4. DEFINITION OF A SHORT STORY
Tells about a single event or experience
Fictional(not true)
500 to 15000 words in length
It has a beginning ,middle , and end
Creates an impression on the reader
5. TYPES OF SHORT
STORY
BIOGRAPHY:
Detailed description or account of a persons life. It
entails more then basic facts (education ,work ,
death etc.……)
EXAMPLE:
CAYETANO ARELLANO by Socorro O. Albert
FABLE:
A story that teaches a lesson , often using
animals characters that behave like people
EXAMPLE:
Fables told in Aesop’s Fable
6. LEGEND :
Based on facts but often includes exaggerations about a hero
EXAMPLE:
King Arthur & the Knights of the round table
MYTH:
An ancient story often to explain mysteries of life or nature
EXAMPLE :
STAR WARS
PARABLE:
Short fictitious story that illustrate moral attitude or a religious principle
EXAMPLE:
THE PRODIGAL SON
7. ANECDOTE:
Always presented as based in a real incident involving
actual persons, whether famous or not ,usually in an
identifiable place
EXAMPLE:
THE MOTH AND THE LAMP by Jose Rizal
DRABBLE:
Extremely short work of fiction exactly one hundred
words in length
EXAMPLE:
Light as a feather
8. FANTASY:
A story about characters that may not be realistic and about the
events that could not really happen
EXAMPLE :
FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON by DANIEL KEYES
SATIRE:
A literary work in which vices, follies, stupidities, are held up to
ridicule and contempt
EXAMPLE:
The house of God by Samuel Shem
9. FARCE:
An exaggerated comedy based on broadly humorous or highly
unlikely situations
EXAMPLE:
THE BEAR by ANTON CHEKOV
FLASH FICTION:
A style of literature providing a complete story providing within
500-1000 words
Fiction of extreme brevity
EXAMPLE:
DEAD TO THE WORLD by ROBERT BURTON ROBINSON
10. FOLK TALE:
An old story that reveals the customs of culture
Passed down through the ages
EXAMPLE:
THE FARMERS WIFE by IDREES SHAH
VIGNETTE:
A short , well written sketch or descriptive scene
A short impressionistic scene that focuses on one character
or moment
EXAMPLE:
HOUSE ON MANGO STREET by SANDRA CISNEROS
11. ESCAPIST:
Fiction that provides a psychological escape from the
thoughts of everyday by immersing the reader in exotic
situation or activities
EXAMPLE:
THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON by KELLY BARNHILL
HISTORICAL FICTION:
A fictional story that takes place in a particular time period
in the past .Often the setting is real , but the characters are
made up from the author’s imagination
EXAMPLE:
UNDER THE QUILT OF NIGHT
12. ELEMENTS OF A SHORT STORY
SETTING
THEME
CHARACTERIZATION
POINT OF VIEW
CONFLICT
PLOT STRUCTURE
EXPOSITION STATEMENT
RISING ACTION
CLIMAX
FALLING ACTION
RESOLUTION
13. SETTING
Tells the reader where and when the
story takes place
It’s a character's
environment including the
season, weather, time of
day , year, exact location,
geographical features and
everything else that is
possibly in their
surroundings
14. CHARACTERIZATION
Creation of imaginary people who appear to be real to the reader. The
writer gives information about characters in the story
Author characterizes by :
direct and indirect characterization
EVERYSTORYNEEDSCHARACTERS……….
17. THEME
The story’s main idea . The ‘‘message’’ the
writer intends to communicate by telling the
story
POINTOF VIEW
The position of narrator of the story and what
the writer sees for that vantage point
FIRST PERSON: one involved directly in the
action of the story, telling the story
THIRD PERSON: one looking on to the action,
but not directly involved
OMNISCIENT: all knowing narrator
18. CONFLICT:
Conflict is a problem in the story that needs to be resolved
TYPESOF CONFLICT:
MANVSMAN MANVSHIMSELF MANVSNATURE MANVSSOCIETY
19. STRUCTUREOF STORY
PLOT STRUCTURE:
PLOT:
A series of events through which the writer reveals what is
happening
20. EXPOSITION:
Beginning of the story where the characters and setting is revealed
RISINGACTION:
Where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is
revealed(events between the introduction and climax)
CLIMAX:
The highest point of interest, the most intense moment; the character makes a decision
that cannot be reversed
FALLINGACTION:
Events and complications begin to resolve themselves
RESOLUTION:
The story’s action after the climax until the end of the story. Where all the loose ends are
tied up. The falling action leads to the ‘’conclusion’’ of the story
31. RULES
Use the time of total stranger in such a way that he or she will not
feel the time was wasted
Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for
Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of
water
Every sentence must do one of the two things_ reveal character or
advance the action
Start as close to the end as possible
Be a sadist no matter how innocent and sweet your leading
characters,make awful things happen to them
Write to please just one person
Give your readers as much information as possible as you can
