Short Story Form
Short fiction runs on different physics than novels. Plan accordingly.
Record the Form
Set form in story.md so the CLI knows the length it is checking against. New projects: story init "{Title}" --form short-story (or flash, novelette), which also sets a default target-words when none is given (flash 1,000, short story 5,000, novelette 12,000). Existing projects: add form: short-story to story.md. story validate . warns when target-words falls outside the form's usual range, and story report . shows the form.
One Dominant Change
A short story dramatizes one change — one character, one relationship, one understanding — not a transformation arc with five turning points. Pick the single change that matters and cut everything that does not serve it.
Single Effect
Poe's widely taught "single effect" principle: every word in the story should build toward one pre-established emotional or thematic effect. If a passage does not contribute to that effect, it is padding no matter how well written. Name the effect before drafting.
Narrow Scope
Limit the cast (1–3 named characters), the timeline (hours to days, not years), and the setting (one or two locations). Each new character or location costs setup the word budget cannot afford. Backstory arrives as a sentence, not a chapter.
MICE as the Threading Tool
With no room for subplots, short stories usually run one or two MICE threads (see references/mice-quotient.md): typically character inside event, or inquiry alone. Sketch the threads before drafting — in a 5,000-word story, one thread that never closes by its rule is a visible hole.