1. The Short Story A quick recap

2. The Short Story The short story is a literary genre. As the name suggests, it is shorter than a novel. Because of its limited length, a short story must be efficiently told. There is no place in it for waffle!

3. The Short Story A short story has certain key characteristics. We must apply these elements to our own creative writing.

4. Characteristics of a Short Story A short story captures a single event: A shark attack Lying to your mom Come up with your own suggestions

5. Characteristics of a Short Story A novel usually takes a while to get going but a short story jumps straight into the action. The fishermen were waving frantically at me. What were they on about? I have just told the biggest lie and I’m going to burn in hell for sure! Come up with your own suggestions

6. Characteristics of a Short Story A short story needs to move the plot along quickly and build towards an exciting and unexpected climax. What do you call a short story without a climax? Boring. Come up with your own suggestions

7. Characteristics of a Short Story Short stories have a limited number of characters. There is just not enough time to do justice to anymore than 2 or 3 characters. Come up with your own suggestions

8. Characteristics of a Short Story The names of characters should suggest their personalities (like Cruela deVil). This adds to our understanding of a character. Come up with your own suggestions

9. Characteristics of a Short Story Lastly, a short story should have great title! It should capture the essence of the story. A Terrible Nightmare by Gladys Over Strong Winds by Gail Forse Jail Break by Freida Prizner Cliff Tragedy by Eileen Dover Easy Money by Robin Banks Sahara Journey by Rhoda Camel The Rainforest by Teresa Green Infectious Diseases by Willie Catchit Come up with your own suggestions