Writing exercise: create a short story in five sentences!
Tried and tested approach to fun storytelling.
Want a lightning fast way to create stories? Read on!
This newsletter is about horror stories and the craft of storytelling. There are weekly posts with new short fiction, critiques, tips, exercises, and more. If you enjoy my writing, please help spread the word through subscribing, liking, and sharing this post.
A couple of weeks ago I published The Last Game in the Universe, a tiny little <300 word short story. The idea came from an exercise introduced to me in a writing workshop by Jericca Cleland. She’s kindly given me permission to share the method here.
A story in five sentences
Sentence 1: Introduce two characters and a setting.
Sentence 2: Introduce what they are doing.
Sentence 3: Introduce a problem.
Sentence 4: Make it worse.
Sentence 5: Create a solution and a resolution. (This is often a long sentence!)
Jerrica notes:
[This method] is based in an open improvisation format (TheatreSports, created by Keith Johnstone)
… but she adapted it to a film and broader storytelling context.
You can use this as a storytelling game by taking turns to make up a sentence.
That fifth sentence, where you resolve everything, is often a big one with a lot of elements, but it’s definitely doable!
What I love about this, beyond the simplicity, is how it:
centralises the escalation of conflict
emphasises the pacing
hits the key moments needed for a simple story.
It’s also a superb starting point to expand something into a bigger story: if you have fun with this short version, you’ll have a solid basis for something bigger.
Let’s give it a try:
Example 1:
Sentence 1: Introduce two characters and a setting.
Victor the vigilante is stuck on a raft in the middle of the ocean with Corina the criminal.
Sentence 2: Introduce what they are doing.
They are arguing about what will happen when they are rescued: the Victor wants to turn the criminal over to the police, whereas Corina says she should be given a second chance.
Sentence 3: Introduce a problem.
A massive storm blows towards them.
Sentence 4: Make it worse.
Their raft capsizes, tossing them both into the ocean and separating them.
Sentence 5: Create a solution and a resolution.
Victor drifts on a piece of wreckage for days, until one day he sees a tiny boat steering towards him, and on the boat is Corina the criminal who was rescued but refused to escape until the vigilante was rescued too, showing Corina meant what she said about trying to be a better person.
Example 2:
Sentence 1: Introduce two characters and a setting.
An old lady befriends a beautiful young woman at a small party in a countryside mansion.
Sentence 2: Introduce what they are doing.
They mingle with the guests, and the old lady learns the young woman harbours a terrible hatred of the party’s host.
Sentence 3: Introduce a problem.
The host of the party is murdered, stabbed to death.
Sentence 4: Make it worse.
The beautiful young woman is found with the knife in her bag.
Sentence 5: Create a solution and a resolution.
The old woman discovers host has conspired with a make-up effects expert to frame the young woman, faking his own death for insurance fraud, and planned to leave the country to escape debt and start a new life elsewhere.
Your turn!
Try it yourself and see if you find a new story idea. I’d love to read anything you come up with in the comments.
That’s it for this week, see you next time!
Mata xoxo
I don't have time to try it right now, but this does sound like a good way to work around writer's block.