How to Write a Perfect Short Story

       A perfect short story is the one which contains  essential elements. The elements of short story could be summarized as the following: 

1. Topic : it's the major element on which the story depends; it talks about the human behaviour and their own experiences with others within the society where the story takes place. 

2. Theme : it's based on the writer's point of view in life and what kind of struggles that are existed in it. The writer often recounts vague details of the story to uncover it at the end of the story for the reader; this is one of the suspense techniques in the story. 

3. Story Sequence : is a series of interconnected events that the characters face and in which the writer tries to order in a way that makes it close to the real life and easy to be understood by using one of these three techniques

• Topical narration style: this style follows the chronological sequence of the events.

• Reverse chronology: which starts from the end of the story and goes ahead to reach the beginning of it. The reader goes with the events and gets back to the end of them to discover the resolution.

• The Story Sequence in which the reader finds himself/ herself in the middle of the story and starts to narrate all the events that connect the story together. 

4. Plot : The plot depends on the writer's brilliance and his skills in recounting the story and it's divided into two types: 

• A Dramatic or Progressive Plot: This is a chronological structure which continues until a climax.

• An Episodic Plot: Episodic plot structure is made up of a series of chapters or stories linked together only by the same place and time.

5. Setting: the setting refers to the time when the story happens and the geographical locations where the story takes place. 

6. Characters: the characters are divided into: 

• Major characters: they play the major roles in the story. 

• Minor characters: they help the plot to keep going and link the story and the main characters to each others.

7. Narration style: it's the technique which the writer uses to narrate the story through three different styles which are : 

• Direct narration: when the writer himself/herself  is the narrator of the story and its actions and events in details.

• Internal Narration: when the writer makes himself/herself one of the characters and narrates the story as being happened with him. 

• Epistolary Narration: when the writer uses diary entries or letters in order to narrate the story itself.

8. Conflict: the conflict is the struggle which could be either between two main characters and which is called external conflict or between the characters and themselves and it's considered to be internal conflict such as being in struggles with fears and emotions. 

9. Climax and Resolution: the climax when the actions get more complicated which is called the culmination before getting to the resolution of it. The resolution is the end of the story where the readers are informed that the story ended or where the plot could be open ending that the writer doesn't tell the readers what happenes at the end and lets them complete it using their imagination.

Translation: Roa’ Awwad

Edits: Bailasan Zainah