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SHORT STORIES

STORIES
STORYTELLING

 Storytelling is as old as culture. Many societies have

long-established storytelling traditions. The stories,
 People find ways to explain ung mga nangyayari sa
and performances thereof, function to entertain as
paligid nila kahit sa modern times
well as educate.
 Literature is the interpretation of the author of what
 Storytelling is a type of communicative process
is happening around them
 Depending on your mood, need situation, you
assume either being the storyteller or listener

 Entertaining

 Learning
Customs of the tagalog = Fray Juan de Plasencia - very first
 Stories can help maintain a healthy mental filipino history book
state
- Lalo pang napreserve yung culture dahil sa book na
SHORT STORIES ito
- Other examples:
 Part of oral literature
- Hakawati = Middle east
 Eg: fables, legends, folklore, - Gaiot = Africa
folktales,anecdotes, legends - Ito yung mga repository of information sa
lugar nila
 A piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in
one sitting.

 fEW CHARACTERS 5 MAX - In tradition, we don’t need to write it para ma-pass

down as long as ginagawa natin siya araw araw
 No complex plot  Moral lessons are a good way to remind people to
behave properly.

 (Base na lang to sas pagkakaintindi ko) = Kaya

tinuturo sa mga bata yung short stories kasi nga
short lang yung story so mas madali nila
matatandaan yung mga plot, characs and especially
yung moral lesson nung story. Yung moral lesson
Pass over (?) - done by jewish people
kumbaga is maiimpose sakanila at a young age which
- Story telling every april, holy week is a good thing para lumaki silang matitinong tao sa
- Nagkekwento ng mga israelites na nakasulat sa old future.
testament ng bible
 Short stories show a character breaking a rule and
- Tradition - action that is passed down to one
then every sin or crime committed has a sanction
generation to another
 brief fictional prose narrative that is shorter than a
novel and that usually deals with only a few
characters, it is also usually concerned with a single
effect conveyed in only one or a few significant
episodes or scenes (Britannica).

 Short Stories should be SHORT and that it shall

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SHORT STORIES

possess coherence sufficient to hold the reader’s and

the listener’s unflagging interest from beginning to
end (EAP cited in Lawrence, 1917)

___________________________________

SHORT STORIES

Word counts: 1000 - 15000 words

Less than 1000 - Fast Fiction ELEMENTS OF A SHORT STORY

Most writers rely on: Setting:

- Economizing the setting
- Concise narrative - where the story happened. A setting has an effect to
- No complex plot the story as a whole
- Anything and everything your character sees, it is
● PROSE also what they see in their surroundings
ordinary language without metrical structure - Where your action takes place
- Keys (clue/s) gives the character dimension by
● CHARACTERIZATION: making him interact with his surroundings. (1-2
Creation of imaginary people who appear to be real in the places)
imagination of the reader. MAYBE DIRECT: EXTERNAL OR - Other elements:
INDIRECT: INTERNAL - Furniture, Decorations, Paints, Plants,
Clothing, pet and instruments/accessories
- A short story is a part of our oral tradition in the ETC
form of legends, fairy tales and anecdotes. - TIME, DATE and LOCATION

● STORY TELLING Plot - point of departure (a place to begin)

activity in society, where we share stories. - Point of test (resolution)

- Means of communication
a. Exposition - beginning of your story
- Interpreting your ideas/ what you perceive
b. Rising action - character is in crisis
- Entertainment UNFOLDING every scenarios in an event.
C. Climax - peak of your story
- Share your opinions (McgGraw, 1998)
● According to William Faulkner (1951), a short story
i. Major event - character battles something
or someone, CONFRONTS
is character driven and a writer's job is to "...trot
d. Falling action - where your story begins to slow down. -
along behind him with a paper and pencil trying to
scenarios leading up to the end
keep up long enough to put down what he says and
e. resolution/ denouement - end of the story. What
does.”
happened?
CHARACTER DRIVEN STORIES ARE:
CHARACTERS:
- Focused on Character
- Internal conflicts 1. The people you employ to tell your story.
- Focuses on how he arrives at his decisions/choice 2. The main actors of your story.
3. Some acts as the narrator of the story.
- Focuses on motivation
● Characters should be: MEMORABLE, SENSE OF
AGENCY (HE OWNS AND MAKES OWN DECISIONS),
___________________________________ DISTINCT AND DIMENSIONAL.

