Character in a Situation Short Story Template: Problems to Solutions

Writing short stories is great practice for working up to longer forms, plus there are many places to get short fiction published, from online and print magazines to anthologies.

The Character in a Situation Short Story template helps you make sure even a concise story still takes readers on a journey of change, from problem to solution — yet one concise enough to finish reading in time for dinner! Read on to learn how to use the Character in a Situation Short Story template in Plottr.

What is the Character in a Situation Short Story Plot Structure?

The Character in a Situation Short Story template in Plottr is inspired by an essay by sci-fi and fantasy author Philip Brewer, “Story Structure in Short Stories.”

Brewer describes being taught a seven-point story structure by sci-fi author Algis Budrys’ that is a good model for a “complete” story that is not just an incident or series of related scenes. Keep reading to see what these seven points are and how they’ll help you write gripping shorts.

In his guide to short fiction, Creating Short Fiction, sci-fi author Damon Knight describes a situation in these terms:

“[A situation is] a slice of the story; the opening situation is where the narrative begins. A dramatic situation is unstable — you know it can’t stay this way forever — and it has at least two possible outcomes, one very desirable and one not.” (Knight, p. 78)

So, why use the Character in a Situation plot structure as a guide?

3 Ways the Character in a Situation Template Will Improve Your Short Stories

Why use the Character in a Situation Plot Template to plan your short stories? It’ll help you:

Create Intriguing Problems that Need Answers or Solutions

The situation at the heart of a short story is often a sticky, suspenseful one, which is to say that your protagonist really wants to learn or change something.

Maybe it’s the agonizing suspense of not knowing what’s up with the town recluse, as in William Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily.”

This template helps you think about the central problem driving your short story, and the try/fail cycles that drive your story’s protagonist(s) to seek an answer or a solution to their problem.

Create Suspense Using Intriguing Try/Fail Cycles

Once a character becomes aware of a problem or question, their natural inclination is to find solutions or answers. 

The Character in a Situation Short Story template includes scenes where your hero or protagonist will try various approaches to find a solution. They may be aided by allies who help them, or encounter adversaries who hinder their progress.

All that trying, though, may only make things worse… 

Create Worsening or Tenser Situations Before Resolution

The Character in a Situation Short Story template includes scene cards for brainstorming proactive and reactive scenes that show your character making the situation worse through their attempts to resolve it.

How could a character’s attempts to find a solution make things worse?

For example, in Roald Dahl’s George’s Marvellous Medicine, George creates a medicine using a bit of everything that makes his grumpy grandmother start growing. The more he adds, the worse the result until she hits the roof (literally — she keeps growing until her head is through the chimney). 

The great thing about this plot structure is that you can use it to create a complete short story outline, or just use it to brainstorm ideas for problems and attempted solutions. It’s a great option for plotters and pantsers alike. 

Explore the Character in a Situation Short Story Template in Plottr

Ready to introduce your reader to a character and their everyday life – and hint at something that will disrupt that normalcy?

Let’s explore this plot structure:

A Character

This section introduces the reader to a character and their everyday life–and hints at something that will disrupt that normalcy. 

In a Situation

Describe the situation the character finds themselves in, and why it is disrupting their life or ordinary world. 

With a Problem

The Situation creates a problem for the character that they must solve. This sends their life in a new direction. 

Who Tries to Repeatedly Solve the Problem

In this section of the story, the hero will try to solve their problem in a variety of ways, seeking to correct their situation and return to the ordinary world.

But Fails, Making the Problem Worse

Show the character failing. Each time they fail, show the problem becoming worse than it was before.

The Final Attempt to Solve the Problem

Using what they have learned along the way, the character makes one last attempt to solve the problem, which can either succeed or fail. 

The Result of the Final Attempt

Show the character’s return to their situation in the ordinary world. Demonstrate whether the situation is changed and made better as a result of their actions, made worse, or if the situation remains unchanged. 

However, be sure to show the resolution of the problem, whether or not the character was successful.

Example of the Character in a Situation Short Story Template in Plottr

Ready to see the Character in a Situation short story plot structure in action? Let’s examine each of these seven stages, through Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s, “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.”

A Character: The story introduces Pelayo and Elisenda, a couple who discover an old man with enormous wings in their courtyard.

In a Situation: The old man is initially believed to be an angel, attracting crowds to their home.

With a Problem: The couple faces the dilemma of what to do with the old man, as his presence brings both opportunity and burden.

Who Tries to Repeatedly Solve the Problem: They decide to exploit the situation by charging locals admission to see the man, but struggle with his mysterious nature and the chaos he causes.

But Fails, Making the Problem Worse: The crowd’s interest wanes as a new attraction arrives (a woman who has been transformed into a spider), leaving the couple to deal with the old man whose decline has accelerated, and the mess as he keeps losing his feathers and appears close to death.

The Final Attempt to Solve the Problem: The couple let the old man sleep in a shed and give him a blanket. He begins to recover as the weather grows warmer. The old man grows new feathers, hinting at a possible departure from the couple’s life.

The Result of the Final Attempt: Eventually, the old man flies away, leaving Pelayo and Elisenda relieved and richer, but also changed by their inexplicable experience.

Here you can see how this structure even works when you have a pair of protagonists instead of a single main character.

How To Use the Character in a Situation Short Story Template in Plottr

Now that you have a problem, try/fail actions that make the situation worse, and an eventual solution in mind, here’s how to get started with this short story template in Plottr:

First, make sure you have Plottr installed or get started with a free sixty-day trial. 

• Step 1: From the Plottr Dashboard, select Create From Template

• Step 2: Select the Character in a Situation Short Story template from the sidebar.  Then click on Create New Project

• Step 3: Give your project a name. The name will be included on your list of projects so you can return to it at any time
• Step 4: The template will open in Timeline view

• Step 5: Open any scene card to start adding your ideas! You can save the guideline text to refer to, or delete and replace it

-OR-

In an existing timeline, hover over the plus button to add another plot line. On the left side of the box, choose Use Template. Select Character in a Situation, and the template will be inserted into your timeline.

Plot templates in Plottr work well together. Try this short story template with:

• Freytag’s Pyramid
• W Plot
• The Story Spine

Ready to Get Your Characters Out of a Situation?

Get started with the Character in a Situation Short Story template with a free Plottr trial. Or see Plottr plans and pricing. Have you tried this template? Let us know what you think in the comments below!