How to Write a Good Story in Just 30 Minutes
You can write a 3-minute story that’s between 400–600 words in a half-hour without sacrificing quality
Many writers fret over the suggestion to write more to gain traction on Medium. Mostly, we see recommendations to post daily or at least 3–5 times weekly, to see higher views, reads, and income.
This is accurate based on my own experience. I started out posting 3–5 times monthly, but I knew I needed to do more to be successful on Medium.
But, I didn’t really know how to increase my writing volume. It seemed like I kept falling short and couldn’t get to that 3–5 times a week, let alone writing and posting every day.
It should be noted that putting out stories alone is not what makes a writer successful on Medium.
But for the purposes of this story, we will be focusing on writing output and how to write a 400–600 word story (which is about a 3-minute read) in 30 minutes.
This is actual writing time not including coming up with the story idea, title, subtitle, and image.
Think of Your Story in Sections
I find it helpful to break my story into three sections when I’m writing stories in 30 minutes. The goal is to write each section in 10 minutes, and I set a timer on my phone to keep me on track.
This is a way to train myself to write more efficiently while being mindful of the time I’m spending writing.
This helps me to stay focused and manage my time to stay within my time frame of a half hour. So, I stick with writing an intro section, a middle section that’s the core of the story, and then the tail section that concludes the points made in the story.
First 10 minutes
Personalize the story for the reader or let them know something that you’ve experienced yourself pertaining to the story. Write an overview of what to expect from the story. Include an introduction the reader can relate to.
Notice how I did that with this story.
I addressed a concern that many writers have and how this story will give them a way to make it less of a concern, and I talk about my own personal experiences.
Just write like you’re talking to a friend and engage the reader’s curiosity while letting them know what they’ll get out of reading your story. You can include a quote (and who said it), ask a question, or provide any other ice breaker that comes to mind.
Second 10 minutes
The middle section is the meat of your story. Here is where you include facts or information you may have looked up (be sure to use references).
For example, a story about how intermittent fasting helped you lose weight could include facts from a reputable source. You could explain step-by-step what you did to lose weight and anything about the experience that helped you.
Third 10 minutes
Conclude by letting the reader know the outcome, benefit, or next steps, etc. from what you wrote in the middle section of the story. Include any takeaways that the reader can use. Then, make a closing statement.
The Takeaway
If you were paying close attention, you see that I’ve done everything that I have suggested in this story with this story, and I did it within 30 minutes.
Take note and take heart. You can do it too! You can be more productive and put out more stories to join the ranks of the most prolific writers on Medium (or any other writing platform).