Pernell Rogers – Writer

Hi again! In a previous post, I mentioned many of the short stories I want to develop into full stories revolve around events or situations with my characters instead of being complete stories. Well, I happened upon a website (below) that explained the difference between the two, and it was a revelation:

www.writermag.com/improve-your-writing/fiction/how-to-structure-a-premise-for-stronger-stories/

I used the following criteria to see if my short stories or fresh story ideas were situations or were eligible to become complete stories:

A situation is a problem or predicament with an obvious and direct solution.
A situation does not reveal character; it tests problem-solving skills.
A situation has no (or few) subplots, twists, or complications.
A situation begins and ends in the same emotional space that it started in.

I discovered that most of my ideas were situations, but sprinkled among them were stories that could be developed if I added more characters and explored the motivations behind their actions in more detail. I wish I would have found it sooner, but I’m glad I found it, anyway.

For a story, I should be able to make a complete sentence describing its premise:

[When] some event sparks a character to action, that [character acts] with deliberate purpose [until] that action is opposed by an external force, [leading to] some conclusion.

In the 11 years I’ve spent learning how to write stories, I’d never run across any websites or books that made the distinction, but thanks to my editor, I started doing more research, and I look at my story ideas much closer now. Take care!

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