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Creative Writers Study 13 Points on Short Story
Structure
All creative writers are bound to an invisible law of
journalism. From the beginning of time, the same structure has
been used. All of the great writers use it. But after this
lesson, you will see that story structure is far more than the
initial breakdown:
· Exposition - the beginning, what the story is about
· Conflict - conflict with man vs. man, man vs. nature, or man
vs. internal conflict
· Climax
· Resolution
If you Google "story structure," you will find variations of
the story structure. You might find plot, conflict, conclusion
- or theme, climax, and conclusion. No matter how you word it,
the basic answer is the same. Without any one of these
elements, the story will flounder.
But you must expound on the following things, no matter what
kind of story you are writing:
· Point of View
· Plot
· Theme
· Setting
· Characterization
· Dialog
· Action
· Writing style
· Genre
If you want to transfer your reader from their sofa or chair to
the scene in your mind, you must use settings. This can be
anything from an open window with a curtain blowing in the
breeze to a murder scene in progress. The best idea is to open
midway of an action scene. This will grab your audience quicker
and keep them longer, as they read to find the outcome of the
actions.
There is a difference between plot and theme. Plot is the
series of events that occur in the story. Plot is what the
story is about. Theme, on the other hand, is the underlying
motivation that drives the story. The open window with the
curtains blowing in the breeze is part of a setting, which in
turn is part of the larger picture, the plot. Every time there
is an event in the story, you must ask yourself these
questions: "Why is the window open? How did the window get
opened? Obviously, someone opened it. But why?" - then you are
in the theme of the story. Always ask yourself, who, what,
when, where, why and how. The answer to these questions is the
theme that drives the story.
Point of view is how the reader sees the story. If you tell it
in first person point of view (I went the store… ), the reader
will see the story through your eyes. If you tell it in third
person point of view, (He went to the store… ), the reader will
see the story through the character's eyes. New writers usually
like to write in first person, but most editors are now buying
mostly third person. This new trend makes a huge difference in
choosing your POV.
A few brief words on some of the above: Characterization - make
your characters real to the reader by concentrating on
descriptions, attitudes, failures, and quirks. Dialog - it's
okay to use accents, but preferably not on the main character.
And for settings - use anything that describes where a person
is, or will be.
by Deborah Owen - 15th December 2008
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Deborah invites you to check out the biggest writing course
value of the year - eight week, fully mentored writing courses
for only $185! Take your classes any time in the next year.
Check it out at http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com
. Sign up for our newsletter for more writing
tips.
Source: http://www.creativewriter.me.uk
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