Short Stories

What is a short story? A Short story is a small, well-polished stone is a vast quarry of fiction. At the foundation of the short story is a set of key literary devices Plot Setting Character Theme Point of view

Plot Plot is the sequence of events that ties the beginning of the story to its end. An important part of the plot is its conflict: the struggle between 2 or more forces that must be resolved by the end of the narrative.

Setting Setting is the story’s time and place. - Ex: location, the weather, the time of year.

Characters Characters are the people, animals, and other individuals in a story. Authors reveal the personality of each character through characterization, or by describing the character’s physical appearance, thoughts, spoken words, and actions.

Theme The theme is the central message of a literary work.

Point of view A narrator is the person who tells a story. The relationship of the narrator to the story is called the point of view. In a story with first person point of view, the narrator, a character in the story, is referred to as I. In a story with third person point of view, the narrator is outside the story and uses he or she to tell the story.

Language Voice is the distinctive use of language that conveys the author’s personality to the reader. Voice is determined by diction, an author’s choice of words and the arrangement of those words, and tone, an author’s attitude toward his or her subject matter or audience.

Plot and setting… in detail Description: An Author creates a strong image of a place through the use of clear and vibrant description. Good description helps the reader to see, hear, smell, taste or feel the person, place or thing the author is describing.

Setting Setting Mood: Setting can contribute to the mood, or emotional quality, of a literary work. For example, a story set in the wild, stormy forest might have a tense or frightening mood.

Plot Plot is the sequence of events in the story. Most plots follow time sequence, but an author can use complex plot devices, such as foreshadowing, flashback, subplots, or parallel plots to add interest of excitement. Most plots develop in 5 stages: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

5 stage plot Exposition: introduces the story’s characters, setting and conflict. Rising Action: occurs as complications, twists, or intensifications of conflict occur. Climax: the story’s most dramatic moment. Falling Action: the logical result of the climax. Resolution: presents the final outcome of the story.