How to Write a Short Story in 9 Simple Steps
如何透過 9 個簡單步驟寫一個短篇故事

This post is written by UK writer Robert Grossmith. His short stories have been widely anthologized, including in The Time Out Book of London Short Stories, The Best of Best Short Stories, and The Penguin Book of First World War Stories. You can collaborate with him on your own short stories here on Reedsy.  
這篇文章由英國作家羅伯特·格羅斯史密斯撰寫。他的短篇小說已被廣泛收錄，包括《倫敦短篇小說超時集》 、《最佳短​​篇小說精選》和《企鵝第一次世界大戰故事集》 。您可以在 Reedsy 上與他合作創作您自己的短篇小說。

The joy of writing short stories is, in many ways, tied to its limitations.  Developing characters, conflict, and a premise within a few pages is a thrilling challenge that many writers relish — even after they've "graduated" to long-form fiction.
在許多方面，寫短篇小說的樂趣與其限制有關。在幾頁紙內發展人物、衝突和前提是許多作家津津樂道的一項令人興奮的挑戰——即使他們已經「畢業」到長篇小說了。

In this article, I’ll take you through the process of writing a short story, from idea conception to the final draft.
在這篇文章中，我將帶您完成短篇小說的寫作過程，從構思到最終草稿。

How to write a short story:
如何寫短篇小說：

But first, let’s talk about what makes a short story different from a novel.
但首先，我們來談談短篇小說與長篇小說的差異。

1. Know what a short story is versus a novel
1. 了解什麼是短篇小說和長篇小說

The simple answer to this question, of course, is that the short story is shorter than the novel, usually coming in at between, say, 1,000-15,000 words. Any shorter and you’re into flash fiction territory. Any longer and you’re approaching novella length. 
當然，這個問題的簡單答案是短篇小說比長篇小說短，通常在 1,000 到 15,000 字之間。如果再短一點，你就會進入快閃小說領域。再長一點，你就接近中篇小說的長度了。

As far as other features are concerned, it’s easier to define the short story by what it lacks compared to the novel. For example, the short story usually has:
就其他特徵而言，與長篇小說相比，短篇小說更容易透過其缺乏的內容來定義。例如，短篇小說通常有：

• fewer characters than a novel
  人物數量比小說還少
• a single point of view, either first person or third person
  單一視角，無論是第一人稱或第三人稱
• a single storyline without subplots
  沒有次要情節的單一故事情節
• less in the way of back story or exposition than a novel
  與小說相比，較少的背景故事或說明

If backstory is needed at all, it should come late in the story and be kept to a minimum.
如果確實需要背景故事，它應該出現在故事的後期並保持在最低限度。

It’s worth remembering, too, that some of the best short stories consist of a single dramatic episode in the form of a vignette or epiphany.
還值得記住的是，一些最好的短篇小說由一個小插曲或頓悟形式的戲劇性情節組成。

2. Pick a simple, central premise
2. 選擇一個簡單的中心前提

A short story can begin life in all sorts of ways.
一個短篇故事可以以各種方式開始。

It may be suggested by a simple but powerful image that imprints itself on the mind. It may derive from the contemplation of a particular character type — someone you know perhaps — that you’re keen to understand and explore.
它可以透過一個簡單但有力的圖像來暗示，該圖像印在腦海中。它可能源自於對特定角色類型（也許是你認識的人）的思考，你熱衷於理解和探索。
It may arise out of a memorable incident in your own life.
它可能源自於您自己生活中難忘的事件。

But in most of these cases, it seems to me, the first heartbeat (the “throb,” as Vladimir Nabokov puts it) of a new story is similar: it’s a brief capsule premise that contains within itself the germ of a more complex and sophisticated narrative.
但在我看來，在大多數情況下，一個新故事的第一次心跳（弗拉基米爾·納博科夫所說的“悸動”）是相似的：它是一個簡短的膠囊前提，其中包含一個更複雜和更複雜的萌芽。

For example:
例如：

• Kafka began “The Metamorphosis” with the intuition that a premise in which the protagonist wakes one morning to find he’s been transformed into a giant insect would allow him to explore questions about human relationships and the human condition.
  卡夫卡以一種直覺開始了《變形記》 ，即主人公一天早上醒來發現自己變成了一隻巨大的昆蟲，這將使他能夠探索有關人際關係和人類狀況的問題。
• Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener” takes the basic idea of a lowly clerk who decides he will no longer do anything he doesn’t personally wish to do, and turns it into a multi-layered tale capable of a variety of interpretations.
  赫爾曼·梅爾維爾的《書記官巴特比》的基本思想是，一個低等職員決定不再做任何他個人不願意做的事情，並將其變成一個可以有多種解釋的多層次故事。

