Short fiction · 4 beats
Best for: very short fiction (under about 1,000 words). Maximum compression: one situation, one turn, one resonant ending. Every word earns its place and the power is in what is left unsaid.
Percentages show roughly where each beat lands in the finished story — the midpoint of a 110-page screenplay is page 55.
Drop the reader straight into a charged moment. One character, one place, one tension, established in a sentence or two.
A single escalation or detail that raises the stakes or sharpens the unease. No subplots; one thread, pulled tighter.
The pivot: a reversal, reveal, or realization that recolors everything before it. This is the whole reason the piece exists.
End on the image or line that lingers. Imply the aftermath rather than explaining it; trust the reader to feel the rest.
Flash Fiction is built into One More Draft — pick it in the story wizard and every beat above becomes a slot in your outline, with Quill, your story editor, coaching each one. Free to start.
Start a story with Flash Fiction
