Short Stories

What are short stories?

Short stories have been used to tell stories to entertain, to pass on information, history, or traditions, or to provide moral lessons. Forms of short stories, such as fables, myths, and legends have long histories. Many of these stories have actually travelled to new cultures where they have been changed and claimed as their own. Cinderella, a fairytale, has both European and Asia forms. Each culture has changed the details of the story to fit their own beliefs, languages, and traditions.

The modem short story has a strong connection to changes in North America. It has a unified plot structure, limited character development, limited setting development, and unified narration. Each writer focuses on a different element of the story development. Compared to novels, modem short stories are limited to a single unified plot with few characters and limited description of the setting. Most short stories are less than 15000 words in length.

Short stories may be fictional, or they may be based on fact and fiction. Ghost stories and science fiction are examples of short stories, which may have elements of fact and fiction. Ghost stories have existed much longer than science fiction. The developments in science and in technology have offered new settings and characters to present familiar conflicts and plots. The short story will continue to be a desirable form for writers because of its flexibility.