Short Story History and a Few Examples

Students often ask: "How long should my story be?" instead of realizing that any story needs to have a beginning, middle, and end. This sort of open ended question really has no answer. How long should a story be? Well, traditionally, short stories are shorter than novels. That's a good place to begin.

Short stories are shorter than novels, and are usually not as complex or involved. Short stories were originally meant to be read in one sitting. As our culture has sped ahead, and we don't have much free time, short stories have become as short as a sentence or two and as long as the traditional short stories, fewer than 20,000 words. A short novel is about 50,000 words. Most publishers want novels that are anywhere from 75,000 to 100,000 words or more.

Usually a short story focuses on only one event or incident. It usually has a single plot, a single setting, a small number of characters, and covers a short period of time. Most writing students start off writing short stories because they are manageable. But the form is tricky and hard to perfect. Many authors spend their whole lives learning the craft of writing short fiction.

Longer short stories usually contain elements of dramatic structure: exposition (the introduction of setting, situation and main characters); complication (the event that introduces the conflict); rising action (development of the conflict), crisis (the decisive moment for the protagonist and her commitment to a course of action); climax (the point of highest tension and the point the protagonist faces her antagonist); resolution (the point when the conflict is resolved); and a sense of enlightenment, epiphany, or moral.

Short stories may or may not follow this pattern. Some do not follow patterns at all. Modern short stories only occasionally have an exposition. An abrupt beginning, with the story starting in the middle of the action (in media res) is more standard or typical.

Usually all short stories have a turning point and climax, but endings may be sudden or what is called "open"--leaving the story incomplete. As with all art forms, short stories will vary by author.

Read a few short short stories here. Discuss with your neighbor which stories are best and try to figure out why.