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  HOW TO DEVELOP

  (IMAGINATIVE, INSIGHTFUL & CREDIBLE)

  SHORT STORY IDEAS

  JERRY DUNNE

  How to Develop (Imaginative, Insightful & Credible) Short Story Ideas

  This is a Kindle edition

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

  Copyright © 2013 Jerry Dunne. All rights reserved. No part of this ebook publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission from the author.

  Thank you for respecting the author’s copyright.

  How to Develop (Imaginative, Insightful & Credible) Short Story Ideas

  Visit the author’s blog: http://www.jerrydunne.com

  Books by Jerry Dunne

  Chatter & Squeal Racing Series

  ON GEORGE’S DAY

  HERE COMES THE ROOSTER!

  Cop Girl Mystery/Detective Series

  COP GIRL UNDER FIRE

  COP GIRL TRACKS PETNAPPERS

  COP GIRL CHASES SMOKING WEASEL

  Short Story Collection

  MY STINKY PARENTS AND OTHER STORIES

  Non-Fiction

  HOW TO WRITE CHILDREN’S SHORT STORIES (FOR THE MIDDLE READER)

  HOW TO DEVELOP (IMAGINATIVE, INSIGHTFUL & CREDIBLE) SHORT STORY IDEAS

  Collection of Sayings

  SAYINGS (INSIGHT, HUMOUR & IRONY)

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  INTRODUCTION

  CHAPTER 1

  Analysis

  THE STORYTELLING ELEMENTS

  THE 3 ACT PLOT ARC STRUCTURE

  CHAPTER 2

  Sayings

  THE SAYING

  ANALYSING THE SAYING

  A PLAN BASED ON THE ANALYSIS

  THE STORY

  SO WHAT’S THE STORY’S THEME?

  OTHER TYPES OF STORIES

  ANALYSING ANOTHER SAYING

  IDEAS OUT OF WORDPLAY

  AN EARLY DRAFT PLAN

  ANOTHER IDEA

  ANALYSING A THIRD SAYING

  AN EARLY DRAFT PLAN

  ANOTHER IDEA

  SUMMING UP

  CHAPTER 3

  Fables

  THE FABLE

  ANALYSING THE FIRST FABLE

  THE SAYING

  A SHORT STORY IDEA

  THE STORY

  OTHER TYPES OF STORY

  ANOTHER IDEA

  THE SECOND FABLE

  AN IDEA BASED ON THE FABLE’S ANALYSIS

  ANOTHER EARLY DRAFT PLAN

  THE THIRD FABLE

  THE MODERN FABLE

  HOW ABOUT A SAYING?

  SUMMING UP

  CHAPTER 4

  Poems

  WHAT DOES POETRY OFFER US?

  THE FIRST POEM

  A SUMMARY OF THE POEM

  ANALYSING THE POEM

  HOW ABOUT A FABLE?

  STORY PLAN

  THE STORY

  A SUMMATION OF THE STORY

  ANOTHER IDEA

  THE SECOND POEM

  THE ANALYSIS

  A SAYING AND TWO FABLES

  FIRST STORY IDEA

  SECOND STORY IDEA

  SUMMING UP

  CHAPTER 5

  Fairy tales

  THE FAIRY TALE

  WHAT DOES THE FAIRY TALE OFFER US?

  RUMPELSTILTSKIN

  AN ANALYSIS OF THE FAIRY TALE

  A SAYING AND TWO FABLES

  PLAN A STORY

  THE STORY

  OTHER IDEAS

  EXAMPLE 1

  EXAMPLE 2

  EXAMPLE 3

  IDEAS FOR A CHILDREN’S STORY

  PITCH

  SUMMING UP

  CHAPTER 6

  The historical narrative

  WHY SHOULD WE LOOK AT HISTORY?

  A TECHNIQUE FOR MINING THE HISTORICAL NARRATIVE

  THE HISTORICAL EXAMPLE

  SUMMARY

  THE ESSAY: THE PLOT-DRIVEN CHARACTER FLAWS OF CHARLES 1

  ANALYSING THE ESSAY

  THE PHYSICAL ANCHOR

  THE STORY PLAN

  THE STORY

  A SAYING AND TWO FABLES

  AN ALTERNATIVE TO WRITING THE FABLE

  AN EARLY DRAFT PLAN

  A COLLECTION OF STORIES

  THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE MINING TECHNIQUE

  THE FIDDLE

  GALILEO AND THE TELESCOPE

  ADD SOME POIGNANT QUESTIONS

  SUMMING UP

  INTRODUCTION

  The aim of the book is to show the writer how to analyse methodically certain types of source material with the purpose of using it as both an inspiration and a guide in the development of imaginative, insightful and credible ideas for the short story. The source material used here will consist of five different types of literature: the saying, the fable, the poem, the fairy tale, and the historical narrative (modern texts written by historians).

