6 Important Elements
of a Short Story
The 6 key elements that make up a short story are:
Characters
Setting
Conflict
Theme
Plot
Point of View
Character
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A character is a person, or sometimes an animal, who
takes part in the action of a short story or other literary
work.
Characters and how we get to know them:
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Through the author’s physical description of them
Through their actions
Through their words (dialogue)
Through their inner thoughts
Through what other characters say and think about them
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Setting
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Setting is the time and place
that a story occurs.
Authors often use
descriptions of landscape,
scenery, buildings, seasons
or weather to provide a
strong sense of setting.
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Theme
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Theme is the meaning behind events and
characters’ actions in a story.
The theme is the central idea, message, or
purpose in a short story.
A theme can be expressed as a general statement
about people or life.
It is NOT plot summary.
It can be either directly or indirectly stated by
the author. Most likely indirectly.
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Conflict
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Conflict is any of the problems that a character encounters in a
story.
The conflict is a struggle between two people or things in a short
story.
The main character is on one side of the main conflict.
Conflicts can be:
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1. External – conflict with others and with nature
2. Internal – conflict within themselves
The main character may struggle:
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against another important character (Character vs Character)
against the forces of nature (Character vs Nature)
against society (Character vs Society)
against something inside himself or herself (feelings, emotions, illness).
(Character vs Self)
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Plot
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Plot is a pattern of events that develop from the
interactions between characters.
A plot is a series of events and character actions that
relate to the central conflict.
There are 5 elements of plot:
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Exposition
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution
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5 Elements of Plot
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Exposition
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The start or introduction of the story.
The background information that the reader
must have in order to understand the story.
This is where characters and setting are
introduced.
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Rising Action
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All of the events that take place leading up to
the climax.
This is where the reader is introduced to the
conflict.
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Climax
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The most exciting part of the story.
The turning point in the story.
Here the story is turned in a different direction,
toward the conclusion.
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Falling Action
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The immediate reaction to the climax.
All the actions that occur after the climax and
before the conclusion of the story.
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Resolution
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The conclusion of the plot.
Loose ends are tied up.
There might not be a clear
resolution. This is called a
cliffhanger ending.
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Narrative Point of View (P.O.V.)
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In a short story, the point of view is the
narrator’s position in the description
of events.
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Who is telling the story?
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It is told in terms of first or third person.
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First Person P.O.V. – the narrator is a
character in the story and uses pronouns
such as “I”, “me”, and “we”.
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Third Person Limited P.O.V. – the narrator
is separate from the main character but sticks close
to that character’s experience and actions.
The reader doesn’t know anything that the character
could not know, nor does the reader get to witness
any plot events when the main character isn’t there.
In a work written from the third person limited P.O.V.
the narrator never uses the pronouns “I”, “me”, or
“we”. In a third person work, these words are used
only in the dialogue.
Third Person Omniscient P.O.V. – features a
god-like narrator who is able to enter into the minds
and action of all the characters. the narrator knows
everything a character thinks, feels, or does.
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Dramatic Devices
Symbolism
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Anything which stands for something other than
itself.
For example, some common symbols: a heart is
a shape, but also represents love; white is a
color, but also symbolizes purity; a dove is a
bird, but also stands for peace; a flag symbolizes
a country; and a flashy car may represent wealth.
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Irony
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Differences between appearance and reality,
expectation and result, or meaning and intention.
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verbal irony - words are used to suggest the
opposite of what is meant.
For example: A character steps out into a
hurricane and says, “What nice weather we're
having!”
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dramatic irony - there is a contradiction between
what a character thinks and what the reader or
audience knows to be true.
For example: A girl in a horror film hides in a
closet where the killer just went.
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irony of situation - an event occurs that directly
contradicts the expectations of the characters, the
reader, or the audience.
For example: A fire station burns down, police
station gets robbed
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