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The Definition of Short Stories

The very term "short stories" defines a work of this genre by its length in relation to other pieces of fiction. The rules of this realm are not concrete but rather defined by what magazines and publishers want and the directions new trends lead us. There are some current standards to adhere to when talking about a short story.
  1. Flash Fiction and Prose Poetry

    • Flash fiction is considered to be any story of 1,000 words or less. This genre has a protagonist and conflict but might not resolve -- leaving many things before and after the action implied. There is a moment or an occurrence. Prose poetry does not confine itself to the restrictions of story in any way -- it is open to anything. Some consider anything from a couple hundred words all the way down to several to be "micro-fiction," but this depends on how many labels you wish to consider relevant.

    Short Story: Technical Aspects

    • You should be able to finish a short story before getting too distracted.

      A short story is a work of fiction. There is a narrator, and a protagonist takes readers through conflict and resolution -- these are the basic elements of story. Most fiction magazines will consider anything from 2,000 to 5,000 words a publishable short story, though some consider up to 10,000 words (but only if it needs every word of it).

    Short Story: Thematic Elements

    • In a short story, a character usually experiences some kind of change. Most or all of the story -- beginning, middle and end -- revolves around this change. Short stories do not contain an overabundance of characters or deviations from a central plot or theme, as a novel might. Yet, unlike flash-fiction, they give readers something focused to think about, rather than a simple act to interpret.

    Books of Shorts

    • Those short stories can really add up.

      Short stories are often gathered into collections and sold as regular-length books. They look like ordinary novels of several-hundred pages in length. These collections may be from either one or many authors, and the stories might feature a theme or character in common. They do, however, work as individual tales, which qualifies them as short stories.

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