  Each type of source material offers a different representation on a mix of character, conflict, theme, point of view, plot, structure, setting, drama, imagery, style, language, irony and humour. Each expresses itself in a fundamentally different way: the saying offers us a universal truth in a witty, ironic and incredibly pithy way; the fable’s tiny tale highlights a specific human flaw through simple characterization in order to express a clear message; the poem inspires and enlightens through imagery and lyricism, creating fresh and deep nuances of emotion, thought and ideas; the fairy tale shows us human nature in a stark and fantastic way which appeals to some deep instinct in us to support the struggle of justice; the historical narrative highlights our human condition on both an individual and a collective level (social, cultural, political, for example) in a factual manner and within a setting unlike our own by default of it being situated in the past. Clearly, each type of source material promotes a unique approach with regards to inspiration and guidance in the development of short story ideas.

  The short story has evolved out of literary forms such as fables, legends, myths, fairy tales and parables, all of which started in the folkloric oral tradition. Poetry is an ancient form of literature whose influence on the short story is apparent through its economical and structured use of language, imagery, rhythm, style devices and even character and storylines. The creative intuition and techniques behind many short anecdotal tales, proverbs, sayings and jokes have also contributed to the short story’s development, especially in their use of irony and the twist. By drawing on the older literary forms as inspiration and guide for the creation of our short story ideas, we will come to understand fully what core literary elements the short story shares with these older forms, and also what advances have been made in the modern short story over these older forms; and by working in an analytical and methodical manner directly with our source material we will be able to combine their strengths of technique and creativity with both the strengths of the modern short story and our own imaginations in order to create fresh and effective stories. Once our skills are honed using the older sources, we will move on to the modern historical text where we can draw on very deep levels of character detail, theme, storyline and even plot to give our story ideas and plans an added dynamic boost.

  HOW TO USE THE BOOK

  The best way of approaching the book is to read it through once so as to gain an overall impression of the techniques and methods used h
ere. After this first reading, the reader can proceed to work carefully through the chapters. The chapter layout is deliberate. The reader gains knowledge, experience and skills in working with the shorter literary forms before moving on to the last and most difficult chapter.

  Chapter 1 gives a breakdown of the short story’s storytelling or literary elements and explains the 3 act plot arc structure. As our analytical technique involves focusing on these storytelling elements throughout the book, and as we will also use the 3 act plot arc structure throughout as a means of structuring the early draft plans and short stories, it would be better to have a good understanding of this chapter before moving on to the body of the book.

  It is really recommended that the writer grows familiar with each chapter before moving on to the next, and in particular, that the techniques and methods of the earlier chapters are fully understood before tackling the history chapter. This last chapter has been included because it is the next step on from working with the much easier to manipulate literary material. Once we learn how to handle the historical narrative well, we can apply our newly acquired knowledge and skills to any other type of written material, short or long, suitable for our objectives.

  *

  I hope like me the reader will come to celebrate the fact that there exists a vast amount of literary sources from which we can take inspiration and guidance for a never ending amount of imaginative, insightful and credible ideas for our short stories. But I would go even one step further and suggest that the awareness and skills the writer will develop as a consequence of using this book will enable him or her to discover effortlessly great short story ideas out there in the living, breathing world, too.

  NOTE!

  This book does not teach craftsmanship. It is not a ‘how to write short stories’ book. We will not teach character development, pace, ‘SHOW’ not tell, and so on. The book is aimed at those already familiar with the rudiments of fiction craftsmanship. Some aspects of craft will be considered, especially plot arc structure, but only to a limited extent and only where it impacts directly upon the development of our short story ideas in the early draft stage or in the five short story plans.

  CHAPTER 1

  Analysis

  Here we examine the short story’s storytelling elements and the restrictions placed on them in comparison to those of longer pieces of fiction. We also look at the 3 act plot arc structure which will help us structure our short stories and early draft plans.

  THE STORYTELLING ELEMENTS

  The main storytelling elements consist of character, point of view (POV), plot, conflict, theme, drama and setting. Many of the best stories will also include irony and a twist.

  Character definition and development is limited in the short story, and must be completely plot and theme related. Character depth is more hinted at rather than drawn. However, complexity of character is a given and must be three-dimensional. The stereotype belongs to the fable. Usually, one major protagonist is in conflict against one major antagonist. The protagonist, as well as the antagonist, are almost always human, though the antagonist can also be an ideal, an urge, an emotion (like guilt), a psychological, a social or a cultural trait or disorder. As the reader is not making a big emotional investment in the story because of its short length, unlike with the novel, the writer has room to experiment. Character does not have to be particularly good or morally upstanding, and the ending may be unhappy. For example, our heroine’s life may end in tragedy. Or, in the ending of a crime story, the baddie may come out on top; and, if it happens in a fashion which is believable and unexpected, the reader will be happy in a way very unlikely with the novel.

