A short story is fictional work of prose that is shorter in length than a novel.

Edgar Allan Poe, in his essay "The Philosophy of

Composition," said that a short story should be read in one sitting, anywhere from a half hour to two hours. In contemporary fiction, a
short story can range from 1,000 to 20,000 words.

Because of the shorter length, a short story usually focuses on one plot, one main character (with a few additional minor characters),
and one central theme, whereas a novel can tackle multiple plots and themes, with a variety of prominent characters. Short stories also
lend themselves more to experimentation — that is, using uncommon prose styles or literary devices to tell the story. Such uncommon
styles or devices might get tedious, and downright annoying, in a novel, but they may work well in a short story.

A short story is a short work of fiction. Fiction, as you know, is prose writing about imagined events and characters. Prose writing
differs from poetry in that it does not depend on verses, meters or rhymes for its organization and presentation.

Novels are another example of fictional prose and are much longer than short stories. Some short stories, however, can be quite long.
If a a short story is a long one, say fifty to one hundred pages, we call it a novella.

American literature contains some of the world's best examples of the short story. Readers around the world enjoy the finely crafted
stories of American writers such as O. Henry, Stephen Crane, Jack London, Mark Twain and Edgar Allen Poe.

What makes these authors such remarkable short story writers? They are true masters at combining the five key elements that go into
every great short story: character, setting, conflict, plot and theme.

The ELLSA web-site uses one of these five key elements as the focus of each of the five on-line lessons in the Classics of American
Literature section. In each lesson, you will explore a single American short story from the USIA Ladder Series and discover how the
author uses a certain element.

The definitions on the right are repeated on the first page of each short story lesson.

 A character is a person, or sometimes even an animal, who takes part in the action of a short story or other literary work.
 The setting of a short story is the time and place in which it happens. Authors often use descriptions of landscape, scenery,
buildings, seasons or weather to provide a strong sense of setting.
 A plot is a series of events and character actions that relate to the central conflict.
 The conflict is a struggle between two people or things in a short story. The main character is usually on one side of the
central conflict.
 On the other side, the main character may struggle against another important character, against the forces of nature, against
society, or even against something inside himself or herself (feelings, emotions, illness).
 The theme is the central idea or belief in a short story.

Basics: Dialogue

Dialogue is an essential part of most short stories and novels. It is always better to show or have happen than to explain or to
describe. Character conversation, or dialogue, is one way to accomplish this. This article reviews some of the basic structural and
punctuation issues of conventional dialogue.

1. Dialogue is set apart or identified with quotation marks. “Words spoken.”

2. Words spoken by a character in a story do not have to be in complete sentences.

a. 3. People in conversations do not always speak in complete sentences or use proper grammar.

b. 4. In a story, make sure your dialogue sounds like what a person would say in conversation.

c. Make sure all of your characters don’t speak the same. A disgruntled teen skateboarder should not come across the same as a
senior citizen on the lamb from a nursing home.
d. Avoid the use of colons and semicolons within dialogue. (Although some editors do not oppose their use within dialogue)

3. You should identify who is doing the speaking or make it readily apparent to the reader.

a. Examples of common dialogue tags include:

I said She said Fred said Mark commented

Sallie yelled muttered Janice said Max asked William

b. If it is unclear or ambiguous who is speaking it is necessary to add who uttered the words with a dialogue tag before, in the middle
of, or after each bit of dialogue.

c. It is not necessary to explicitly state with a dialogue tag if it is reasonable to expect the reader to know.

“Mom, do I need to eat my liver?”

“Yes, you do. I had to when I was a kid. Ask your grandma.”

“Is that true?” asked Max. “Did she have to eat this stuff when she was my age?”

"Yes, Little Max. She did, just like you should.”

d. Try to avoid using too many descriptors (yelled, said angrily, cried out, etc.) as the context of the situation and character
personality should enable the reader to interpret how something is being said. The word "said" is almost invisible in dialogue text,
while too many descriptors can be distracting.

e. In a paragraph where a character is identified taking action, it is not necessary to directly identify which character is speaking with
a dialogue tag.

4. Generally speaking, each time a new character speaks it is considered a new paragraph.

a. This assists the reader in following a switch from one character to another in a conversation.

b. Occasionally, a character's string of dialogue continues from one paragraph to a second. This is identified by not placing the
closing quotation mark at the end of the first paragraph and by using an open quote at the beginning of the second paragraph.

c. Always remember to indent for each new paragraph.

