An Idiot’s Guide to Fiction

You know I always wonder how other writers make it seem so easy to write short stories. Sometimes, people say it’s natural, sort of a talent.

In my years of partial experience [I actually don't consider myself an expert writer, less a full experienced one at that] I gathered that there are techniques in doing so.

Most of the time, knowing these same techniques help in better understanding and criticizing a short story.

Okay, for starters, it was your old Goth legend, Edgar Alan Poe who first perfected what we now know as the short story. Well, yes, a lot of his stories are creepy, but the methods he used are still alive and well up till today. Anyway, if you want to know more about its history, just type this on Google { history:”short story”}

Below, I am providing you some of the info on style and techniques of these writers. These are just brief explanations that can be of help whenever you criticize any story.

Elements of a Good Prose

1. Clarity – Where everything must be comprehensible

2. Logic – Where everything must adhere to common thinking and understanding.

3. Grammatical appropriateness – Where everything must follow the basic rules of English composition and properly composed.

Two kinds of Prose

1. Formal / oratorical – used mainly for establishing arguments, observing an objective and impersonal approach.

2. Informal / conversational – mainly uses persuasion and personal musing to affect the one receiving the information.

Kinds of Prose:

Fiction – anything that is fabricated in relevance to reality; or rather imagined facts which illustrate truths about human life.

Non-fiction – these writings are composed mainly as factual and directly explicit in manner. Fiction: Overview

Elements of Fiction

Plot – This is from where the story revolves to, composed mainly of one or two conflicts and a situation that propels the character towards a decision and-or action.

Most common types of plot:

a. Folkloric – plots that have been patterned from cultural tales local to one custom or country.

b. Mythological – these plots are based mainly on old-world religious beliefs that have now died out and are therefore studied as patterns for anthropological studies in both science and the humanities.

c. Biblical Passage – stories that have originated or inspired by the bible.

Character – These are the beings that populate fiction, being the prime or secondary movers of the story.

Types of Characters:

a. Protagonist – These are to whom the story concerns itself with, following their dilemmas and of its eventual solution or illumination.

b. Antagonist – These are characters that prevent a protagonist from achieving his goal.

c. Foil – a direct opposite of either the protagonist or the antagonist in likeness and nature, but having similar goals as that of either of the two main characters.

d. Confidant – A character to which vital information is given to by the protagonist or antagonist. This character may also be the Foil.

e. Background – Other minor characters that proliferate the setting to enliven an encounter.

Three Methods of Characterization

a. Direct or Explicit description

b. Dramatic or Indirect narration

c. A blending of both

Setting – It is where the story takes place.

Elements of Setting:

a. Time – when it happened

b. Place – where it happened

c. Atmosphere- the mood of the setting.

Using Setting

a. As part of exposition “Space, the final frontier…”

b. In the course of the dialogue “Again, please clear from the area of the lower Milwaukee State…”

c. As part of action and narration “Amidst the throng of people, he strained himself just to see the President here in the plaza, under the heat of the sun…”

The Plot Structure

1. Exposition – the start of the story

2. Inciting Force or Initial Incident – the introduction of conflict.

3. Rising action – this is the intensification of the conflict, leading to more problems and encounters.

4. Climax / Turning Point – the very height or the culmination of action. Although there is what we call the Anticlimax, a juxtaposition of a series of difficulties adding to conflict.

5. Resolution or Falling Action – the result of the conflict having been solved or left unsolved. 6. Conclusion – the final aftermath of the solved conflict.

Significance of Plot structure

It gives the story tangible framework and determines its form; its beginning, middle and ending. It brings our character and depth It shapes action from the material It creates mood It determines setting.

Laws of Plot

a. Plausibility

b. Ingenuity

c. Suspense

d. Organic Unity (cause and effect)

Types of Conflict

Physical – any form of natural occurrence set against the protagonist.

Social – One character having arguments with another fellow character.

Psychological / spiritual – two opposing factors that had risen from within the protagonist, giving it enough reflection and self-doubt.

Types of Points of Views

First Person Internal – the story takes place through the eyes of the protagonist. This limits the audience to only one side of the story.

Third Person Internal- the story takes place through the eyes of the other characters, and not from the protagonist. This also limits the audience to only one side of the story.

Omniscient Impersonal Point of View – A broad view of the story that enables the audience to find out each of the character’s internal and external motives in accordance to what the writer wants to show.

Common Types of Fiction

a. Story of Dramatic Incident

b. Ingenuity and Suspense

c. Thematic (sometimes didactic)

d. Romantic Adventure

e. Historical

f. War

g. Sentimental or Love Story

h. Detective and Mystery

i. Story of Character

j. Psychological and / or Stream of consciousness

k. Sociological

l. Local Color or Regionalism

m. Atmosphere and Impression

n. Humor

o. Supernatural

p. Terror and Horror

q. Gothic

r. Animal

s. Science Fiction

t. Sports

u. A Combination of two or more types

Standard ways of Beginning a Narration:

1. By Setting

The writer first establishes the atmosphere to provide the mood of the story.

“It was a small town by a small river and a small lake in a small northern part of a Midwest state. There wasn’t so much wilderness around you couldn’t see the town. But on the other hand there wasn’t so much town you couldn’t see and feel and touch and smell the wilderness. The town was full of trees. And dry grass and dead flowers now that autumn was here. And full of fences to walk on and sidewalks to skate on and a large ravine to tumble in and yell across. And the town was full of… boys. And it was the afternoon of Halloween. And all the houses shut against a cool wind. And all the town full of cold sunlight. But suddenly, the day was gone. Night came out from under each tree and spread.”

