2. What is a short story?
O A short story is a short story…..hahaha!
O Short stories are the oldest form of storytelling.
O Stories were passed on through oral language, so
stories needed to be brief.
O Usually a short story is a piece of fiction under 50
pages long.
O Any story from 50 to 100 pages long is considered
a novella.
3. O Short story writing differs from other forms
in that its diction, meter, verses, etc. all
vary and are unconstrained.
O 6 key elements to a short story: plot,
theme, character, setting, POV, and
conflict.
4. SETTING
• The setting of a story is crucial and is often one of the
most neglected aspects.
• This is especially true in short stories. In short stories,
setting can be as important as characters.
5. • Setting can refer to the geographic location of a story.
• The geographic location can be crucial.
• Think of The Martian…it’s not a story if it takes place
on a farm.
6. • Setting can refer to the time in which a story takes
place.
• Hunger Games was set in a futuristic world.
• The time in which a story takes can influence
behaviour, social protocols, ideology, technology, and
character development.
7. • Time can also refer to specific time, for example a
spooky story doesn’t have the same impact if it takes
place at 9:00 AM
• Time can also refer to time of year. A Christmas story
should, in theory, take place in winter.
• Readers have clear associations with different periods
of the day, making an easy way to create a visual
orientation in a scene.
8. • Time is also elapsed time.
• The minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months a story
encompasses must be somehow accounted for or the
reader will feel confused and the story will suffer from
a lack of authenticity. While scenes unfold moment by
moment, there is also time to account for between
scenes, when a flashback is inserted, and when a
character travels a long distance.
9. • Setting can ‘set’ mood and atmosphere.
• This is the feeling of the story
• Characters and events are influenced by weather,
temperature, lighting, and other tangible factors,
which in turn influence the emotional timbre, mood,
and atmosphere of a scene.
10. • Climate is linked to the geography and topography of
a place, and, as in our real world, can influence events
and people.
• Ocean currents, prevailing winds and air masses,
latitude, altitude, mountains, land masses, and large
bodies of water all influence climate.
• Harsh climates can make for grim lives, while tropical
climates can create more carefree lifestyles.
11. • Some other setting factors include:
• Population. Some places are densely populated, such as Hong
Kong, while others are lonely places with only a few hardy souls.
Stories need a specific, yet varied population that accurately reflects
the place.
• Ancestral influences. In many regions of the United States, the
ancestral influences of European countries such as Germany,
Ireland, Italy, and Poland are prominent. The cities and bayous of
Louisiana are populated with distinctive groups influenced by their
Native American, French-Canadian, and African American forebears.
Ancestral influences can be depicted in cuisine, dialogue, values,
attitudes, and general outlook.
