SHORT STORIES

SHORT
STORY

short

aiming

piece

of

at

unity

characterization,
effect

fiction

theme

of
and

an

shorter

SHORT
STORY

invented
than

prose

narrative

novel

usually

dealing with a few characters and

aiming
often

at

unity

of

concentrating

effect

and

on

the

creation of mood rather than plot

ELEMENTS OF A SHORT STORY:

1.Plot
2.Characters
3.Setting
4.Theme
5.Point of view
6.Style

PLOT
Sequence
of
events;
framework of the story
nucleus of the story
Consists of:
- Conflict
- Climax
- Denoument
- Ending

the

CHARACTERS

person, or sometimes even an

animal, who takes part in the
action of a short story.
Short
stories
use
few
characters.
One character is clearly central
to the story with all major
events having some importance to
this character.

SETTING
The setting of a short story is
the time and place in which it
happens.
Authors
often
use
descriptions
of
landscape,
scenery, buildings, seasons or
weather to provide a strong
sense of setting.

THEME
the central idea or belief
in a short story. It is the
author's underlying meaning
or main idea that he is
trying to convey. The theme
may be the author's thoughts
about a topic or view of
human nature.

POINT OF VIEW
The perspective from which a story
is told
A story is narrated from a single,
consistent point of view.
Most short stories are told from one
of the three basic points of view:
*first person
*omniscient point of view
*limited omniscient point of view

STYLE
Way how the author presents an
event in a particular story
How
can
an
author
express
himself in a literary work?
* Diction
* Syntax
* Imagery
* Symbolism

Short Story
Writing

STEPS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Write a catchy first paragraph

Develop the characters
Choose a point of view
Write a meaningful dialogue
Use setting and context
Set up the plot
Create conflict and tension
Build to crisis or climax
Find a resolution

Write a catchy first paragraph

I heard my neighbor
through the
wall.
The neighbor behind us
practiced scream therapy in
his shower almost every day.
STEP 1 of 9

Develop the characters

Four important areas:

Appearance
Action
Speech
Thought
STEP 2 of 9

Reveal a character through PHYSICAL

DESCRIPTION
Other guys walking through the hallway
were taller and even more handsome,
but there was something about Billy
Belaire. His arms swung loose at his side
and his dark hair was long and pulled
back behind his head, held by a rubber
band. The dark jacket he wore was
straight out of the local thrift shop, she
could tell, but the way he wore it
suggested a sense of pride, or at least a

Reveal a character through ACTIONS

As Kevin moved down the street his feet made a
steady echo sound against the pavement. He whistled
despite the loud rumble of the traffic and the car
horns. When someone yelled out the window of his or
her car to watch where he was going, he just waved
back like he was watching a best friend heading
home. He passed by the garbage on the sidewalk and
the old woman pushing the shopping cart filled with
newspaper, and continued to smile as he headed
toward Cindys house. Nothing could erase that smile

Reveal a character through

DIALOGUE
I aint gonna leave you here, Maam . . .
not with you needin help and all,
Jimmy said as he walked back to his
truck to get the jack. Id help anybody
who needed it; my momma taught me
betteren to just leave people. The good
Lordll make it up to me.
I dont know . . ., Linda stuttered. She
had barely rolled down her window to
hear Jimmy when he had left his pick-up
truck and offered help. You know what

Reveal a character through

THOUGHTS
He began to remember when he was a
freshman in high school. The seniors
really thought they were something
back then, always trying to play their
little pranks on the ninth graders. He
knew at that moment he couldnt be one
of those kinds of people. He walked over
to Jeff and Larry to tell them it was time
to stop.

Choose a point of view

First Person
Second Person
Third Person
STEP 3 of 9

POINT OF VIEW
First Person
I saw a tear roll down his cheek. I had never
seen my father cry before. I looked away while
he brushed the offending cheek with his hand.
Second Person
You laughed loudly at the antics of the clown.
You clapped your hands with joy.
Third Person
He ran to the big yellow loader sitting on the
other side of the gravel pit shack.