When I look back on some of my own short stories, I find a similar dynamic at work: a simple originating idea slowly expands to become something more nuanced and less formulaic. 
當我回顧自己的一些短篇小說時，我發現了類似的動力在起作用：一個簡單的原始想法慢慢擴展為更細緻、更不公式化的東西。

So how do you find this “first heartbeat” of your own short story? Here are several ways to do so. 
那麼你要如何找到自己的短篇小說的「第一次心跳」呢？這裡有幾種方法可以做到這一點。

Experiment with writing prompts
嘗試書寫提示

Eagle-eyed readers will notice that the story premises mentioned above actually have a great deal in common with writing prompts like the ones put forward each week in Reedsy’s short story competition. Try it out! These prompts are often themed in a way that’s designed to narrow the focus for the writer so that one isn’t confronted with a completely blank canvas.
目光敏銳的讀者會注意到，上述的故事前提實際上與里德西短篇小說比賽中每週提出的寫作提示有很多共同點。嘗試一下！這些提示的主題通常旨在縮小作者的注意力，這樣人們就不會面對完全空白的畫布。

Turn to the originals
轉向原文

Take a story or novel you admire and think about how you might rework it, changing a key element.
拿一個你欣賞的故事或小說，思考如何修改它，改變一個關鍵元素。
(“Pride and Prejudice and Vampires” is perhaps an extreme product of this exercise.) It doesn’t matter that your proposed reworking will probably never amount to more than a skimpy mental reimagining — it may well throw up collateral narrative possibilities along the way.
（《傲慢與偏見與吸血鬼》也許是這個練習的一個極端產物。）沒關係，你提議的重做可能永遠不會超過一種膚淺的心理重新想像——它很可能會一路上拋出附帶的敘事可能性。

Keep a notebook
保留一本筆記本

Finally, keep a notebook in which to jot down stray observations and story ideas whenever they occur to you. Again, most of what you write will be stuff you never return to, and it may even fail to make sense when you reread it.
最後，保留一本筆記本，以便在您想到時記下零星觀察和故事想法。再說一次，你寫的大部分內容將是你永遠不會再回頭看的東西，甚至當你重讀時也可能無法理解。
But lurking among the dross may be that one rough diamond that makes all the rest worthwhile. 
但潛伏在渣滓之中的一顆鑽石原石可能讓其他一切都變得有價值。

3. Build a small but distinct cast of characters
3. 建立一個小而獨特的角色陣容

Like I mentioned earlier, short stories usually contain far fewer characters than novels. Readers also need to know far less about the characters in a short story than we do in a novel (sometimes it’s the lack of information about a particular character in a story that adds to the mystery surrounding them, making them more compelling).
正如我之前提到的，短篇小說所包含的人物通常比長篇小說少得多。讀者對短篇小說中的人物的了解也比我們對小說中的人物要少得多（有時，缺乏關於故事中特定人物的信息會增加他們周圍的神秘感，使他們更引人注目）。

Yet it remains the case that creating memorable characters should be one of your principal goals. Think of your own family, friends and colleagues. Do you ever get them confused with one another? Probably not. 
然而，創造令人難忘的角色仍然應該是你的主要目標之一。想想你自己的家人、朋友和同事。您是否曾經將它們彼此混淆過？可能不會。

Your dramatis personae should be just as easily distinguishable from one another, either through their appearance, behavior, speech patterns, or some other unique trait. If you find yourself struggling, a character profile template like the one you can download for free below is particularly helpful in this stage of writing.   
你的劇中人物應該很容易透過外表、行為、言語模式或其他一些獨特特徵來區分。如果您發現自己陷入困境，那麼像下面可以免費下載的角色設定檔範本在這一階段的寫作中特別有幫助。

For example:
例如：

• “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman features a cast of two: the narrator and her husband. How does Gilman give her narrator uniquely identifying features?
  夏洛特·帕金斯·吉爾曼的《黃色壁紙》有兩個演員：敘述者和她的丈夫。吉爾曼如何賦予她的敘事者獨特的辨識特徵？
• “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe features a cast of three: the narrator, the old man, and the police. How does Poe use speech patterns in dialogue and within the text itself to convey important information about the narrator?
  愛倫坡的《洩密的心》由三人組成：敘述者、老人和警察。坡如何在對話和文本本身中使用言語模式來傳達敘述者的重要訊息？
• “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor is perhaps an exception: its cast of characters amounts to a whopping (for a short story) nine. How does she introduce each character? In what way does she make each character, in particular The Misfit, distinct?
  弗蘭納裡·奧康納（Flannery O'Connor）的《好人難尋》也許是一個例外：它的人物陣容（對於短篇小說）多達九個。她如何介紹每個角色？她如何讓每個角色，特別是“不合時宜的人”，變得與眾不同？

