Guidelines for writing

short stories:

‘A piece of fiction dealing

with a single incident… it
must sparkle, excite,
impress… .’
Know the limits!
• Novels usually explore the lives and world of
characters in great detail over a long period of
time
• Short stories are more limited; they provide
brief dramatic insights into characters’ lives
• The story should only feature one or two
characters in one or two dramatic scenes
linked with a few summary passages
• The plot should be straightforward with an
ending that need not be tied up neatly
• The events should take place over a short
period of time and preferably starting and
ending in one place.
Show – Don’t tell
• A good storyteller helps the reader to ‘see’
and ‘hear’ the actions – he or she ‘shows’ the
reader the action happening
• ‘Show – Don’t tell’ is a piece of advice often
given to budding writers. It simply means
showing characters in action rather than
showing what they did
• If you were just to ‘tell’ in a sentence or two
what happened in the dramatic scenes – eg.
‘My mother was annoyed with me over my
school report’ – you would miss an opportunity
to entertain the reader. Anyone can tell – it
takes a good writer to show.
The ‘Scene – Summary’
method
• A method commonly known as the ‘Scene –
Summary’ method is a starting point in most
courses of creative fiction. The basis of this
method is that a story consists of scenes
linked by summaries
• It will probably help you if you think of ‘Scene’
of your story as a unit of action that is taking
place in front of you just as if it were a film or
a stage play. A scene will generally include
• Dialogue – The actual words spoken and the
tone used
• Action – The gestures made and the deeds
done.
The Summary
• Summary passages provide important
bridges between scenes of action as well
as helping to carry the story forward. Often
a summary passage is only a sentence or
two in length.
• Students writing frequently consists of too
much summary and not enough scenes.
Summary passages help to slow down the
pace of the story when placed after an
action-packed or dramatic scene.
Scenes that are dramatic
or entertaining include:
• Arguments
• Interrogations
• Apologies
• Turning points
• Admissions
• Successes
• Failures
• Disasters
• Triumphs
• Warnings
• Accusations
• Revelations
Devising plots:
• Conflict: This is essential in all plots. It need not, of
necessity, include physical violence or even verbal
sparring. What it does involve, however, a struggle of
some kind – between people, within the person himself
or between the person and his environment.
• Give your main character a goal that it vital to him or
her; place one or more obstacles in his or her path and
try to end with an unexpected twist.
• Suspense: Conflict leads to suspense. Suspense is that
element in the story that gives the reader the urge to
read on to find out what happens next.
• Order: It is common to tell a story in the order which it
happened i.e. chronological order. Another option is the
‘flashback’ technique. This method involves the story
opening with a character in a certain situation before
going back to the events that lead to the situation.
Point of view:
• You must decide who is going to ‘tell’ the story – a character
that was involved or an all-seeing outsider i.e. the omniscient
point of view. The following are the three most frequently used
points of view. Each tells the same story from a different
viewpoint.
• ‘When Peter Cahill arrived home from school that Monday, he
couldn’t believe his eyes. The house was empty as if someone
had been through it with a gigantic vacuum cleaner and sucked
everything out. What on earth had happened? And where, he
asked himself, were the rest of the family?
• ‘When I got home from school that Monday I couldn’t believe my
eyes. The house was empty as if someone had been through it
with a gigantic vacuum cleaner. What on earth had happened?
And where, I asked myself, was everyone’
• ‘ I was with Peter Cahill when he got home from work that
Monday night. His house was empty as if someone had been
through it with a gigantic vacuum cleaner. Somehow, I had to try
and help’
Openings
• A good opening should make the reader feel that he or she is ‘there’ –
involved in the action. Although this may sound like a contradiction in
terms ,it is a good idea to begin in the middle of the action i.e. in the
middle of some very dramatic event with people talking or doing
things.
• The reader may not at first understand the significance of the
conversation or the action but should find it interesting like
overhearing an argument on a bus. Then gradually, using a few
summary passages, you can let the reader know what he or she needs
to know about the situation.
• Many modern short stories dive straight into the narrative without any
explanations, preambles or elaborate introductions. Chekhov, a very
famous writer, advises beginners to tear up their first half of their
stories! The point he was making was that the opening sentence
should take us right into the story. “One day last summer my friends
and I decided to go camping” is an approach that should be avoided.
This could be ‘We pitched our tent in a sheltered spot and the bend of
a river. It seems to be an ideal spot…’.
• Don’t go to the trouble of telling everything to the reader directly. This
is a dull way of conveying information and fails to hold the attention of
the reader. The reader responds better to a subtle hint, a suggestion
or an implication rather than having the situation clearly explained.
Example of a good
opening:
• “ If I catch you coming into my garden again, I’ll get the guards” screamed Mrs. Murray.
“ Keep your hair on, you silly old bag. I’m only getting my ball. I’m not going to eat your
daffodils!” retorted Jason. (Scene)
Jason had already visited Mrs. Murray’s garden five times. He had been practising alone with his
football. He was alone because all his friends were at school. Jason, once again, was
suspended. (Summary)

