Important Elements of a Short Story

A short story is a short work of fiction. Fiction, as you know, is prose writing
about imagined events and characters. Prose writing differs from poetry in that
it does not depend on verses, meters or rhymes for its organization and
presentation.
Novels are another example of fictional prose and are much longer than short
stories. Some short stories, however, can be quite long. If a a short story is a
long one, say fifty to one hundred pages, we call it a novella.
American literature contains some of the world's best examples of the short
story. Readers around the world enjoy the finely crafted stories of American
writers such as O. Henry, Stephen Crane, Jack London, Mark Twain and Edgar
Allan Poe.
What makes these authors such remarkable short story writers? They are true
masters at combining the five key elements that go into every great short
story: character, setting, conflict, plot and theme.

Character
A character is a person, or sometimes even an animal, who takes part in the
action of a short story or other literary work.
A character is a person depicted in a narrative or drama. Characters may be
flat, minor characters; or round, and major. The main character in a story is
generally known as the protagonist; the character who opposes him or her is
the antagonist. Character is revealed by how a character responds to conflict,
by his or her dialogue, and through descriptions.

Setting
The setting of a short story is the time and place in which it happens. Authors
often use descriptions of landscape, scenery, buildings, seasons or weather to
provide a strong sense of setting.
In literature, the word setting is used to identify and establish the time, place
and mood of the events of the story. It basically helps in establishing where and
when and under what circumstances the story is taking place.

Plot
A plot is a series of events and character actions that relate to the central
conflict.

Plot is a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story or the
main part of a story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a
sequence. The structure of a novel depends on the organization of events in
the plot of the story.
Plot is known as the foundation of a novel or story which the characters and
settings are built around. It is meant to organize information and events in a
logical manner. When writing the plot of a piece of literature, the author has to
be careful that it does not dominate the other parts of the story.
There are five main elements in a plot. The first is the exposition or the
introduction. This is known as the beginning of the story where characters and
setting are established. The conflict or main problem is introduced as well. The
second element of a plot is known as the rising action which occurs when a
series of events build up to the conflict. The main characters are established by
the time the rising action of a plot occurs and at the same time, events begin
to get complicated. It is during this part of a story that excitement, tension or
crisis is encountered. The third element of a plot is known as the climax or the
main point of the plot. This is the turning point of the story and is meant to be
the moment of highest interest and emotion. The reader wonders what is going
to happen next. The fourth element of a plot is known as falling action or the
winding up of the story. Events and complications begin to resolve and the
result of actions of the main characters are put forward. The last element of a
plot is the resolution or the conclusion. It is the end of a story and ends with
either a happy or a tragic ending.

Theme
The theme is the central idea or belief in a short story.
A writer presents themes in a literary work through several ways. A writer may
express a theme through the feelings of his main character about the subject
he has chosen to write about. Similarly, themes are presented through
thoughts and conversations of different characters. Moreover, the experiences
of the main character in the course of a literary work give us an idea about its
theme. Finally, the actions and events taking place in a narrative are
consequential in determining its theme.

Major and Minor Themes

Major and minor themes are two types of themes that appear in literary works.
A major theme is an idea that a writer repeats in his work, making it the most
significant idea in a literary work. A minor theme, on the other hand, refers to
an idea that appears in a work briefly and gives way to another minor theme.
Examples of theme in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice are matrimony, love,
friendship, and affection. The whole narrative revolves around the major theme

of matrimony. Its minor themes are love, friendship, affectation etc.

Conflict
The conflict is a struggle between two people or things in a short story. The
main character is usually on one side of the central conflict.
On the other side, the main character may struggle against another important
character, against the forces of nature, against society, or even against
something inside himself or herself (feelings, emotions, illness).

Internal and External Conflicts

Careful examination of the succeeding conflict examples will help us realize
that conflicts may be internal or external. An internal or psychological conflict
arises as soon as a character experiences two opposite emotions or desires;
usually virtue or vice, or good and evil inside him. This disagreement causes a
character to suffer mental agony. Internal conflict develops a unique tension in
a storyline marked by a lack of action.
External conflict, on the other hand, is marked by a characteristic involvement
of an action wherein a character finds himself in struggle with those outside
forces that hamper his progress. The most common type of an external conflict
is where a protagonist fights back against the antagonists tactics that impede
his or her advancement.