How to Write Short Stories
Writing a short story involves putting together several elements. These story elements include the setting, the characters, and the conflict. The main goal of a story is to entertain or inform its readers. It should also have a message or point the reader wants to take away. Lastly, a story needs to have a plot or action. This action can be internal or external.
One of the most effective ways to introduce conflict in a story is to have the main character fight tooth and nail for something they want. In this way, you can show the character’s worldview by showing how they make decisions based on their beliefs and desires. Without conflict, their actions and goals would be meaningless.
Character conflict can be presented in many different ways. One of the most common is a struggle between man and nature. In these stories, the protagonist is pitted against some external force, such as a natural disaster or a violent storm. In “The Old Man and the Sea,” the protagonist, Santiago, fights off sharks while attempting to salvage his prized catch. However, he must also confront his own emotions and deal with the challenges of nature.
The setting of your short story can be anything from a specific building or room to a whole country or city. You can also specify the time of day and weather conditions. In many cases, the setting of your story can change as the plot unfolds. You can also include the social or cultural aspects of your setting.
Setting a story is an important literary device that adds mood and movement to the story. Without a strong story setting, your plot line could become disorienting. It is also an opportunity to incorporate descriptive details and draw the reader’s senses into the action.
Writing a twist in your story can be fun. It’s exciting for the reader and thrilling for you, too. You can also create a twist by introducing a flashback in the story. The flashback should reveal something interesting and change the entire trajectory of the story.
The plot twist in a story is a surprise development that catches the reader off guard. For example, in Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi,” a boy named Pi finds himself adrift in the Pacific Ocean for almost a year, surrounded by a tiger. Pi is the protagonist, and the tiger represents him.
Another type of plot twist is a red herring. This is a common technique in crime stories and thrillers. It leads the reader to believe that a certain character is a real culprit when they are not. The main suspect is someone else, and the reader doesn’t know about this.
A story’s conflict can come in many forms. One of the most common is between two people. These characters oppose each other and fight tooth and nail for what they want. The reason why they are fighting is often internal, and the reader may wonder why they are doing this. The story’s conflict can also come from society, and the main protagonist may be at odds with society and its norms.
A conflict between man and nature is another common theme in fiction. A protagonist in a short story may battle the forces of nature to survive. These forces may include storms, animals, or natural disasters. For instance, in “The Old Man and the Sea,” the protagonist spends days in a small boat in the ocean. In another short story, the protagonist is trapped in a lifeboat with a tiger, and both stories depict how the struggle between man and nature can be difficult to overcome.
While writing short stories, you should keep the reader’s experience in mind. Readers want to identify with characters and situations that are similar to their own. The concept of story relatability is also useful when writing genre mashups and other works that attempt to represent various aspects of human life.
Relatability in a short story can be achieved through various means. It can be achieved through the actions and treatment of characters. For example, the fish-man in “The Shape of Water” is relatable to many people. Although most people who have seen the film have never met a fish, many have related to him because he is an outcast with needs that human society cannot fulfill. Though the human authorities are cruel to him, they aren’t always as cruel as they seem.
