome.

  1. Try/Resolve

    Brings the story to rapid conclusion with an event that causes transformation for the character, situation, or story world.