Technically, this step isn’t part of the Magnificent 7–24 Method, but it’s a byproduct that’s become a key element in my success when pitching original ideas, as well as my take on an assignment. I call it the Short Story Step.
The Short Story Step is something I developed over years of writing outlines and going into pitch meetings.
In those meetings, I’d do my best to highlight the important beats of my outline, but more often than not, it came across dry and rehearsed. The information was there, but the life wasn’t.
Before I became a screenwriter, I had the opportunity at Universal Pictures to sit in on pitch meetings with my boss, Nina Jacobson, who was the VP of Production at the time. What I saw stuck with me. Even experienced writers, people with credits and real careers, would sometimes sound flat, uninspired, and overly rehearsed.
Four years later, mostly out of boredom, I decided to try something different. I took one of my outlines and wrote it as a short story. It came out to about 8 pages.
More importantly, it worked.
I wrote it in a narrative style that felt like a story being told around a campfire. Fast-paced. Focused on the major beats. Built on rising action that moved quickly, with a few turns to keep the listener engaged, and a clean, satisfying ending.
What I realized is that this approach naturally aligns with what I now refer to as the One Situation Model.
I focus on:
• One central character
• One primary situation or problem
• One clear, contained narrative
Even if the screenplay itself has multiple characters and layers, the short story version stays locked on a single through-line. Like any good pitch, it needs forward momentum. Aggressive forward momentum. No wandering. No subplots. No B stories. It’s lean storytelling.
No fat. No distractions. No competing threads. Just the story, moving forward.
And that’s the key. Because once I can tell the story in that form, I’m no longer reciting an outline. I’m telling a story people can follow, engage with, and remember.
And if I can tell it… I can sell it.
Below are links to a few of the short stories I’ve written that later became the foundation for my pitches.
Note: I will add pages on pitching your idea in the future, but be warned, I'm not a pitch deck guy. Pure storyteller using pure imagination.
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