Writing a novel, they say, is more difficult than writing a short story. This is akin to saying that it is easier to learn gymnastics than jogging. A short story is no less challenging than a novel. In fact, a common mistake that short story writers make is creating a simplistic story that only moves from point A to point B. Such basic plotting is predictable and offers no excitement. Here’s an example:

Bruce is an assassin specializing in demolition. He is on a mission to liquidate a corrupt businessman. Posing as a valet attendant, he plants a C-4 bomb under the businessman’s Rolls Royce. From a distance he watches his target get into the car, then at a preset time, the car blows up. Bruce grins at the cleanliness and efficiency of his work. He plans to use his payment for a vacation to Cancun.

This is a singular plotline with limited potential to create tension. The only suspense here is the process in which Bruce executes his liquidation and whether or not he gets caught. To get the reader involved, the writer must engage Bruce in some uncanny twist of fate. This might appear to make the story incredulous, but readers are always willing to suspend disbelief when a plot twist is well-executed.

Now here’s an example of a branching plot: Bruce is an assassin specializing in demolition. He is on a mission to liquidate a corrupt businessman. Posing as a valet attendant, he plants a C-4 bomb under the businessman’s Rolls Royce. From a distance, he watches his target get into the car. Unfortunately, his target’s eight-year-old daughter tagged along. Bruce doesn’t want collateral damage and he tries to stop the businessman from hopping into the car with his daughter. But Bruce’s contractor planned a “layered hit,” in which another hitman will eliminate Bruce whether or not he completes his task. Bruce tries to save both the businessman and the girl, but he also faces an impending danger to his life.

Plenty of tension and excitement here can lead to alternative endings. Bruce can let the child blow up with her dad, collect the money, and kill the assassin who is out to get him. On the other hand, he could rescue the father and daughter, then he gets killed by the other hitman. Other alternatives on how to end this are up to you.

This storyline is anything but simple. It is complicated but easy to follow. Two plot lines make for better storytelling. The major plotline must introduce characters and how they play their parts leading to conflict. The supporting plot creates additional problems for the character/s to solve. Readers understand that unexpected problems can happen. Go ahead and Google Murphy’s Law.

Never be satisfied with a single plot in your short fiction. Even the crass, domestic affairs within the household have the potential for multiple storylines. How you are going to end a story with two or more plotlines is something that will make your audience read with bated breath.