5. Watch punctuation and capitalization with dialogue tags.

a. Comma after dialogue tag:

John said, “I am happy.”

b. Comma before dialogue tag:

“I am happy,” said John.

c. If a dialogue tag is in the middle of a character’s statement, the first word after the tag is not capitalized unless the proper noun
or personal pronoun requires it:

“Beyond that,” she said, “who knows?”

"Even if you get it," she said, "John won't."

d. If end punctuation is an exclamation point or a question mark, the following word in the tag is still not capitalized:

“I am happy!” said John.

 e. Note proper capitalization. If the dialogue tag follows the closed quote of the dialogue, the next word is capitalized if it is a
proper noun:

“I am happy,” John said.

f. When using action to identify the source of dialogue, each sentence stands alone with its punctuation:

John jumped up and down three times. “I am happy!”

6. Watch comma use when adding action or information to a dialogue tag:

“I am happy,” said John, jumping up and down.

“I am happy,” said John as he jumped up and down.

Below are brief examples showing the various dialogue structures used in combination.

Example 1:

Sally said, “John, don’t eat too much cake!”

Her fiancé dashed to the front door. “You should’ve told me sooner.” He opened it just in time, making a mess on the front porch.

She shook her head and frowned. “I shouldn’t have to tell you such things.”

“Right,” he said and wiped his mouth on his flannel sleeve

“You bet I’m right. And you’re better clean off my new welcome mat.”

Example 2:

“Oh, no!” cried Sally, “John, I think I’m going to be late!”

“What? Has your watch stopped again?”

Sally shook her wrist before examining the timepiece. “Again!” She tore it off and threw it on the floor. “This is the third time this
week.”

"Don’t leave it there. Why don’t you take it back and get a refund?”

“Because, I lost the receipt.”

“You don’t always need one,” said her boyfriend after retrieving it from the green shag carpet.

With her left eyebrow arched, she asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am.” He winked, handing it back to her. “As long as it’s not all broken up.”

The above guidelines and examples should enable beginning writers to successfully incorporate varied and effective dialogue
into their short stories and novels. Practice using conventional structures, and an attentive eye while reading established authors, will
enable dedicated writers to improve their writing by flexing their dialogue muscle beyond the basics.
Writing verbal conversations or dialogue is often one of the trickiest parts of creative writing. New writers often go into a story
thinking it should be easy; after all, we all hold conversations several times a day!

What new story writers quickly realize is that crafting a relevant dialogue within the context of a story requires much more work than
carrying out natural conversation.

Dialogue isn't just about creating direct quotations from different characters. Sometimes dialogue is best when it's put into a
summarized form, rather than the drawn-out form of an actual conversation.

If you think about it, our conversations are boring to read, for the most part. A normal exchange would go something like this:

"Hi Tony," said Katy.

"Hey," Tony answered.
"What's wrong?" Katy asked.
"Nothing," Tony said.
"Really? You don't act like nothing's wrong."

Pretty tiresome dialogue, right? But by condensing a conversation within the narrative, the writer can convey relevant information that
isn't important enough to merit its own dialogue segment. You might think of dialogue as feelings that are verbalized in an abbreviated
way.

Instead of writing a dialogue like the one above, a writer could condense the scene:

"Hi Tony."
Tony looked down at his shoe, dug in his toe, and pushed around a pile of dust. "Hey," he replied.
Katy could tell something was wrong.

There are several important things to remember when writing conversations like the examples above, which are called direct dialogue:

 Do not use dialogue simply to convey information. Dialogue should set the scene, advance action, give insight into
characterization, remind the reader, and foreshadow. Dialogue should always be doing many things at once.
 Keep the character's voice in mind but keep it readable. Dialogue doesn't have to be grammatically correct; it should read like
actual speech. However, there must be a balance between realistic speech and readability.
 Don't use too much slang or misspelling in order to create a character's voice. Also remember to use speech as a
characterization tool. Word choice tells a reader a lot about a person: appearance, ethnicity, sexuality, background, and
morality.
 Tension! Sometimes saying nothing, or the opposite of what we know a character feels, is the best way to create tension. If a
character wants to say 'I love you!" but their actions or words say 'I don't care,' the reader cringes at the missed opportunity.

Using Thoughts in Dialogue

Using thoughts or memories of occurrences and conversations can also show important details of a story without unnecessary
character interaction. This indirect dialogue is another way of creating the feel of exchange without quotations. This often takes place
internally in one of the characters.

"Hi Tony."
Tony looked down at his shoe, dug in his toe, and pushed around a pile of dust. "Hey," he replied.
Katy braced herself. Something was wrong.