4. Begin writing close to the end
4. 接近尾聲時開始寫作

It was Kurt Vonnegut who said you should start as close to the story end as possible. 
庫爾特馮內果說你應該盡可能接近故事的結局開始。

He’s right: avoid the preliminary exposition or extended scene-setting. Begin your story by plunging straight into the heart of the action. What most readers want from a story is drama and conflict, and this is often best achieved by beginning in media res. You have no time to waste in a short story. The first sentence of your story is crucial, and needs to grab the reader’s attention to make them want to read on. 
他是對的：避免初步的闡述或擴展的場景設定。從直接進入動作的核心開始你的故事。大多數讀者希望從故事中獲得戲劇性和衝突，而這通常最好從媒體資源開始實現。你沒有時間浪費在短篇小說上。故事的第一句話至關重要，需要吸引讀者的注意力，讓他們想繼續閱讀。

One way to do this is to write an opening sentence that makes the reader ask questions. For example, Kingsley Amis once said, tongue-in-cheek, that in the future he would only read novels that began with the words: “A shot rang out.”
一個方法是寫一個開頭句，讓讀者提出問題。例如，金斯利‧艾米斯曾半開玩笑地說，以後他只會讀這樣開頭的小說：「一聲槍響」。

This simple sentence is actually quite telling. It introduces the stakes: there’s an immediate element of physical danger, and therefore jeopardy for someone. But it also raises questions that the reader will want answered. Who fired the shot?
這簡單的一句話，其實也很能說明問題。它介紹了風險：存在直接的人身危險因素，因此會對某人造成危險。但它也提出了讀者想要回答的問題。是誰開槍的？
Who or what were they aiming at, and why? Where is this happening?
他們的目標是誰或什麼？這是哪裡發生的事？

We read fiction for the most part to get answers to questions. For example, if you begin your story with a character who behaves in an unexpected way, the reader will want to know why he or she is behaving like this. What motivates their unusual behavior?
我們閱讀小說大部分是為了得到問題的答案。例如，如果您以一個行為方式出乎意料的角色開始故事，讀者會想知道他或她為什麼會這樣做。是什麼促使他們做出不尋常的行為？
Do they know that what they’re doing or saying is odd? Do they perhaps have something to hide? Can we trust this character? 
他們知道自己所做或所說的事很奇怪嗎？他們或許有什麼難言之隱嗎？我們可以相信這個角色嗎？

As the author, you can answer these questions later (that is, answer them dramatically rather than through exposition).
作為作者，你可以稍後回答這些問題（即，戲劇性地回答它們，而不是透過闡述）。
But since we’re speaking of the beginning of a story, at the moment it’s enough simply to deliver an opening sentence that piques the reader’s curiosity, raises questions, and keeps them reading.
但既然我們談論的是故事的開頭，那麼目前只需提供一個開頭句來激發讀者的好奇心、提出問題並讓他們繼續閱讀就足夠了。

5. Shut out your internal editor
5. 關閉你的內部編輯

“Anything goes” should be your maxim when embarking on your first draft. 
「一切皆有可能」應該是你開始初稿時的座右銘。

By that, I mean: kill the editor in your head and give your imagination free rein. Remember, you’re beginning with a blank page. Anything you put down will improve what’s currently there, which is nothing.
我的意思是：殺死你腦中的編輯器，釋放你的想像。請記住，您是從一張空白頁開始的。你放下的任何東西都會改善目前的情況，而這沒什麼。
And there’s a prescription for any obstacle you might encounter at this stage of writing. 
對於您在寫作的這個階段可能遇到的任何障礙，這裡有一個解決方案。

