How to Write a Short Story (with NO experience!)

Are you struggling to write a short story? Like, no matter what you write, you’re NOT happy with it? And no matter what advice you take, it doesn’t seem to help at all? If so, don’t worry – you’re not alone. In this video, I’m going to show you what to focus on + debunk some common short story myths so that you can write a short story that MATTERS to you!

INTERNAL CONFLICT STARTER PACK 👇

✨T I M E S T A M P S✨
0:00 Introduction
0:57 Myth #1: you need to read short stories before you can write one
2:00 Myth #2: you need to write short stories before you can write a novel
5:17 Fundamental #1: PLOT
7:02 Fundamental #2: CHARACTERS
8:00 Fundamental #3: THEME
9:54 Non-linear narration & breaking the “rules”
11:06 Subscribe for weekly writing videos!
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✨ V A L U A B L E R E S O U R C E S✨

MORE VIDEOS YOU WOULD LIKE:

→ HOW TO FIND YOUR MC'S FATAL FLAW

→ THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF EVERY STORY

→ MY SCRIVENER SETUP

→ 10 WEAK WORDS TO CUT FROM YOUR NOVEL

✨F O L L O W ✨

✨ A B O U T ✨
My name is Abbie Emmons I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the power and psychology of storytelling, transforming their ideas into a masterpiece, and creating a lifestyle that makes their author dreams come true.

Story isn’t about “what happens” — it’s about how what happens affects and transforms the characters. I believe that there is an exact science (a recipe, if you will) behind a perfect story. And if you know what ingredients you need, you can create your own perfect story with ease and confidence. That’s what we talk about every week on this channel – and if it’s something you’re into, be sure to subscribe and join this community!

[jessjohns]

“Here’s the unpopular truth: not all writers are big readers ... that will probably cause you to be more self critical and more intimidated by the idea of writing anything at all.” Thank you!

[mariamoreno]

"smaller, simpler stories where there's not much of a plot going on, because it allows the characters to shine"
i really really really loved this i'm writing it down to remember it forever <3

[ShahadA]

Unpopular opinion: writing short stories is harder than writing novels. Writing a novel may take more time, but it makes it a lot easier to make the reader attached to the plot/characters where as a short story you have limited time to make the reader care and/or understand. This video helped a lot with that! Thanks 😊

[inspite]

Hello Abbie!
I am Leo, a 12-year-old kid.

"MY MIND EXPLODED RIGHT AFTER I SAW THIS VIDEO!" Writing short stories is one of my most favorite hobbies. I love writing short stories, especially in my free time, just cuz it helps me a lot to story tell. It all started when I thought of starting a journey of writing short stories, as I loved short stories as heavens, and that moment is when I opened YouTube and thought of getting pieces of advice from YouTubers like you. I was tired of watching a lot of videos, but still not getting to write it! I tried watching a lot of videos to try writing my 1st short story, yet it didn't work! And that's until I clicked your video. After watching your video, I felt that watching your video was worth it. Three days later, I successfully finished my own short story - it was basically one whole short story, divided into two. But even though, I don't know why (and I also feel so WEIRD), I just keep on watching your video even after I finished my 1 short story! Now, I have decided to write another short story. Wish me good luck!
Thanks a lot!

Bye!!
Have a Great Day!
PEACE!!!

[sarahanncools]

"Our best is constantly changing" YES!!! This is such an important thing to remember and I think some people are afraid of this because they just want to be "their best" right now...but that'd actually mean you were just plateauing.

[nixie]

One of my short story’s I wrote it’s not a happy ending, but I shared it with random strangers on discord and they all kept telling me how good it was. 1 person said they couldn’t finish it because it was so sad. Another person said they liked it a lot because they knew enough about the character but not a lot, (the character had no gender so the reader could image them however they want.) It was interesting seeing how everyone saw it vs. how I saw it. One other person said they think how I write is really good or something like that. But seeing that people like my story’s makes me happy and encourages me to write more!!

[francescagolden]

As a visual arts student, your paper analogy was 100% accurate 😂

[crystinapierce]

I think the reason people say to start with short stories is because a lot of people have a hard time finishing a story. Once you finish one, you prove to yourself that you can and the hurdle of self doubt is lessened.

[paulinejulien]

OMG when you said "here's the unpopular truth: not all writers are big readers" I felt so acknowledged <3 I've never heard anyone say this, let alone an accomplished author like you, so this is so comforting! I've always felt self-conscious about being a writer who loved writing more than I liked reading, as if for some reason that made me less of a writer... you made my day :)

[ethepi]

One of the best pieces of advice I've heard for short stories (or flash fiction) vs longer works is...if you're having trouble finishing a longer project, try a shorter one. The more projects you finish, the more confident you may feel in your ability to write complete stories.

[hams]

"This is art, you should do it your way" Very true. The writing process should be enjoyable mainly to the WRITER.
I like reading and writing fanfictions 😍

[ArialBurnz]

Best quote: "Our best is always changing." Abbie Emmons

SOO true. Every time we write, we improve the process. Great video, Abbie...as usual.

[kkscorner]

Holy moly I literally have never written a short story before and I was thinking Man it would be so cool if I could figure out how to do that because I’m starting to write short stories, I decided to do this yesterday!

[jamquijano]

"Our best is constantly changing."

It sounds so simple and should be common sense but it's such a revelation to me. Thanks Abbie

[jula-maytaylor]

Whenever I write a short story for school it's basically just a set up for a long story...

[mariavalente]

I just won a short story contest... Been waiting for this video for EVER

[kiwigirl]

I am not a big reader! But I love to write, plot and make character profiles. I really enjoy it, so thank you for saying that not all writers are big readers.

[xchrysantha]

I did not expect to get SO MUCH from this video simply because I'm a completely novice writer looking up "how to write a story" for the first time since high school almost 15 years ago. Thank you so, so much for all the information and guidance you provided in this video, not only was it really helpful but also it was extremely encouraging when thinking about all the details and passion I already have for the story I want to write.<3

[ailsa]

Ugh, I'm so happy you made this video. Also, your disdain when talking about the advice to not have a theme for short stories was amazing. Made my day, completely.

[elisendap.h.f.]

This short story mith is also so prevalent in comic writing! You don't have to make a whole bunch of short comics to be able to make your big one, just make it!