Week#8:- Elements of Short Stories

ELEMENTS OF A SHORT STORY

A short story is one of the forms of fiction writing, and we all know that fiction is a series of events made from the imagination of the author. It is a prose writing which does not depend on verses, rhymes, or meters for the organization and presentation of the narrative.

Below are the elements of a short story, and each is discussed thoroughly to widen your understanding and help you become a better short story writer.

Setting

It is the time and place of which the story revolves. The time of the story tells when did the story took place, meanwhile, the place of the story is the geographical location of where the story happened. Other authors include the weather condition, social condition, and mood, or atmosphere of the story. These sub-elements can make the readers engage more of the story.

Plot

It is the narrative sequence on how the author arranged his or her ideas. This is a planned, logical series of events that has its own beginning, middle, and end. There are five essential components of the plot:

Introduction: It is the beginning of the story, in which the character and setting are described by the author.

Rising action: It is where the events of the story have become a little complicated, and the conflict of the story is revealed.

Climax: It is the highest point of the interest and the turning point of the story. A good climax can make the readers wonder what will happen next, they will ask themselves whether the conflict will be resolved or not. A good climax makes the readers wonder and read more.

Falling action: The events and conflicts of the story begin to resolve themselves. The readers will have a hint of what will happen next and whether the conflict will be resolved or not.

Denouement: It is the final outcome of the story. The events and conflicts are untangled and resolved.

Conflict

This is the vital element of a short story, without the presence of conflict, there will be no plot. It is not merely a form of an argument between two characters, but rather it is a form of opposition that faces the main character.

There are two types of conflict, external conflict, and internal conflict. Moreover, there are four kinds of conflict, man against man or physical conflict; man against society or social conflict; man against circumstances or classical conflict; and man against himself or herself or psychological conflict.

Character

It is either the person is in a work for fiction, or it is solely the characteristics of a person. Characters remind themselves that they should be consistent and motivated. There are characters that are individual, developing, and statistic.

Point of view

When you write a story, a point of view must be needed to the angle from which the story is narrated. Some of the points of view are innocent eyes, extreme consciousness, first-person and omniscient.

Theme

The theme of a short story can be a guide, it can control or insight of the flow of the story. The theme may be the thoughts of the author.