Write a meaningful dialogue

Where are you going? John cracked

his knuckles while he looked at the
floor. To the race track. Mary edged
toward the door, keeping her eyes on
Johns bent head. Not again, John
stood up, flexing his fingers. We are
already maxed out on our credit cards.
STEP 4 of 9

Write a meaningful dialogue

Where are you going? John asked

nervously.
To the racetrack, Mary said, trying to
figure out whether John was
too upset to let
her get away with it this time.
Not again, said John, wondering how
they would make
that
months
rent.
STEP 4 of 9

Write a meaningful dialogue

John sat up and took a deep breath,

knowing that his confrontation with
Mary had to come now, or it would
never come at all. Wh where are
you going? he stammered nervously,
staring at his Keds.
STEP 4 of 9

Write a meaningful dialogue

John sat up. Wh where are you

going?
Where
are
you
going?
John
stammered, staring at his Keds.
Deep breath. Now or never. Where
are you going?
STEP 4 of 9

Use Setting and Context

Our sojourn in the desert was an educational
contrast with its parched heat, dust storms, and
cloudless blue sky filled with the blinding hot sun.
The rare thunderstorm was a cause for celebration
as the dry cement tunnels of the aqueducts filled
rapidly with rushing water. Great rivers of sand
flowed around and through the metropolitan inroads
of mans progress in the greater Phoenix area,
forcefully moved aside for concrete and steel
structures. Palm trees hovered over our heads and
saguaro cactuses saluted us with their thorny arms.

STEP 5 of 9

Set up the Plot

A plot is a series of events deliberately

arranged so as to reveal their
dramatic, thematic, and emotional
significance.
Jane Burroway
STEP 5 of 9

Set up the Plot

Explosion or Hook
Conflict
Exposition
Complication
Transition
Flashback
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution
STEP 5 of 9

Build to a Crisis or Climax

This is the turning point of the story- the

most exciting or dramatic moment. The
crisis may be a recognition, a decision or a
resolution. The character understands what
hasnt been seen before, or realizes what
must be done, or finally decides to do it.
STEP 5 of 9

Find a resolution
a. Open
Brendans eyes looked away from the priest
and up to the mountains.
b. Resolved
While John watched in despair, Helen loaded
up the car with her belongings and drove
away.
c. Parallel to the beginning
They were driving their 1964 Chevrolet Impala
down the high way while the wind blew
through their hair.
Her father drove up in a new 1964 Chevrolet
Impala, a replacement for the one that burned

STEP 5 of 9

Find a resolution
d. Monologue
I wish Tom could have known Sister Dalbecs
prickly guidance before the dust devils of sin
city battered his soul.
e. Dialogue
f. Literal Image
The aqueducts were empty now and the sun
was shining once more.
g. Symbolic Image
Looking up at the sky, I saw a cloud cross the
shimmering blue sky above us as we stood in
the morning heat of Sin City.

STEP 5 of 9

Rules in Writing

About Style
Show 'em, don't tell 'em.
Be selective.
Watch your step with point of
view.
Write strong.
Keep writing strong.
End the story gloriously.
Caution: don't overwrite.

About Structure
Tell a story.
Don't be overly predictable.
Conflict is an absolute necessity
of fiction short or long.
Otherwise, what's the difference?
Built into that last statement is
the concept of consequence.

About Truth
Be significant.
Lighten up.
Respect your reader's
intelligence.
Avoid gimmicks.
Write with authority; that's
why you're called an author.

About Truth

Use your imagination, and lie.

Don't be afraid of the dark.
Respect your characters.
Read your words aloud.
All writers rewrite.

Tips in Writing Short Story

Enjoy the process of writing
Never give up. Don't panic- Sarah
Waters
Start small and go for detail.
Maintain a healthy imagination
Healthy body + healthy mind = better
writing and story telling
Read. Read everything- Michael
Moorcock
Protect the time and space in which

 Don't plan the ending.- Rose Tremain

Always carry a notebook- Will Self
Work on a computer that is disconnected
from the internet- Zadie Smith
Listen to the criticisms and preferences
of your trusted readers- Rose Tremain
Be your own editor/critic.- Joyce Carol
Oates.