Read the entire story once for leisure. Then read the story again and figure out the important aspects of story, or major details, such as the plot, characters and message. Highlight the important information with a highlighting marker, or make note of the major details on a sheet of paper.
Figure out the minor details in the story. Minor details are unnecessary portions of the story that keep the story from moving forward, and may sidetrack the reader from the storyline. Details such as a character moving an item aside, or a mailman giving mail to a neighbor may be viewed as minor details in the story.
Employ the major details highlighted in the story's text or your notes to create an outline of the story. Make three categories in the outline detailing the plot, characters and the story's theme or message. Keep the minor details out of the summary to prevent distracting the reader from the main idea of the story. Use the outline to create a succinct summary of the story.
Write the succinct summary with essential information about the story in each paragraph. Introduce the title of the story, author and idea of the story in the first paragraph. Explain the setting and each character's role in the story in the second paragraph. Then describe the theme or message of the story in the third paragraph of the page.
Include a fourth paragraph, if desired, explaining how the story connected to your life experiences, and what lesson you learned from reading the story. Complete each paragraph in four to five sentences to form a succinct summary that helps the reader comprehend the idea or theme of the story.