Download - Elements of a Short Story
Elements of a Short Story
Definition of a Short Story
Tells about a single event or experience Fictional (not true)500 to 15,000 words in lengthIt has a beginning, middle, and endCreates an impression on the reader
Elements of a Short Story
PlotSettingCharacterPoint of viewConflictThemeMood
Short Story Vocabulary
Plot: A series of events through which the writer reveals what is happening, to whom, and why.
Short Story Vocabulary
Setting:Tells the reader where and when the story takes place.
Short Story Vocabulary
Characterization: Creation of imaginary people who appear to be real to the reader. The writer gives information about the characters in the story.
Character
• Protagonist– Main character in the
story; central figure in a story’s conflict
• Antagonist– Opposing force to the
main character; can be a person or thing
character
• Flat– A minor character
who does not change; a one dimensional person
• Round– A fully developed
character with lots of traits
Short Story Vocabulary
Point of view: The position of the narrator of the story and what the writer sees from that vantage point.
Point of view
• 1st: the person is telling his or her own story and is in the story. “I” or “we” is used. – The reader is limited
to only what the narrator knows or tells us
Point of view
• 3rd omniscient:– We can see
everything going on in everyone’s mind at any time.
Point of view
• 3rd limited:– We can see what’s
going on only in one person’s mind (but we are still outside of it). “he” or “she” is used.
Short Story Vocabulary
Conflict: A problem in the story that needs to be resolved.
Internal Conflict
• Man vs. Self– Mental or
emotional struggle that occurs within a character
External Conflict
• Character struggles with an outside force or problem.
Types of External Conflicts
• Man vs. Man
• Man vs. Nature
• Man vs. Society
• Man vs. Fate
Theme
Theme: The story’s main ideas. The “message” the writer intends to communicate by telling the story.
Mood
• Mood:
• In literature, the mood of a story is the atmosphere of the story. A love story might have a dramatic atmosphere, while a horror story might have a tense, fearful mood.
Great writers are able to use the elements of the short story with such precision that the reader is caught up in the action of the story. This is a mark of a good story and our goal as a writer.