Writing Within Limits

Writing a short story can feel almost as difficult as writing a full-length novel—and that’s without having a strict word count to keep track of.

So what are you supposed to do when you want to participate in a flash fiction contest or submit to an anthology, but you’re only working with a 5,000 word limit? Or 1,000 words? Or even 500?

Over the last four years, I’ve written quite a few short stories, and I’ve picked up quite a few tricks and solutions that have proved invaluable when it comes to creating short stories.

So here are five ways to write a short story without losing your will to live.

#1 Write the ending first

When I first started writing short stories, I would usually have no trouble starting a story, but finishing it within the word count limit was always a struggle.

I eventually overcame that issue by trying something I had never done before: writing the ending first.

I tried this method with Home, The Dragonslayer’s Birthright, Rule of Dance, and a couple other stories, and it worked extremely well!

If I know where I want my story to end up—my goal—then it’s far easier for me to work (or write) toward it.

#2 Outline

Speaking of goals, outlining is another great way to keep your short story within the word count limits.

Even if I decide to write the end of my story first, I still like to have an outline in place to ensure that my story actually works as a short story, and won’t spiral out of control and turn into a novella or novel.

But don’t panic! I should mention that my short story outlines are rarely long or detailed. 

For example, here’s an outline I made for a short story I wrote a couple years ago:

Short Story: Following the Cloud

Characters:

Avara – A princess on her way home from a “diplomatic” meeting.

Cloud – A fluffy white cat with a golden collar.

Setting: Somewhere in the desert.

Beginning – Avara gets stranded out in the desert after a bandit attack, and then a sandstorm that wipes out her entire entourage and covers up the road so she has no idea where to go.

Middle – A fluffy white cat with a golden collar suddenly appears and gives Avara hope that there might be civilization nearby.

End – Avara stumbles after the cat while dealing with her internal struggle, and just as she’s about to give up and collapse, she spots her home city in the distance and realizes that the cat has disappeared.

That’s the entire short story in three sentences—and yes, it may sound boring and stale when reduced to a few lines. But now I can go in and add the details that will make the story interesting to read.

Like the story’s conflicts:

External Conflict – Avara is stranded in the middle of the desert with no food or water.

Internal Conflict – Avara’s survivor’s guilt vs her instinct to stay alive.

Philosophical Question – Does everything in life happen by design, or is everything just a matter of chance?

By using these conflicts and doing a bit of worldbuilding and character development, I’m able to give the story more depth, and make it far more interesting to read—all while staying within my word count.

#3 Keep The Character Cast Small

As tragic as it is, it’s better to keep the characters down to a minimum when it comes to writing short stories and flash fiction—at least when it comes to characters who are actively involved in the storyline. (And by “active” I mean that they have dialogue, motivations, or a significant impact on the plot)

Mentioning or briefly showing inactive characters (characters who may not have dialogue, motivations, or a significant impact on the plot) can also work as long as it makes sense within the context of the story.

For short stories between 500-2,000 words long, I usually only include one or two active characters.

For short stories between 2,000-6,000 words long, I might bump that up to three or four characters if I find it necessary.

#4 Keep The Scene/Setting Changes To A Minimum

Just like characters, it’s far easier to stay within the confines of your word count if you aren’t describing a new scene or setting every two seconds. 

That doesn’t mean that you can’t ever let your characters travel, or change settings… It just means that you should try to limit the number of new places and scenes that you introduce into your story.

#5 Keep An Eye On Word Count—But Don’t Stop Writing

The biggest piece of advice I can give you is that, while you should definitely pay attention to word count while you’re writing your short story, staying within the limits is not as important than actually finishing the first draft of the story.

Remember: you can’t edit what has not been written. 

So go ahead and write your short story, and if you need to cut out some lines, dialogue, or descriptions afterward in order to get your word count down, then that’s okay!

It’s just another part of the storytelling process, and it’ll be completely worth it in the end.

Before You Go…

Do you enjoy writing short stories or flash fiction? Do you find that you have trouble staying within a specific word count, or is it easy for you to work with a limited word count?

Let me know down in the comments!

And if you haven’t heard already, The Company is hosting a Spring Writing Challenge, and it’s still not too late to join in on the fun.

Click here to check it out!