All narrative writing contains eight main elements:

1.  Style / The language used by the author to tell the story
2.  Setting / Where and when the story takes place
3.  Characters / The people in the story
4.  Theme / The main idea behind the story
5.  Plot / What happens in the story
6.  Point of View / Who is telling the story
7.  Tense / Is the story written in past, present or future tense
8.  Narrative Techniques / The use of particular writing ‘tools’ to make the story more interesting

1.  Style
Style means the language chosen by the author to tell the story. It is what makes a piece of writing distinctive. Aspects of style include:

·  Use of description

·  Use of dialogue

·  Word choice

·  Length of sentences

·  Length of paragraphs

2.  Setting
Setting refers to when and where the story is set. This is also known as time and place. A short story generally focuses on one place and one time. Whilst novels may jump from place to place and from country to country, most short stories use a single setting. This allows the writer to focus on the development of the plot, without having to continually describe new settings. Short stories are too concentrated to allow large shifts in the time frame of the action. The events of the story are compressed into a short period to allow the narrative to develop quickly and easily.

3.  Characters
One main character or a small number of characters. There is little point in introducing a large number of characters in a short story, because there is not enough time to deal with them all

·  Main characters:

The story focuses on these people. Readers learn a great deal about them.

·  Minor characters:

People in the story of little significance, for example, passers-by.

Throughout the short story readers gain insight into characters' personality as well as being provided with physical descriptions. The reader discovers what type of person the character is, for example quiet, shy, scared of being alone. The reader is also given a clear idea of what the characters look like.

4.  Theme
Theme is a term that generally refers to the main idea or message behind the story. Theme is not always easy to work out, or obvious, as most stories usually mean different things to different people.

5.  Plot
The plot , or action, of a story is what occurs in the story – the events. Short stories generally focus on one main event. The plot of a short story follows the following structure:

Orientation (Beginning)

A brief introduction to the character(s), setting(s) and the main idea of the story.

Conflict / Complication (Start of the Middle)
A problem or issue which arises, creating tension and interest, which must be dealt with for the story to be resolved.

Series of Events (Middle)
The development of the complication results in a series of events which build toward the climax of the story.

Climax (Near the End)
The point of highest tension or drama within the story, after which the complication is resolved.

Resolution (Ending)
Brings the story to a close. All of the issues can be resolved neatly or alternatively have an open ending (leaving the reader to make up their own mind about the ending).

6.  Point of view
Point of view refers to the perspective from which a story is told. Authors have several choices about who the narrator of the story will be. The main types of point of view are as follows:

·  First person:The narrator is a character in the story and uses: I, my, me, we, our and us to tell the story.

·  Third person omniscient:The narrator is outside of the story and is not a character, but can see into the minds of all characters to tell readers the characters' thoughts and feelings. The narrator knows all and sees all.

·  Third person limited:The narrator is outside of the story and sees into the mind of only one character. The narrator still sees other characters, but only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character.

7.  Tense
Stories can be written in past, present or future tense. Writers generally maintain one tense throughout their story. Some examples of tense:

a.  Past Tense:
Yesterday I walked to the shops alone.
The elderly man was scared to look outside of his window.

b.  Present Tense:
I'm walking to the shops.

c.  Future Tense:

I am going to walk to the shops.

The elderly man will look out his window.

8.  Narrative Techniques
All writers draw upon a range of literary techniques to make their writing interesting and distinctive. Some examples are:

·  Use of symbolism

·  Use of metaphor

·  Use of imagery

·  Use of foreshadowing,

·  Use of flashback

·  Use of ironic twists

·  Use of parallel plots