A practical drafting plan that turns a vague idea into a complete 1,000-word story, with a timed schedule for premise, conflict, turning point, and ending.

Scene and summary do different jobs in short fiction. Learn when to slow down into moment-by-moment action and when to compress time and get out of the way.

What makes a short story opening work, why so many first paragraphs fail, and four practical exercises to test and rewrite your own first lines.