1. Short Story Elements

2. What is a short story?
A brief, imaginative narrative containing few characters, simple plot, conflict, and suspense, which leads to a climax and a swift conclusion.

3. THE 4 ELEMENTS OF THE SHORT STORY
PLOT
SETTING
CHARACTER
THEME

4. #1. PLOT The chain of events in a story. Consists of 6 main steps:
Introduction/Exposition
Inciting incident
Rising action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution

5. PLOT GRAPH
An excellent way to map out a story’s plot

6. Introduction/ Exposition
Introduces the reader to:
Setting
Basic situation
Characters involved
Narrative Hook: question or statement that grabs the reader’s attention

7. Inciting Incident
The first major action in the story that sets the story in motion.

8. Rising Action Incidents which carry the plot along. It often
includes the following:
Foreshadowing
Flashback
Conflict
Suspense

9. FORESHADOWING
A technique for hinting at events that may occur later in the plot.

10. FLASHBACK
The insertion of an earlier event into the time order of a narrative.

11. Conflict
It is what prevents the main character from getting what he or she wants
There are 4 types of conflict:

12. Internal Conflict PERSON VS. SELF

13. External Conflict PERSON VS. PERSON

14. External Conflict PERSON VS. SOCIETY

15. External Conflict PERSON VS.THE ENVIRONMENT

16. SUSPENSE
The feeling of excitement that makes the reader wonder how the conflict will be resolved

17. CLIMAX
The most exciting part when the character(s) resolves his/her conflict
The climax can be SUBJECTIVE (prove your answer)

18. FALLING ACTION
The character completes the action of his/her decision

19. THE RESOLUTION All of the loose ends are tied up (usually)
Narrative Twist: a surprise ending

20. #2. SETTING
The time (time of day, season, present, past, future, etc.) and the location (country, planet, town, buildings, etc.)

21. ATMOSPHERE
The feeling that the setting evokes (mysterious, happy, eerie, etc.)

22. MOOD The author’s emotional attitude toward the subject matter
NOT the mood of the characters

23. #3. CHARACTERS
Anybody who is involved in the story (people, animals, fantasy characters)

24. PROTAGONIST
“Good guy”
Main character
Solves the conflict

25. ANTAGONIST
“Bad guy”
Creates the conflict

26. Flat vs Round Characters
Flat character – These characters are 1-D (stereotypical)
Round character –These characters have developed personalities

27. Static vs Dynamic Characters
Static Character – doesn’t go through any sort of change
Dynamic Character – goes through change

28. CHARACTER TRAITS
Personality characteristics that are revealed through:
What the character does
What the character says
What other characters say or do about the character
What the author states directly
What the author infers

29. #4. THEME THE MAIN IDEA Determine the specific conflict
Decide what side of the conflict the story represents
How is the conflict resolved? Who wins? Who loses?

30. THEME Theme is NOT the moral of the story Theme is NOT plot
Theme IS the general subject matter of a work of art
Theme may contain a message

31. THEME OR NOT A THEME?
1) Red Riding Hood is about how you shouldn’t trust strangers
2) Stars Wars is a movie about Luke Skywalker
3) Apocalypse Now is about the insanity of war.
4) This painting is about loneliness
5) That story is about two guys who steal a car
6) Romeo and Juliet is about love
7) Romeo and Juliet is about two families fighting
8) I saw a movie last night about survival
9) Hansel and Gretel is about two children
10) Cinderella is about poetic justice
Yes No

32. Point of View
The perspective from which the story is told