SHORT STORIES

ANECDOTE
An anecdote is a short account of something
interesting and amusing, which usually tells a
story about a real person and/or incident.
 Often, anecdotes are used to illustrate or
support a point in an essay, article, or chapter.
 They are very short, but have no specific limits.
DRABBLE
A drabble is an exceptionally short piece of
fiction, usually of exactly 100 words in length –
not including the title.  The purpose of a drabble
is extreme brevity and to test an author’s skill at
expressing himself/herself meaningfully and
interestingly in a very confined space.
FABLE
A fable is a succinct story featuring
anthropomorphic creatures (usually animals, but
also mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects,
or forces of nature) to tell a story with a moral.
 Often the moral is explicitly told at the end.  A
fable is similar to a parable, but differs most in the
fact that fables use animals to tell a story but
parables do not.
FEGHOOT
A feghoot is an interesting short story type
also known as a story pun or a poetic story
joke.  It is a humorous piece ending in an
atrocious pun.  It can be very short, only long
enough to sufficiently illustrate the context of
the piece enough to lead up to the pun.
FLASH FICTION
Flash fiction refers to an extremely short
piece of literature.  It has no widely
accepted length, but has a debated cap of
between 300 and 1000 words.
FRAME STORY
A frame story is also known as a frame tale
or a nested narrative.  It is a literary
technique of placing a story within a story,
for the purpose of introducing or setting the
stage for a main narrative or a series of
short stories.
MINI-SAGA
A mini-saga is a short story told in exactly
50 words.  It is a test in brevity – about
saying a lot with a little.
STORY SEQUENCE
A story sequence, also called a short story
cycle or a composite novel, is a group of
short stories that work together to form a
longer piece, while still functioning as
complete short stories on their own.
SKETCH STORY
A sketch story is a shorter than average
piece containing little or no plot.  It can be
merely a description of a character or a
location.  Character sketches are common,
and a good way to build a character that
will eventually be part of a longer piece.
VIGNETTE
A vignette is a short, impressionistic piece that
focuses on a single scene, character, idea,
setting, or object.  There is little emphasis on
adhering to conventional theatrical or literary
structure, or story development.  It can be a
stand-alone piece or part of a larger work.
5 POWERFUL WRITING
TECHNIQUES THAT
BRING STORIES TO
LIFE
BY HENRY HERZ
1. INVOKE MULTIPLE SENSES
When you experience a situation, you pick up more
than just its sights. By describing sounds, scents,
tastes and sensations, you’ll immerse readers in your
story’s world.
•The following scene from Saladin Ahmed’s “Hooves
and the Hovel of Abdel Jameela” does a wonderful
job of pulling the reader into the story by using
senses other than sight.
•Her voice is more beautiful than any woman’s. And
there is the powerful smell of jasmine and clove. A
nightingale sings perfumed words at me while my
mind’s eye burns with horrors that would make the
Almighty turn away.
2. CREATE INTRIGUING, COMPLEX
CHARACTERS
• Readers want characters with whom they can sympathize
(Harry Potter) or revile (Tywin Lannister) — or both.
They want to get to know the characters and learn more
about their experiences in the story.
As authors, we must give readers insight into what
makes our protagonists tick. 
3. EVOKE STRONG EMOTIONS