Read a few Public Domain examples
Create Great Stories provides a good number of example stories in the public domain. These stories include mysteries, humorous tales, stories with unexpected twists, and a variety of other genres. The stories can be found in a link in the “About” menu. They can also be found here:
Though the stories in this collection are dated and some are a bit more drawn-out than modern storytelling, they provide good examples of setting up locations and moving through interesting plots. Most of the stories tend to be lighter fare, but there are a couple where the author intended the readers to invest emotionally in the stories.
An interesting aspect when reading these stories together is noticing the different points of view of the narrators. Pay attention to the dialogues in each story, as the authors make a conscientious effort to reveal the characters by use of phrasing and vocabulary while advancing the plot at the same time.
The authors chosen in this collection are generally recognized as good short story tellers in general. If you find a story you particularly enjoy, there are likely plenty of other stories and novels by the same author that can be found online and through public libraries.