Ray Bradbury from “The Halloween Tree” Chapter One

2. Dramatic Introduction of the Protagonist

It describes the protagonist through a series of narration, revealing the character’s sentiments as well as behavior. It can also capture the reader’s interest concerning the protagonist.

“Simple Maria believed in love. That was what made her a living legend. All her neighbors came to her funeral, even the police and the blind man from the kiosk who almost abandoned his business. Calle Republica was vacated and, as a sign of mourning, black ribbons hung from balconies and the red lights turned off in the houses. Every person has his or her story, and in this barrio they were almost always sad … but Maria’s story was different; it had a glow of elegance that gave wing to the imagination… She seemed beyond the torment of hope, protected by the armor of her invented love… While the other women spent half their lives hiding bruises under thick layers of cheap makeup, Maria grew old with respect, with something of the air of a queen in rags. She was not aware of the renown of her name, nor of the legend that had been created around her. She was an old prostitute with the soul of a girl.”

Isabel Allende from “Stories of Eva Luna: Simple Maria” p. 165

3. Action Proper

An immediately makes the reader excited to find out just what is happening to the protagonist.

“She had been for four days now, a harum-scarum tumbling flight through passages and tunnels. She was hungry, and exhausted, and more tired than a body could stand, and each successive door was proving harder to open. After four days of flight, she had found a hiding place, a tiny stone burrow, under the world, where she would be safe, or so she prayed, and at last she slept. And her name was Door.”

Neil Gaiman from “Neverwhere” Chapter One

4. Thematic Beginning

The theme is first discussed to ensure the essence of the story is not misinterpreted by the reader, and that it also helps in developing atmosphere for some.

“The late twentieth century witnessed a scientific gold rush of astonishing proportions: the headlong and furious haste to commercialize genetic engineering… In this commercial climate, it is probably unbelievable that a company as ambitious as International Genetic Technologies, Inc., of Palo Alto would arise. It is equally unsurprising that the genetic crisis it created should go unreported; the actual incident occurred in the most remote region of Central America; and fewer than twenty people were there to witness it. Of those, only a handful survived…none will speak about the ‘InGen incident’… but many of the principal figures were willing to discuss the remarkable events leading up to those final two days in August 1989 on a remote island off the west coast of Costa Rica.”

Michael Crichton from “Jurassic Park” Introduction

Manners of developing the body of the Narrative:

1. Through narration with exposition

This is the very standard way of building the story towards climax and eventually towards its downward action.

Ex: “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner

2. Through description and dialogue.

This type of narration only shows the most necessary description that best suits the flow of two characters’ interaction. It is also a device used to write screenplays.

Ex: “No News, or What Killed the Dog?” by Ray Bradbury

Special Narrative Devices or Techniques:

Epistolary or Letter Correspondence

This is by way of making a series of letters as if sent by one person to another. Another method used is by way of a diary. Ex: “Recuerdo” by Christina Pantoja Hidalgo, a novel Dialogue This type of narration is mainly used to emphasize a story of character than an exploration of the setting. This is also much used in writing a screenplay.

Ex: “Four Rooms” by Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez And Quentin Tarantino

Panel Method

A panel method sets two different views coming from two characters, a point of comparison and contrast between two characters.

Ex: “Pulp Fiction” by Quentin Tarantino Interior

Monologue (personal musings)

Usually used in the first person view, this method explores the mind and musings of a character, particularly the protagonist. “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe

Stream-of-consciousness

A wave of intermingled ideas formulated in such a way that it ceases to stop at any given time. This is a belief in psychology wherein the mind never stops in its continuous thinking, therefore, the narration will not much have punctuation marks such as a period or a comma to halt the succession of these ideas.

Ex: “Ulysses” by James Joyce

Types of Endings

1. O. Henry or Surprise Ending

The conclusion is somewhat not the way the reader expects it to be.

Ex: “The Gift of the Magi”

2. Problem Ending

It poses a problem for the reader to solve by himself as a manner of reflection.

Ex: “The Lady or the Tiger”

3. Poetic Justice Ending

A natural law of good triumphing over evil; or a law of Karma is at play. Ex: “Haircut” by Ring Larder

4. Fairy Tale Ending

A very traditional way of ending a story. Ex: “Sleeping Beauty” from The Grimm’s Faerie Tale

5. Open Ending The reader supplies the ending. Ex: “The Killers” by Ernest Hemingway

6. Ironic Twist Often, an ending bears a funny but poignant lesson to the reader. Ex: “The Necklace” Guy de Maupassant

7. Sad Ending One of the most moving endings, but hardest to justify is this method of concluding a story. But the effect is lasting. Ex: “The Luck of Roaring Camp” by Bret Harte V.

Types of Short Stories

1. Emphasis on Plot – The chief source of interest is the unfolding of the action and the ensuing resolution. Ex: “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Cornell

2. Emphasis on Characterization – The main purpose is the analysis and revelation of character, since the scope of the short story does not afford the opportunity for developing character. Ex: “Dead Stars” by Paz Latorena

3. Emphasis on Theme –The objective is to bring out the theme, the truth about life or human nature that gives meaning to the narrative. Ex: “Three Generations” by Nick Joaquin

4. Emphasis on Setting – Stories of atmosphere and impressions, of local color, or regionalism. Ex: “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving

So there you are, guys. All I know in a nutshell. Be reminded that not all knowledge comes from the teacher, it comes from what you are interested in learning both inside and outside school. Teachers are just guides, like flashlights in a dark unguarded mall where you can pick anything you want, only if you can see it.

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