Think of an idea. Teachers often show children how to brainstorm for ideas if they cannot come up with one. The idea should involve a situation or problem.
Develop your characters. Developed characters help work out the details in the story. Encourage the students to limit the number of characters to two or three.
Determine what point of view to use to write the story. First person is a viewpoint that uses the word “I.” The story in first person is told by the narrator, who is a character in the story. When writing in second person, you use the word “you,” encouraging the reader to participate in the story. Third person is a perspective where the writer uses the words “he,” “she” or “it.”
Develop a theme. A theme is an overall meaning of the story. A theme usually teaches a valuable life lesson of some kind. After the students choose a theme, instruct them to write the story around this idea.
Create a conflict. Short stories generally have some type of conflict that a character is facing and must overcome. The theme of the story relates to how the character solves the problem and what he learns from it.
Set up a climax. Every conflict must build up to a point where it becomes a huge problem. This is called the climax of the story and it happens shortly before the character determines how to resolve the problem.
Deliver a resolution for the problem. A short story should end with the problem being resolved. The resolution should tie together the theme of the story and must present a clear ending to the story that leaves the reader satisfied. If students plan short story writings in this order, they will be able to write the story much easier.