ELEMENTS OF A

SHORT STORY
 1. SETTING
The setting refers to a place, time, weather condition,
social condition, and even mood or atmosphere. To
recognize the setting of the story, you may ask these
questions:
• Where is the action take place?
•Where is the story taking place? Is it during the day, night,
what year, what period?
•What is the weather condition? Is it sunny, rainy, and
stormy?
•What is the daily life of the character? What are his
customs and status in life?
•What is the feeling created at the beginning of the story?
•Is it bright, cheerful, dark or frightening?
Example:
My sister and I had a fun-filled vacation last
summer. We stayed at our grandparents’ whic
was near the beach. We swam every morning
climbed the trees in the farm and fed the
animals before dark. When the moon was
bright, we played patintero.
In the guide questions above, provide the
answers:
Where is the action taking place?
Where is the story taking place?
What is the weather condition?
It is the sequence of events in a
short play. The plot is a planned,
logical series of containing a
beginning, middle and end. The short
story usually has one plot, and it could
be the setting.
 is where the events in the story
become complicated and the
conflict in the story is revealed. This
is where the events between
introduction and climax take place.
The turning point of the story and
the highest point of interest. It is
where the readers asks what
happen next.
 The problems and complications
begin to be resolved.

This is the final outcome or

untangling of events in the story..
1. Conflict
Is essential to a plot. Without conflict
there is no plot. It is the struggle
between two or more opposing forces
which is the nucleus of the plot. It is the
opposition of forces which ties one
incident to another and makes the plot
move.
1. External conflict
Is a struggle with a force outside one’s
self.
2. Internal conflict
Is the character’s struggle within
oneself. A person must make some
decisions, overcome pain, quiet their
temper, resist anger, etc.
a. Human vs. human (physical)
The leading character struggles with his
physical strength against other men.
 This scene from Spider Man 3
clearly depicts the concept of human
vs. human- Spider Man punches Sand
Man in a battle scene.
b. Human vs. society (social)
The leading character struggles against
ideas, practices, or customs of other
people.
 Quasimodo of “ The Hunchback of
Notre Dame” is a clear example of a
character that experienced this kind
of conflict.
c. Human vs. nature
The leading character struggles the
forces of nature.

 The scene from the sci-fi movie

“2012” clearly shows how horrible it
is to face nature as an opponent.
c. Human vs. God or Supreme Being

The leading character struggles against

supernatural forces.
 This scene from the War of the
Worlds” movie in 2005. This clearly
shows how humans struggle the
forces of a supreme being.
c. Human vs. self (psychological)
The leading character struggles with
himself/herself; with his/her own soul,
ideas of right or wrong, physical
limitations, choices, etc .
In the movie Ironman, Tony Stark
has to choose between saving the
world and keeping his powers for
himself..
2. Character
The person in a work of fiction or the
characteristics of a person.
Protagonist – one character is clearly
central to the story with all major events
having some importance to this
character.
Antagonist- the person that opposes
the main character.
Characterization
Is the information the author gives the
reader about the characters themselves.
The author may reveal a character in
several ways:
a. Direct characterization (expository) –
this method allows the writer to present
the character’s physical traits and
personality. The character traits are
explicitly brought out by the writer using
descriptive words.
b. Indirect Characterization (dramatic)
This method allows the readers to
deduce the traits of the characters
through their thoughts, words, actions,
and decisions. They infer the
characteristics of these characters from
what they say and do.
Characters also have types:
a. Static or flat characters- they are
characters who don’t have flesh and
blood qualities. They normally don’t
undergo changes throughout the story.
Example:
A driver who appears in the story
remains a driver until the end.
Characters also have types:
b. Dynamic (full rounded) characters
they are characters who live lives of
sorrow and joy, sinking or swimming in
the visible tides of life-very much like
us.They are capable of undergoing
changes.
Example:
A beggar whom the major character has
helped before becomes a rich man who
will j=help the major character in return.
3. Point of view (P.O.V)
 is defined as the angle or perspective
from which the story is told. There are
several kinds of point of view:
a. First Person – the story is told by the
protagonist or another character that
interacts closely with the protagonist
or other characters (using the first
person pronouns “I”, “me”, “we”, etc.)

.
b. Innocent Eyes – the story is told
through the eyes of a child (his/her
judgment being different from that of
an adult).

.c. Stream of Consciousness– the story is

told so that the reader feels as if they
are inside the head of one character
and knows all their thoughts and
reactions.
d. Second Person– this is used rarely. The
main character in the story is referred
to using the second person pronoun
“you”. The second person is most
often used in training manuals and
role-playing games.
e. Third Person– the story is told using a
. narrator who is located outside the
action of the story and uses third
person pronouns such as “he”, “she”,
“her”, “they”, etc.
Different Types of Third Person Point of
View
1. Omniscient– literally means “ all
knowing”. The narrator can move
from character to character, event to
event, having free access to the
thoughts, feelings and motivations of
any character and can introduce
information where and when he or
she chooses.
Different Types of Third Person Point of
View
2. Limited Omniscient– the story is told
by a third person narrator but from
the viewpoint of a character in the
story, usually the main character or
protagonist. The reader has access to
the thoughts and feelings of only one
character.
Different Types of Third Person Point of
View
3. Objective – the author tells the story
in the third person. It appears as
though a camera is following the
characters, going anywhere, and
recording only what is seen and
heard. The reader is placed in the
position of spectator without the
author there to explain.