Writing the Short Story

1. Writing the Short Story

2. Plot • Exposition – introduce characters, history leading up to present moment in story

3. Example from “The Baby” by Donald Barthelme • The first thing the baby did wrong was to tear pages out of her books. So we made a rule that each time she tore a page out of a book she had to stay alone in her room for four hours, behind the closed door. She was tearing out about a page a day, in the beginning, and the rule worked fairly well, although the crying and screaming from behind the closed door were unnerving. We reasoned that that was the price you had to pay, or part of the price you had to pay.

4. Rising Action • The escalation and complication of the central confict • Danger, Obstacles • In a short, short story this is abbreviated so you only throw one or two obstacles in the way of the character achieving his/her desire

5. Climax and Resolution • The point of maximum dramatic attention • The turning point in the narrative • Resolution – working out the remaining complications/ the untying • Normally very brief or maybe even non-existent especially in a short short story

6. Checklist • Have you begun your story at the most opportune moment? • Is the story’s conflict immediately clear? • Does some significant change occur during the course of your story? Have you thrown obstacles and dangers in the way of your character? • Does your story end at the best possible place?