SOURCE: Aldrich, Bess Streeter. “Working Backward.” Writer 63 (November 1950): 350-53.

In the following essay, Aldrich uses her story “Journey into Christmas” to show how she builds a story and characters.

A number of years ago I wrote an article for The Writer titled “The Story Germ.” Several young writers were kind enough to tell me it was helpful to them. In that article I stressed the point that plots for stories seldom come to one in their entirety, but that, given some small situation or dramatic moment or distinctive human trait, one can work out a story based on that little happening or emotional period or outstanding characteristic.

With the editor asking for another article I can think of nothing more practical than to follow that lead with a detailed account of how one can work backward in developing a short story. Any similarity between this article and the...