A short story is a literary genre in which you have limited space to create an effect. Think of your desired effect and begin crafting it early in your story.
Avoid trite writing devices, such as describing the weather (“It was a dark and stormy night”). Instead, focus on bringing your characters to life in scenes that heighten tension.
Characters
When writing a short story, it’s essential to have vivid characters. A well-written character has a distinct personality, backstory, and motivations. They should interact with other characters in the story and provide conflict. They also have a unique voice that evokes emotion in the reader. This makes them more believable and helps the reader suspend disbelief.
Every short story needs a protagonist and an antagonist. The protagonist is the character who changes as a result of the story’s central conflict, while the antagonist is the character who attempts to stop the protagonist’s change. The antagonist can be a person, but it can also be an idea or a force in the story.
The short story’s setting is usually simplified to one time and location, and the writer often only introduces a few key characters without complete backstories. Each word and story detail has to work doubly hard in a short story. For example, the pacing of a short story can be more rapid, and a climax can be reached sooner than in a novel.
When writing a short story, it’s best to start in the middle of the action, known as “in medias res.” This technique is often used in dramatic stories and keeps readers engaged. For instance, Shirley Jackson’s 1948 short story, “The Lottery,” is famous for its shocking premise and careful pacing.
Plot
Plot is the series of events that create the foundation for your story. It answers what happens (and why), when, and where it occurs.
A good plot is essential to a successful short story. It drives the narrative forward, generating suspense and providing conflict for your protagonist. It also provides a sense of purpose for the characters and their actions.
The plot in a short story should revolve around one conflict, which is different from a novel that may have multiple conflicts and subplots. The conflict should be internal, though it can have external manifestations. Using our alien example, the protagonist’s conflict might be to prove that she can manage her mission to Earth without assistance.
A well-written short story should be clear and concise, with no unnecessary words or scenes. It should be easy to read, and its characters should be believable. It should also be free of grammatical errors and punctuation mistakes.
A short story can be written in various genres, from fantasy’s enchanting realms to science fiction’s mind-bending mysteries. It can also explore themes of human nature and the dark side of society, such as a chilling tale like “IOU” by Shirley Jackson. It’s also a great way to practice your craft, as many published authors started by writing short stories.
Theme
If you’re writing a short story, you may not have the luxury of exploring multiple themes. Rather than spending time on each theme individually, try to capture the most important one and nurture it into something that resonates with readers. This may feel challenging initially, but it can be done through revisions and editing.
Themes can be complex, but they should be relevant and relatable to readers’ lives. For example, a common literary theme is forbidden love. This theme can be explored in several ways, such as in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet or Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo.
Literary themes also often revolve around human suffering and how people cope. For example, revenge is a common and compelling topic that can be explored in many different stories. This is exemplified by Victor Frankenstein’s struggle with his creation in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or Edmond Dantes’ quest for redemption in Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo.
Identifying a story’s theme is an essential reading skill. This double-sided worksheet gives students practice with this by providing five short fiction passages from which they can extract the story’s message and support their answers using textual evidence. Suggested reading level: Grade 4-8.
Language
Short prose fiction was a diverse and abundant literary genre in the past. It included jests, anecdotes, studied digressions, brief allegorical romances, moralizing fairy tale,s and abbreviated historical legends. Unlike the novel, the short story does not require an elaborate plot or a deep treatment of characters but is concerned with a single effect conveyed in one or a few significant episodes.
Due to their brevity, short stories often rely on symbolism and subtext to communicate complex ideas. They also tend to be highly technical in terms of their use of diction and figurative language. The short story can be fascinating to explore, from the enchanting realms of fantasy to the thrilling depths of mystery.
A good short story will have a clear theme that holds all the elements of the story together. A weak theme will make the story seem wishy-washy and may not be as memorable as a strong one. To ensure that your story has a strong theme, it is essential to focus on the details of the narrative and avoid using overly broad or vague statements. Additionally, you should edit your work carefully to eliminate grammatical errors and typos. You can also seek feedback from trusted readers and join a writing group to improve your craft. The key is to keep learning and revising until you produce a quality short story.
