Fool-Proof Plots for Short Stories
How to Use the ABDCE Method to Structure Your Story
Use the ABDCE method to write an effective short story and keep down plot problems.
Plot problems got you down? Can't seem to get an idea started, or can't structure your story? Try using the ABDCE method. This tried-and-true acronym can be seen working in the machinery in many of the short stories you know and love. So without further ado:
A is for action. Begin your story with a bang. If you feel unsure about where your story will pan out, just follow your pen for a little while and grab the reader's attention by hurling him into the middle of some action. It doesn't have to be Indiana Jones-style, but anything with plenty of movement and dynamism will do, like among the players of a heated soccer game, or right in the middle of a loud argument between spouses. The goal here is to hook your reader and make him want to read more about the characters.
B is for background. Now that you've gotten your reader thoroughly excited and into the world of your story, don't leave him hanging about who's who and what's what. Step outside the immediate action for a moment and provide a flashback or other expository background information about your characters, grounding them in a story. Now your reader will be excited about the action going on while also not completely lost. Don't withhold information any longer than is necessary, or you'll frustrate the reader.
D is for development. Now that you have provided both opening action and the background, the premise of the story has been set. You've wound up your story and it's time to let it go. Allow characters to clash, and further the story. You have a choice in this section, either to develop the action in the present, or to develop the background. Many successful stories are set entirely in a reflective flashback mode, recalling the past of a character and how it has shaped them. Feel free to develop your characters' background and make that the main story, as long as it actually is a story and has movement and change.
C is for climax, or conflict. Now that your story is rolling along nicely, it's time for the crucial point, the point the story has been building towards all along. This is the moment that changes the way things are permanently, that causes a shift, no matter how small. Have your characters finally say what they've been thinking to each other, or center around the meeting between two characters who have been searching for each other. Every story needs a crucial moment that brings the emotion to its peak.
E is for ending. Now that you've brought your story to its peak, it's time to wind down. Do so quickly -- no one likes a story to linger, but rather to fade swiftly and gracefully once the climax has passed. Wrap things up, but not too tidily -- this is a short story, after all, not a half-hour television show that needs all its strings tied up neatly. Whenever you're struggling to space your story out, or only have a tentative or vague idea, try the ABDCE method and use it as a series of tentpoles to hang your material on.