• Worried that you’re overwriting? Don’t worry. It’s easier to cut material in later drafts once you’ve sketched out the whole story. 
  擔心你覆蓋了？不用擔心。一旦你勾勒出整個故事的輪廓，在以後的草稿中刪減材料就更容易了。
• Got stuck, but know what happens later? Leave a gap. There’s no necessity to write the story sequentially. You can always come back and fill in the gap once the rest of the story is complete. 
  被卡住了，但知道以後會發生什麼事嗎？留一個間隙。沒有必要按順序寫故事。故事的其餘部分完成後，您隨時可以回來填補空白。
• Have a half-developed scene that’s hard for you to get onto the page? Write it in note form for the time being. You might find that it relieves the pressure of having to write in complete sentences from the get-go.
  有一個半開發的場景讓您難以進入頁面嗎？暫時寫成筆記形式。您可能會發現它減輕了從一開始就必須寫出完整句子的壓力。

Most of my stories were begun with no idea of their eventual destination, but merely an approximate direction of travel. To put it another way, I’m a ‘pantser’ (flying by the seat of my pants, making it up as I go along) rather than a planner.
我的大多數故事都是在不知道最終目的地的情況下開始的，而只是一個大概的行進方向。換句話說，我是一個「褲子」（憑感覺行事，邊走邊編）而不是計畫者。
There is, of course, no right way to write your first draft. What matters is that you have a first draft on your hands at the end of the day. 
當然，沒有正確的方法來寫初稿。重要的是一天結束時你手上有一份初稿。

6. Finish the first draft
6.完成初稿

It’s hard to overstate the importance of the ending of a short story: it can rescue an inferior story or ruin an otherwise superior one. 
短篇小說結局的重要性怎麼強調都不為過：它可以拯救一個低劣的故事，也可以毀掉一個原本優秀的故事。

If you’re a planner, you will already know the broad outlines of the ending. If you’re a pantser like me, you won’t — though you’ll hope that a number of possible endings will have occurred to you in the course of writing and rewriting the story! 
如果你是策劃者，你就會知道結局的大致輪廓。如果你像我一樣是個愛褲子的人，你就不會——儘管你會希望在寫作和重寫故事的過程中你會想到許多可能的結局！

In both cases, keep in mind that what you’re after is an ending that’s true to the internal logic of the story without being obvious or predictable. What you want to avoid is an ending that evokes one of two reactions:
在這兩種情況下，請記住，您所追求的是一個符合故事內部邏輯的結局，而不是顯而易見或可預測的。你要避免的是會引起以下兩種反應之一的結局：

1. “Is that it?” aka “The author has failed to resolve the questions raised by the story.”
   “是這樣嗎？”又名“作者未能解決故事提出的問題。”
2. “WTF!” aka “This ending is simply confusing.”
   “臥槽！”又名“這個結局簡直令人困惑。”

7. Edit the short story
7. 編輯短篇小說

Like Truman Capote said, “Good writing is rewriting.”
正如杜魯門·卡波特所說：“好的寫作就是重寫。”

Once you have a first draft, the real work begins. This is when you move things around, tightening the nuts and bolts of the piece to make sure it holds together and resembles the shape it took in your mind when you first conceived it. 
一旦有了初稿，真正的工作就開始了。這是當你移動東西，擰緊零件的螺母和螺栓以確保它固定在一起並且類似於你第一次構思它時的形狀。

In most cases, this means reading through your first draft again (and again). In this stage of editing, think to yourself:
在大多數情況下，這意味著一遍又一遍地閱讀你的初稿。在這個編輯階段，請自己思考：

• Which narrative threads are already in place?
  哪些敘事線索已經就位？
• Which may need to be added or developed further?
  哪些可能需要進一步增加或開發？
• Which need to perhaps be eliminated altogether?
  哪些可能需要完全消除？

All that’s left afterward is the final polish. Here’s where you interrogate every word, every sentence, to make sure it’s earned its place in the story:
接下來剩下的就是最後的潤飾了。在這裡你可以詢問每個單字、每個句子，以確保它在故事中佔有一席之地：

• Is that really what I mean?
  這真的是我的意思嗎？
• Could I have said that better?
  我可以說得更好嗎？
• Have I used that word correctly?
  我正確地使用了這個詞嗎？
• Is that sentence too long?
  這句話是不是太長了？
• Have I removed any clichés? 
  我刪除了任何陳腔濫調嗎？

Trust me: this can be the most satisfying part of the writing process. The heavy lifting is done, the walls have been painted, the furniture is in place. All you have to do now is hang a few pictures, plump the cushions and put some flowers in a vase.
相信我：這可能是寫作過程中最令人滿意的部分。繁重的工作已經完成，牆壁已經粉刷完畢，家具也已就位。現在你要做的就是掛幾張照片，墊上墊子，然後在花瓶裡放一些花。

