Short Stories

 Let`s read what N.A. Turner tells us about this on her blog:

What is a Short Story?

Seems like a logical question, right? But I think we should first form a solid foundation. To get us on the same page and use the same definitions throughout this series.

First off, what is a story? What are the first things that come to mind for you?

I think of conflict, characters put into a situation where something changes and in which they need to grow, it should be interesting and invoke emotion with a reader. A story consists of stages, plot, settings and an interesting mix of characters. Most of all, a story and its characters must be interesting in my opinion.

According to the dictionary, a story is “an account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment” or “an account of past events in someone’s life or in the development of something”.

Now, that that’s settled, what makes a short story? Again, seems a bit of a dull question, right? But there are some rules that apply here to what is a short story and what it’s not.

Neil Gaiman has a good definition: “Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams. They are journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner.”

All great writers have written them or started out with shorts.

Some technical elements of a short story and differences to other formats:

  • The word count must not exceed 7,500 words
  • Technically, a short story can exceed this, but then you’re talking about a novelette or novella
  • If it’s less than 1,000 words, you’re talking about flash fiction
  • Short stories usually have one (main) character
  • In a short, you have limited space to explore a full three-act structure (like in a novel). Usually, you deal with shorter segments, leading to one major event for your lead character
  • There is one main plot and usually no or few subplots
  • In a novel, the issue of conflict is complex and lengthy, in a short story one usually deals with problems which can be resolved quickly and in a short time span. Source:  https://writingcooperative.com/how-to-write-a-short-story-53beaa4113ee



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