I’m curious about short story structure, and I’m starting my research by checking out some articles I’ve found online.
First up: The Structure of a Short Story, by James R. Hull.
James likens the story to the process of problem solving, and makes an analogy comparing key story elements (ex. character) to key aspects of our minds (ex. motivations). He finishes by suggesting that short stories are successful when they paint a complete enough picture for the reader to fill in the gaps, but just barely.
Overall I thought it was a nice little article. It doesn’t give any step by steps or tips necessarily, but it shows a nice perspective on short stories and how stories work in our minds.