It is important to keep in mind when writing thoughts not to use quotations. If you must write a direct thought, always italicize what is
being "said" within the character's mind.

Formatting Short Story Dialogue

Format and style are key to successful dialogue. Correct tags, punctuation, and paragraphs can be almost as important as the actual
quotations themselves.

The first thing to remember is that punctuation goes inside quotations.

  "I can't believe you just did that!"

Dialogue tags are the he said/she said's of quotations. Very often they are mistakenly used as forms of description. For example:

 "But I don't want to go to sleep yet," he whined.

While these types of tags are acceptable and even necessary at times, they should only be used sparingly. The dialogue and narration
should be used to show the emotion or action stated in the tag. One of the most important rules of writing fiction is: show, don't tell.

Instead of telling the reader that the boy whined in the example above, a good writer will describe the scene in a way that conjures the
image of a whining little boy:

 He stood in the doorway with his hands balled into little fists at his sides. His red, tear-rimmed eyes glared up at his mother.
"But I don't want to go to sleep yet."

Paragraphs are very important to the flow and comprehension of the dialogue. Remember to start a new paragraph each time the
speaker changes within the dialogue. This helps the reader know when someone new is speaking (and who it is).

If there is action involved with a speaking character, keep the description of the action within the same paragraph as the dialogue of
the character engaged in it.

Creative writing is one of the few activities where hearing voices is not only a good thing, it is a necessity. If you find yourself having
difficulty coming up with new voices for your characters, there are a few things you can do to help develop the voices in your head.

 Start a dialogue diary. Practice speech patterns and vocabulary that may be foreign to your normal habits. This will give you
the opportunity to really get to know your characters.
 Eavesdrop. You should always carry a small notebook with you and write down phrases, words, or whole conversations
verbatim to help develop your inner ear.
 Read! Reading will hone your creative abilities. It will help familiarize you with the form and flow of narration and dialogue
until it becomes more natural in your writing.

As with anything, practice makes perfect. Not even the best writers get it right the first time. Start off writing in your dialogue diary
and once you get to drafting, it will be a matter of molding your words into the feel and message that you intend.

Whether you write novels or prefer writing short stories, it’s important to know how to write dialogue in a story. Dialogue is one of
those key elements of fiction that a lot of writers struggle with. It’s difficult to make the things your characters say smack of real
life—to convey the important details of the story without sounding forced or fake.

How to Write Dialogue

Here are 5 great ways to make sure your dialogue sounds convincing:

1. Never use dialogue as an information dump. Too many writers rely on dialogue for story exposition—that is to say that
they relay details about plot or backstory through the things their characters say. The result? Writing that sounds completely
fake or is what is often referred to as “on the nose dialogue.” Like this: “As you know,” Dr. Constance said, “I’m a forensic
specialist, trained by the FBI in DNA analysis, so I’ll take this sample back to the lab for testing. (For more about writing
realistic dialogue that doesn’t sound stilted like the previous example, I recommend this free article from Jeff Gerke
[excerpted from his book The First 50 Pages: Engage Agents, Editors, and Readers, and Set Up Your Novel for Success.])
2. Use simple dialogue tags. Fancy dialogue tags like she denounced or he proclaimed might seem like a good way to show off
your writer’s vocabulary, but in truth they draw attention away from your dialogue. She said or he said is almost always your
best choice. Let the characters’ words speak for themselves.
3. Use dialogue beats to help with story pacing and to convey information or emotion. Dialogue beats are brief depictions
of character action inserted in between dialogue that help bring the scene to life. Like this: “Nah, I don’t mind,” Dan
shrugged his shoulders and grinned as he wiped a dirty bandana across his forehead, “Let’s do this thing.”
4. Remember that often less is more. When you write dialogue look back and see if there are words you can leave out or there
is a shorter way to say what you just wrote. People often say things the shortest way possible in real life.
 5. Be careful when writing dialect. Many writers think that giving a character an accent or a drawl is a great way to make the
character come to life—and it can be. But if done in a way that is too heavy handed it can turn your character into a
stereotype or a joke. Or even worse, you can offend or annoy readers. So, keep in mind that when it comes to dialect, a little
goes a long way.

These are just a few ideas to help you hone your dialogue into something that sounds true to life. For a more complete resource on
writing dialogue check out the classic text Write Great Fiction: Dialogue by Gloria Kempton.

Effective dialogue is an essential part of both fiction and creative nonfiction writing.