• What makes this an effective opening:

It begins with a short scene in which the characters of Mrs. Murray and, to a greater extent,
Jason are established. We gather, by implication that Mrs. Murray tends to be a little
hysterical (She screamed) and is likely to over-react to situations (the guards). She may
take pride in her garden. Jason, clearly, has a tendency to be rude (old bag) and there is a
suggestion that he likes football. It also gives us a hint of when and where the action is
taking place – a spring day in the suburbs?
This is followed by a summary passage which gives us more information about Jason. It is
written from the omniscient point of view but note how is doesn't judge Jason. We learn
that he was suspended, and not for the first time. We have to read on to discover if Jason
was a trouble-maker who interfered with the educational rights of his fellow students to the
point where he had to be suspended on more than one occasion –or– is he a likeable, if
slightly mischievous, lad who continually suffered at the hands of a humourless and
vindictive teacher and a neurotic and hysterical neighbour?
The opening promises further conflict between Jason and Mrs. Murray and possibly the guards
or Jason’s father.
• Here is a selection of opening sentences from some short stories:
“ In the spring of 1929, I decided to run away from home. I was eight years of age “
“ I was not speeding, I was cruising along and almost home “
“ November frost had starched the flat countryside into silent rigidity”
Creating Characters:
• In very short stories, it is not possible to create
complex characters. In order to make your
character stand out, give them one strong trait --
make them noticeably arrogant or snobbish, timid
or fussy, bossy or rude etc… Bring the trait out in
the words and actions of the character. Don’t tell
the readers what they should feel about the
character. What you say about your characters
make less of an impression than what you make
them do and say. Characters become in our minds
what we see them do. The writer puts them in a
scene and lets them show their true colours.
Dialogue:
Dialogue is a vital part of most ‘scenes’. It is used:
• To give plot information or to move on the plot
• To show a characters personality
• To dramatise relationships between characters
• To illustrate conflict
• To express the message or theme of the story
Make it dynamic by using short speeches and make
sure your characters are reacting to each other.
Where appropriate, make your dialogue lively and
energetic.
Making pictures with
words - Setting
The setting of a story - the time and place in which it occurs – is
like the ‘glue’ of the story, fixing its events into position in the
reader’s mind.
You must make it clear to the reader when and where the story is
taking place and over how long a period. This gives the story a
framework that helps the reader visualise the events.
You don’t have to outline the setting at the beginning of the story –
it can be established in stages throughout the story in brief
summary passages.
An aspiring author once asked Anton Chekhov, a famous Russian
short story writer for some advice on a story he was writing in
which the moonlight was described at length in a highly poetic
passage. “ No! No!” said Chekhov. “ Not that way. If you want to
describe the moon just say it glinted on the water”. Take
Chekhov’s advice and keep passages that describe the setting
as brief as possible.
Endings:
Think through your story first and think how and when
you are going to end it. If the main character is a
likeable character with a problem, we will all be
rooting for him or her to solve it successfully. If, on
the other hand, he’s a bad guy, we expect him or
her to get their comeuppance and learn his lesson.
Remember again that your story is a slice of life
and in life, the loose ends are rarely, if ever tied up
neatly. Therefore you could leave things unresolved
and the reader guessing. Or you could end with an
unexpected twist – a triumph or a defeat.
When ending a story with an unexpected twist you
should not reveal the unexpected twist until the
final sentence or two.
Outline plots:

1. A character is presented in an unfavourable light – in the end he/she

does something to redeem him/herself.
2. A character who comes across as being virtuous turns out to be fake.
3. A character has great contempt for a person (or an organisation) who,
in turn, helps the character in time of need – or the reverse, a
character has admiration for a person or an organisation who lets the
character down
4. A character is faced with a decision – great personal gain at the
expense of the public good – either way no one will know of his
decision.
5. A wealthy character spots a valuable object in a huckster’s shop. The
object is totally under-priced. Does he get it for even less? Does he pay
the real worth for it? Does he lose it altogether in an attempt to
acquire it?
6. Two friends in conversation come across as being brave, tolerant, full
of humour, boastful. The story takes a new direction when faced with
an unexpected situation calling for bravery, tolerance, humour etc.
How do they behave?
7. A character is established as an outsider – to a group such as family, a
class, a gang etc. The group faces a problem which is solved by the
intervention of the character.
 CONCLUSION

• A short story is a slice of life…

• The short story writer must know
when to get into a character’s life –
and when to get out.
• If you can do this then you are likely
to produce some worthwhile short
stories.
• Last but not least …ENJOY….