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Short stories are most often stories of either incident or character ( what incident
happened at the beginning of the Michael Jackson video that caught your
attention? )
Stories of incident focus on the course of outcome of actions ( What incident
occurred at the beginning of the Michael Jackson video that caught your
attention ? )
Stories of character focus on the state of mind, personality, or psychological or
moral qualities of the main characters. ( What was going on in Michael’s mind
that showed you a bit of his personality ? )
1. Plot The interrelationship of the main events that take place during
the short story. ( How did the plot get started and what
clues were given at the beginning that gave you some
insight into the direction of the story ? )
3. Setting Where the story takes place and when. ( Was the opening
scene set in the day or night? What is the significance of
establishing this time in the video ? )
4. Narration or The narrator is the character or voice who tells the story. A
Point of view story can be told from different points of view. ( Who’s point
of View “POV” is BAD told from? )
Date: _______________________
We will be reviewing these elements in more detail, as well as some other important
“ingredients” as the unit progresses.
The plot is the interrelationship of the main events that take place during the action of a
short story. It is like the story’s skeleton Without it, the story would not hold together. The
plot is sometimes told in chronological order, or sometimes uses other methods of
development (e.g. flashbacks). Regardless, almost all short stories follow the formula below:
( Short stories are events and action in “Chronological Order” or in “Flashbacks”
sequences )
1. Exposition
Provides reader with information about the characters and the setting.
( What was the initial setting for Ender? How was his character
developed ?)
6. Denouement/Resolution
What happens after the falling action
resolves all the problems and conflicts in the story ( Describe in your
own words how the resolution of Ender’s internal turmoil worked
out )
7. The Conflict
Like the muscles on a skeleton, it is what moves the story forward.
Six types of conflict ( circle the types of “conflict” Ender faced in this
story )
Person against person
Person against self
Person against nature
Person against fate
Person against society
Person against supernatural
Conflicts are dividend into internal conflicts (inside oneself) and external
conflicts (outside of oneself).
Date: _______________________
The setting of the short story is the time or place that the events happen. For some
stories the background will be described in detail and in others it will be
intentionally vague. Both are techniques that the author can use to force a certain
mood on the reader. While the idea of setting sounds simple, there are often many
different levels of setting one can find when looking at a short story. Where and
when a story takes place can shape the way a character acts or thinks or the
action of the story itself.
There are 2 main types of setting both of which can be broken down into 2 subtypes:
macro (bigger picture) and micro (smaller picture)
1. Geography
Date: _______________________
Macro Examples:
planet
culture
country
__________________________
Micro Examples:
character’s house
character’s bedroom
furniture in bedroom
__________________________
2. Time/Temporal
Macro Examples:
Era
Year (s)
Past/Present/Future
__________________________
Micro Examples:
Month
Hours
Day
__________________________