How to Plot a Short Story

A great short story drops the reader into its world swiftly and holds their attention all the way through. 【小题1】 It can be as simple as knowing a few key moments you want to work your way toward. You’ll wind up with things you never imagined at the start. Follow these steps to plot your next story.

Brainstorm. You don’t need to have multiple short story ideas ready to go at a moment’s notice. 【小题2】 When that idea comes to you, sit down and flesh it out. Make note of any characters, settings, or bits of dialogue that you see.

【小题3】 The foundations of your main conflict or theme often form a short story’s rising action. To create tension and movement, you must know exactly what your character wants and what would prevent them from getting it. Conflicts can be internal or external, so imagine at what stage the reader will be meeting your character.

Create a brief outline. Sketch out (草拟) the flow of events your short story will contain, including interactions between characters and key moments. Write down identifying characteristics. But when it comes to drafting, pick your moments of backstory carefully. 【小题4】

Pick a point of view. Many short stories work well in first-person because of their brevity (简洁). 【小题5】 If your story needs to be told in second-person or third-person, that works, too. Regardless of which POV you choose, it’s usually best to center that narrative around one main character to ensure a consistent read on the situation at hand.

By making positive changes in your life you can become better. 【小题1】. Here are some quick and easy ways to help you become a better person.

Know your weaknesses.

【小题2】. For this you can ask a trusted friend or family member for help. Being unaware of your weaknesses makes it hard for you to improve. The successful people know where they aren’t strong and they use their strengths to make up for it.

Quit a bad habit.

Quitting a bad habit is good for you. It not only makes you a better person, but it makes you more confident. If you aren’t ready to quit your bad habits right away, start out with small steps. 【小题3】.

Break up with negative thinking.

Do you always see the negative side of things? 【小题4】. Negative thinking really makes you down mentally and physically. Trying to think more positively helps you reduce stress and requires you to stop making excuses.

【小题5】.

Showing other people that you care for them is a great way to be a better person. Small acts of kindness will make other people feel better and lift your spirits as well. Something just like buying a coffee for your classmates can make a huge positive impact on their and your day.

Nearly all parents want to raise confident children who believe strongly in their own abilities, but how exactly do you encourage your children to see themselves as intelligent and competent? Will calling your children “smart” help to improve confidence?

Research clearly shows that praising children for being “smart” is associated with more negative consequences than praising children for their effort. First, research finds that when children are praised for being “smart,” they tend to be less interested in the learning itself and more interested in the performance of themselves and others, as compared to children who are praised for their effort. In addition, when faced with failure, children praised for being “smart” tend to blame their failure on not being smart enough and are then more likely to just give up.

Children praised for “hard work” tend to conclude that they simply need to work harder when they fail, and thus they are more likely to be persistent. Children who are praised for being “smart” also tend to see intelligence as something they can’t change, while children praised for “hard work” are more motivated to keep learning or trying to do better.

Praising children for being “smart” may even promote cheating. Research finds that children who are referred to as “smart” are more likely to cheat than children praised for their performance (“You did very well this time.”), or not praised at all. The researchers guess that children who are called “smart” feel pressured to uphold this reputation so they cheat to make sure that their performance is consistent with being “smart”.

So try not to refer to your child as “smart” or any label that refers to their abilities. Research consistently finds that this type of “person praise” has a negative impact on motivation and persistence. Instead, praise children for their hard work and effort. You can also praise them for their focus on a task, persistence in something difficult, or the strategy they use, so instead of saying, “Wow, you are so smart,” try saying, “What a great idea to build a strong base for your tower before you started building!”