Nuances of Short Story Writing: Format

Nuances of Short Story Writing: Format

Telling or writing a short story is comparatively an easy task, involving less hard work, less imagination or creative talent than learning a novel.Learning the nuances of short story writing is also comparatively an easy task than learning the other genres of writing. Though short story writing belongs essentially to the fiction category, the theme or plot or knot for a short story need not necessarily be out and out from the imagination of a writer. Normally, the plots for the short stories are drawn from the real life experience of other people; sometimes, the writer may write a short story based on his own experience However, some short story writers also write beautiful short stories out of their imagination. Short Story may be defined as a narration made by the writer on the basis of a plot in his own style and language; it may be based on a single incident or incidents. The beauty and success of the short story actually lies in its novel approach, free flowing and attractive style; A short story which is based a plot and written skillfully, will sustain the interest of the reader, evoke his natural response and appreciation. Short stories are generally written on the social and economic background. However, short story writers write their short stories that cater to the needs of the children, women and the aged people. When the short stories are meant for children, they may be sometime on the world of fantasy or sometimes based on moral studies that teach them morals; Short stories written exclusively for women may deal with their marital problems, their relationship with their spouses, domestic violence, problems of dowry, their relationship with their children etc. Short stories also concentrate on the problems of aged people, especially when they are forsaken by their wards. In the modern world, short stories also reflect the different cultures that prevail in different parts of the world with particular reference to dating, love, adultery etc. Therefore, before writing a short story in an international magazine, the writer has to take into account the above mentioned social and economic aspects, apart from taking into account the targeted readers. Again, before writing and submitting a short story to a magazine, the writer has to strictly adhere to the editorial demands and guidelines. There is no any specific or prescribed format for writing a short story. However, generally there are a few accepted and widely followed formats for writing short stories. Short story can be narrated in the following formats:- 1.Short story written in the first person:- Short stories may be written in the first person. When the short story is written from the author’s point of view, it is usually in the first person account. Consider this example:- “I was terribly frightened at what I saw in the bath room and quickly made an exit. I could not stop trembling for at least 15 minutes. When my daughter asked me why I got frightened, I replied in a low voice, “I saw a snake hanging from the shower.” But my daughter was not afraid. She boldly and quickly entered into the bath room and locked herself inside the bathroom. I was wondering why she did not scream at all. After a few minutes, having finished her bath she came out of the bathroom so casually. She also had a snake in her hand but laughing heartily. “Dad, you take at least half an hour to have your bath; but I am in a hurry ; I have to attend a special class. Therefore I had to finish my bath first. Have you got scarred too much?” she kept smiling. Now I understood that the snake was a rubber piece, a ploy employed by my daughter to prevent me from taking my bath first. 2.Short story written in the third person:- When the writer writes a short story in the second person or third person account, it is called narrative style.The writer actually narrates the story of a third party. Consider this example:- “Ram checked his pocket. There was a Rs 20 note peeping out of his pocket. He managed to steal it from his father’s pocket. He had been standing in front of a cinema theatre in a long queue since 0500 a.m, to witness the movie of his favorite star. It was 1000 a.m..The bell rang up indicating the sale of tickets in the counter. A tension developed in the queue. He was jam packed and perspiring; he was moving ahead in the queue inch by inch. The ticket counter was only some ten feet away. There were only two persons ahead of him. Now his turn came up. When he saw the ticket counter at a striking distance, he heaved a sigh of relief and hoped to witness the movie of his favorite star in a few minutes. But to his utter shock the ticket counter was closed with the ‘house full’ board. His disappointment knew no bounds.”