CONFLICTS
1. Man vs Man (antagonist vs protagonist)
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2. Man vs Nature (eg: earthquake)
3. Man vs Himself eg: (human psyche/ psychotic
episode)
4. Man vs Society (eg: man vs. belief ng society)
External conflict - Any conflict that can cause physical pain or
body alterations
Internal conflict - HAs to do with human psyche (pag iisip)
POV = The position of the narrator and the author’s point of
view
1st person = narrator participant
3rd person POV = iba na yung narrator
A. Omniscient = all knowing/ god like narrator
a. Thought process ng character (ninanarrate
yung pag iisip ng character)
B. Innocent eyes =1st or 3rd POV/ POV if a child
___________________________________
Theme/MAIN THEME/CENTRAL IDEA/ C. THEME: main
thought or idea of the story. This is also the abstract idea that
is recurring in the story- (paulit ulit) like surrealist fiction and
expressionism. Central idea needs to unify many elements of
the story
-a guide to understand your short story.
-you read to improve yourself.
-to improve your communication skills
● Point of view - vantage point of the author
● Omniscient - point of view that put the author
everywhere, knows everything.
LAST ELEMENT: RESONANCE
- Ability of the author to evoke a strong feeling or
emotion
- Personal connection to the story - deep connection
to character. You have experienced the same
situation with the character.
Use particular imagery adding strength to your story.
● Short Stories are there to show how CREATIVE a
writer is, EFFECTIVE a writer is.
● Improve our cognitive function or learning -
STOCKWELL (Poetry of literary resonance)
- Somerset Maughan
- Strong PLOT
● Slice of Life - simplest, most uneventful, mundane
things.
______________________________________
Tips of writing/ formulating the central idea
1. Does not show an incomplete sentence.
- central idea should always be a complete sentence
- it is ok to take notes for u to understand better, and
to understand the author intended to express
- the familiarity of language, observe proper use of
words, not independent and dependent clause only
- following specific technicalities like grammar and
completeness of thought
2.Omit clichés
● overuse terminologies, repeated phrase, quotes,
ideas
● find significant idealism of the author to have a
better theme
● be unique and give so much thought on creating
your central idea
Omit clichés - if you use clichés it means that you did not
think thoroughly about your story.
Cliché’ - phrases, words, sentences, quotations etc that are
used repeatedly or many time over anywhere and
everywhere.
Example: Love is blind, Do not do unto others what you do
not want others to do unto you, Good people go to Heaven,
Bad Behavior is punishable etc…
3.Answers the question HOW and WHO
● is the title significant
● Who: how the central idea represented in the
character
● Theme of tell tale heart - guilt
4.Not generic or universal
● example: women are treated unfairly is poor theme.
Can be more specific like woman in workplace is
treated unfairly
● - woman are paid less- pick a certain designation
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SHORT STORIES

-what story reveals about people and society like larger than themselves
roles of women and men
● significant role that can be a main or lesser
st nd
5.Omit 1 person and 2 person POV in central idea ● inanimate objects and animals (writers or author
uses human qualities too)
● do not use it because the 1st is the vantage point of
view
● Think metaphors, symbols (a substitute or
something), for other types/figure of speech

Characters: the people who tell you the story, the people are
the driving force of your story.

Types:

1.Dynamic - character who changes over the course of the

story, drastic

● can be appearance, physical features, personality or

Physical - Metamorphosis
● change from 1 condition to another

2.Round-character who shows fluidity

● the ease or speed of movement (how quickly is the

transition)
● changers overtime, characters experience hindrance
● smooth transition form 1 personality
● personality - mindset, feelings, thought or
knowledge
● as our knowledge increases your personality change

Dynamic and round describe protagonist and antagonist

(1) =main characters

- E.D transition is not healthy- quick and sudden

3. Static: a character with no noticeable changes, does not

show development (physical, mental, intellectual, spiritual or
social)

Some are symbolic-lesser work in the literature

4.Stock: a character with fixed set of personality traits

● Personality Traits: Behavior, Manners, Belief ETC.

ROUTINES
● Also plays a lesser part (1 or 2 characters)

- Static and Stock - Lesser known characters

5. Symbolic: character that represents a concept or theme