Short Story Writing

Short Story Writing

1. Characters

   • 1. Give them a goal
   • 2. Give them a motivation
   • 3. Give them Purpose
   • 4. Give them a fear or a flaw
   • 5. Give them a brief history
   • 6. Give them a personality

2. The Plot

   • Remember to follow a structure. A story must have a beginning, middle and end
   • Beginning
     • In today’s fast-moving world, the first sentence of your narrative should catch your reader’s attention with the unusual, the unexpected, an action, or a conflict. Begin with tension and immediacy. Remember that short stories need to start close to their end.

3. Conflict

   • Man vs. Nature
   • Man vs. Man
   • Man vs. Past
   • Man vs. Goverment

4. Inciting incident

   • An event which spurs an event happening. e.g. a football player in practice, attending a tryout
     • Think of this as a big bang which will start the rising action in the story

5. Climax

   • https://www.nownovel.com/blog/story-climax-examples-tips/
   • 1. Increase external conflict
   • 2. Amplify internal conflict
   • 3. Using setting to apply uncertainty
   • 4. Use structure to build tension
   • Increase suspense by manipulating the pace and structure of senteces
     • Word choice matters here a LOT
     • Similies for effect- helps reader o imagine what is going on

6. Tieing up the loose ends

   • Open resolution - reader concludes what they would like
   • Resolved - clear cut outcome
   • Parallel to the beginning - similar to the beginning situation or image
   • Monologue - character comments
   • Dialogue - characters conversing
   • Literal or symbolic image - maybe something that sets your story aside. e.g. African setting can end song and dance around a fire

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