  Point of view (POV) is obviously restricted in the short story to one, possibly two perspectives.

  The plot will have a beginning, a middle and an end. If there is no plot and no conflict, there’s no story. It’s a vignette or an anecdote or a sample of a story, or some other piece of writing. Of course, the plot does not have to be linear. We could start the story with the resolution and work backwards. The plot will often be broken into scenes. Each scene can be viewed as a piece of a jigsaw that fits perfectly into the overall plot structure. Plot strands or subplots are considered a no no in the short story, though you might make an argument that in the longer length short story (10, 000 words) you have some leeway for it. But if this is the case, the plot strand should only develop on the theme and the main plot.

  Once we have the set-up (see plot arc structure below) the story’s conflict should begin with the inciting incident and continue until the climax in the third act. Conflict has no particular restriction in the short story in and of itself. Other elements will naturally restrict its development.

  The theme is the message or philosophical angle in the story. It is a very powerful element of the story, particularly when it is a timeless and universal theme. Sometimes it’s obvious what the theme is, sometimes not. Most themes can be explored reasonably well in the short story but are done so in a much tighter and more specific way than in the novel.

  Setting may be incidental or critical to the story. If the setting is not necessary for character, plot or conflict development, or for the creation of tension or suspense then the setting is incidental and described very briefly. A critical setting may be important to character, plot or conflict development, and if so, then the setting will also help evoke mood and build tension and suspense. Descriptions of critical setting should be used strategically and sparingly in the short story.

  Drama is conflict fuelled by the addition of moral choices. Most modern fiction has drama as an intrinsic element of the story, unless the story is aimed solely at humour.

  In particular, irony will be an important part of the story when the theme is based on a plot-driven universal human flaw(s). The character’s or characters’ flaw(s) will push the action that will create the conflict, and the irony will rise out of the conflict, exposing the human flaws in an ironic light.

  Irony and the twist are closely related. The twist usually arises out of the irony which means the twist will come naturally and not appear to be forced.

  Although it is not really a storytelling element as such, we will mention time period here as in the short story it is generally restricted to help keep the story focused, intense and immediate. A short time period is less likely to introduce new scene or character. However, if the main storytelling elements are kept tightened, the time period may stretch, and the story may still keep its focus. Much depends on the type of story and the skills of the storyteller.

  The restrictions on number of characters and character development, POV, plot, setting and time period imposed on the short story help to build a clear and intense focus on a single ‘issue’ or ‘concern’, unlike in the novel where the focus can involve many characters, plot-strands, POVs, settings and a lengthy time period. The single ‘issue’ or ‘concern’ is usually an isolated or self-contained event or incident of some sort. This concentration of focus is designed to create a powerful influence on the reader’s psyche that will keep the purpose or message of the story in the reader’s mind long after the reading is over.

  THE 3 ACT PLOT ARC STRUCTURE

  The plot arc for the short story can be structured like a 3 act play and like in a play the acts are divided into scenes.

  Act 1

  Start with a set-up. A set-up can be viewed in a simple way: introduce a protagonist within a setting where a problem is about to hit him. What triggers the conflict’s story and kicks the plot into gear at the same time is known as the inciting incident. This incident or problematic situation will be something that both disturbs and challenges the protagonist. It comes as close to the beginning of the story as possible. Once character and setting are introduced in the set-up, the inciting incident should happen. The end of the inciting incident signals the end of the first act.

  Act 2

  This is the main body of the story. Here we are placing scenes that develop character, plot and con
flict in a smooth and logical manner and the tension must always be rising, even in quiet periods of reflection; which means that the stakes are rising for the protagonist and that everything is heading toward a final and inevitable clash with the antagonist.

  We have two or three events here where the protagonist and antagonist clash to keep the tension rising, bearing in mind that the inciting incident may be the first clash. The last event in this act will have a high point and the darkest moment. At the high point, it may look like our hero has got one over on the opposition, but then unexpectedly, the darkest moment arrives, and all he has tried to achieve now looks to be undone. It seems as if he has completely failed in his quest to sort out the challenge of the story. This is an essential moment that forces the tension even higher. It is the nail-biting moment in the horror film when it looks like the monster is dead but then it rises up sneakily behind our hero getting ready to devour him. Our hero is surely doomed now.

  Act 3

  The climax is where our hero turns round in time and has his last battle with the monster. It is an all or nothing moment where everything the hero has striven for will turn to dust if he loses at this point.

  In the resolution all the loose ends are tied up.

  3 Act Play

  A short story plot arc can be structured like a 3 act play. This covers the set-up through to the resolution and the overall objective/problem to be tackled.

  Act 1

  Set-up

  Inciting event