8. Share the story with beta readers
8. 與測試版讀者分享故事

Eventually, you may reach a point where you’ve reread and rewritten your story so many times that you simply can’t bear to look at it again. If this happens, put the story aside and try to forget about it.
最終，你可能會多次重讀和重寫你的故事，以至於你根本無法忍受再看一次。如果發生這種情況，請將這個故事放在一邊並嘗試忘記它。

When you do finally return to it, weeks or even months later, you’ll probably be surprised at how the intervening period has allowed you to see the story with a fresh pair of eyes.
當你最終在幾週甚至幾個月後回到這個故事時，你可能會驚訝地發現這段時間讓你以全新的眼光看待這個故事。
And whereas it might have felt like removing one of your own internal organs to cut such a sentence or paragraph before, now it feels like a liberation. 
以前剪掉這樣的句子或段落可能感覺像是切除了自己的一個內臟，但現在感覺就像是一種解放。

The story, you can see, is better as a result. It was only your bloated appendix you removed, not a vital organ.
你可以看到，這個故事因此變得更好了。你切除的只是腫脹的闌尾，而不是重要的器官。

It’s at this point that you should call on the services of beta readers if you have them. This can be a daunting prospect: what if the response is less enthusiastic than you’re hoping for?
此時，您應該呼叫測試版讀者的服務（如果有的話）。這可能是個令人畏懼的前景：如果反應沒有你希望的那麼熱情怎麼辦？
But think about it this way: if you’re expecting complete strangers to read and enjoy your story, then you shouldn’t be afraid of trying it out first on a more sympathetic audience. 
但這樣想：如果你期待完全陌生的人閱讀並享受你的故事，那麼你不應該害怕首先在更有同情心的觀眾身上嘗試。

This is also why I’d suggest delaying this stage of the writing process until you feel sure your story is complete. It’s one thing to ask a friend to read and comment on your new story. It’s quite another thing to return to them sometime later with, “I’ve made some changes to the story — would you mind reading it again?”
這也是為什麼我建議延後寫作過程的這個階段，直到你確定你的故事已經完成。請朋友閱讀並評論您的新故事是一回事。稍後再回覆他們， 「我對故事做了一些修改——你介意再讀一遍嗎？」那就是另一回事了。

9. Submit the short story to publications
9. 將短篇小說提交給出版物

So how do you know your story’s really finished? This is a question that people have put to me. My reply tends to be: I know the story’s finished when I can’t see how to make it any better.
那你怎麼知道你的故事真的結束了呢？這是人們向我提出的問題。我的回答往往是：當我不知道如何讓它變得更好時，我就知道故事已經結束了。

This is when you can finally put down your pencil (or keyboard), rest content with your work for a few days, then submit it so that people can read your work. And you can start with this directory of literary magazines once you're at this step. 
這時您終於可以放下鉛筆（或鍵盤），對您的作品進行幾天的休息，然後將其提交，以便人們可以閱讀您的作品。一旦完成這一步，您就可以從這個文學雜誌目錄開始。

The truth is, in my experience, there’s actually no such thing as a final draft. Even after you’ve submitted your story somewhere — and even if you’re lucky enough to have it accepted — there will probably be the odd word here or there that you’d like to change. 
事實是，根據我的經驗，實際上不存在最終草案這樣的東西。即使你已經在某個地方提交了你的故事——即使你足夠幸運地被接受——也可能會有一些奇怪的詞你想要改變。

Don’t worry about this. Large-scale changes are probably out of the question at this stage, but a sympathetic editor should be willing to implement any small changes right up to the time of publication. 
不用擔心這個。在這個階段，大規模的改變可能是不可能的，但富有同情心的編輯應該願意在出版之前實施任何小的改變。

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Robert Grossmith is a UK writer based near Norwich. In addition to his short stories, he has also published two novels as well as poems, scholarly articles and (as Bob Grossmith) book reviews.
羅伯特·格羅斯史密斯是一位住在諾維奇附近的英國作家。除了短篇小說外，他還出版了兩本小說以及詩歌、學術文章和（作為鮑勃·格羅斯史密斯）書評。
He has a BA in Philosophy & Psychology and a PhD on Vladimir Nabokov, and worked for many years as a lexicographer at Collins Dictionaries. He is now semi-retired and works part-time as a freelance fiction editor for authors.
他擁有哲學與心理學學士學位和弗拉基米爾·納博科夫博士學位，並在柯林斯詞典擔任詞典編纂多年。他現在處於半退休狀態，並兼職為作家擔任自由小說編輯。