Characteristics of a Successful Short Story

Authors of both novels and short stories use similar elements and techniques to captivate the reader. The only difference between the two is that a short story writer has limited space to tell the story, whereas a novelist has endless pages. In my opinion, there are three major features which make a short story interesting: the setting, the character, and the conflict. Without these three features, it would be difficult for an author to create a story that would capture the attention of readers.

The first characteristic that is important to a short story is its setting. The setting doesn’t refer to just the place the story takes place; it takes into account the time period, the location, the social aspects and conditions. In the short story "Royal Beatings" by Alice Munro, the author paints a vivid picture of where the story takes place during the depression by describing the town of Hanratty, Ontario. The narrator describes the two parts of town, Hanratty, which consists of the middle and upper class such as "doctors and dentist … down to the foundry workers” and West Hanratty which is made up of the lower class. By describing the social structures and the everyday events of the main character, the author sets a realistic tone for the story.

The second essential characteristic of a short story is its characters. The author must create “real” people, or characters that the reader can relate to. The author has to introduce these characters in a manner that initiate an interest in the reader and create a desire to continue reading. In "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the main character slowly depreciates into insanity. Along the way, the author engages the audience by sharing the character’s inner thoughts and opinions, which strike a chord with the reader, and draws them into the story.

Conflict is another key element. In the story “Royal Beatings”, there is a conflict between Rose, and her step-mother, Flo. Flo continuously threatens...