Good dialogue can be tricky. It needs to move the story forward and reveal important character information without seeming artificial.
It needs to seem realistic without actually being realistic.

Confused? Let’s break it down. Here are some things good dialogue should do:

 It should follow some simple grammatical rules. Dialogue should be enclosed within quotation marks. Each new line of
dialogue is indented, and a new paragraph should be started every time a new person is speaking.
 It should be concise. Long, wordy passages of dialogue might seem like a good way to get information across, but they can
be tedious for the reader.
 It should communicate character information. Good dialogue lets the reader know something about the person speaking it.
 It should be broken up with action. People don’t typically stop everything when they talk. They fidget. They keep washing
the dishes. They pace. Don’t forget that your characters aren’t static.

And here are a few dialogue don’ts:

 Don’t get too crazy with dialogue tags. Usually, a few well-placed “he saids” or “she replieds” will do the trick. If your
dialogue is well-written, it should be clear who is speaking, even without the tags.
 Don’t go overboard with backstory. You should never use dialogue to tell the readers things your characters already know.
 Don’t use too much dialogue. Your readers don’t need to know everything your characters say, word-for-word. Dialogue
should be chosen carefully.
 Don’t try to be too realistic. Our actual speech wouldn’t make great dialogue. We say “um” and “uh” a lot. We trail off in the
middle of sentences. We change subjects without warning. Good dialogue should approximate real speech, not mimic it.

To give you an example of what dialogue should look like here’s the opening of a short story I wrote, titled Me:

“What do we do now?”

Shadows from the single candle flickered on Heather’s face. It masked the basement smell with green apple. She rolled her eyes at me.

“Nothing, Kristy. Just wait.”

I sighed. I was sick of waiting. My arms, and my butt, were starting to hurt. I drummed my fingers impatiently on the plastic pointer
thingy.

“Stop it,” Heather hissed. “You’ll make them mad.”

“Make who mad?”

“The spirits, stupid.”

Right. The spirits. Like I really believed the spirits were going to talk to us on a piece of Parker Brothers cardboard.

The words exchanged between Kristy and Heather let us know something about their respective moods and character traits. In just that
brief opening, we already know something about them.

So how can you improve your dialogue?

  Read. Pay attention to what your favorite authors do well, and what they don’t.
 Listen. Pay attention to what natural speech sounds like, and be sure to use those natural rhythms in your writing.
 Read aloud. Read your own dialogue out loud, to yourself or to a friend, to test yourself.

You’ll be writing dialogue like a pro before you know it!

Whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction, satire or drama, or any kind of prose, writing the dialogue may have its challenges. The
parts of a story where characters speak stand out from the other elements of a story, starting with the quotations marks that are nearly
universally applied. Here are some of the most common and established steps for making sure that your story looks right when you
have to figure out how to properly format dialogue.

1) Consider indenting paragraphs for new lines or paragraphs of dialogue. In many conventional styles, it's necessary to
indent each new line of dialogue inside the quotation marks. This helps to break up the page for the reader and provides
compliance with defined style guides.

 Understand conventions for starting a new paragraph of dialogue. Generally, new topical sets of sentences receive their own
designations as paragraphs, much like the use of multiple paragraphs in non-dialogue areas of the story. Here, the writer can
enclose multiple dialogue paragraphs from the same speaker in the same set of quotations marks, but they may also have a
space between them. Check up on this important aspect of formatting.

2) Figure out whether to put certain punctuation inside or outside the quotation marks. Although the tradition has been to
put items like commas, semicolons and periods inside a set of quotations marks, some editors and other professionals are
starting to change this practice, as punctuating after the quotation marks is coming back into vogue.
3) Learn to use single and double quotation marks. For most dialogue, double quotation marks are used exclusively, unless
there is a "quote within a quote" scenario, or unless the single quotes are meant to illustrate a pseudo-element or faux object.
4) Make sure that the reader knows who is speaking. With many lines of dialogue, a reader can get easily confused. There
are many different ways to fix this issue, and much of the prerogative belongs to the writer. Make sure that you have
addressed this issue properly in your story.

 The most common way to split up and label dialogue is with the easy designation "he said" or "she said." Additionally, each
time a new person speaks, there should be a line break. Again, it's often necessary to strike a delicate balance to make this
kind of narrative strategy work.

5) Use white space well. White space is as important in a story as it is in other kinds of writing, for instance, in computer code.
Make sure that dialogue elements have the right number of space lines between them and that generally, the white space cuts
your story up into manageable pieces.