Elements of Literature: The Short Story
The Short Story: What Keeps Us Reading by John Leggett
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Plot: A Chain of Related Events
Plot is the chain of related events that make up a story. When a plot is well mapped out, it keeps us reading by making us curious about what will happen next.
Once upon a time, three well-to-do pigs came to the suburbs to build their dream homes. No sooner had they laid the foundations, however, than a black sedan pulled up. Out stepped Mr. Wolf, the building inspector, his eyes mean and shifty.
At once the storyteller stirs our curiosity by making us fear that a conflict will arise between the pigs and the wolf.
Mr. Wolf growled that the pigs didn’t have the proper building permits. The pigs politely handed Mr. Wolf their paperwork, which he swallowed in one gulp. Then, sneering, he roared off in his black sedan.
Now complications develop. We fear that the wolf will wreck the pigs’ plans. Also, since the wolf is a carnivore, there is a good chance the pigs will follow their permits down his throat.
The pigs rushed to complete their new homes. One pig built with straw, the second with wood, and the third with fiberglass and aluminum siding.
The Short Story: What Keeps Us Reading by John Leggett
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Plot: A Chain of Related Events
The suspense is building. What will happen next?
Just as the paint was drying. Mr. Wolf returned with a demolition crew. With a wrecking ball they knocked the first two houses down. The frightened pigs huddled in the fiberglass house, dialing a real estate lawyer on their cell phone. Mr. Wolf huffed and he puffed, but he couldn’t demolish that third house.
This is the plot’s climax, or the most exciting point, the moment at which the outcome of the conflict is decided. We are relieved that the space-age materials hold out against the enraged Mr. Wolf.
You may want to decide the resolution, or end, of the story for yourself. Does Mr. Wolf dynamite the last house? Will the pigs’ lawyer arrive in time to stop him? The second outcome would make a satisfying resolution, at least for readers who favor the pigs. As you know, that’s the way fairy tales usually end: happily ever after.
A Writer on Plot
"To me, the most important and difficult thing about writing is to find the plot. Good, original plots are very hard to come by. You never know when a lovely idea is going to flit suddenly into your mind, but by golly, when it does come along, you grab it with both hands and hang on to it tight. The trick is to write it down at once; otherwise you’ll forget it.”
Roald Dahl,
author of "The Landlady"
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Suspense: The Page Turner
Conflict creates suspense in a story, and suspense is what keeps us turning those pages.
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Methods of creating Suspense
A writer may give clues---sometimes even false clues--that hint at a story’s outcome. When we read in “The Monkey’s Paw” that the first owner of the magic paw wished for death after his first two wishes were granted, we expect that the new owners’ wishes will also lead to misfortune.
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Methods of creating Suspense
2. Mystery
Writers sometimes create suspense by withholding information from the reader--for instance, who the murderer in the story is or where the crime was committed. Unusual or mysterious circumstances can also create suspense. In “The Landlady,” for example, why does the landlady open the door so quickly? Why is the last signature in the guest book over two years old? We read on to satisfy our curiosity.
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Methods of creating Suspense
3. Dilema
Suspense is especially intense when a character we care about is in peril or must choose between two dangerous courses of action. At the end of “The Monkey’s Paw,” we hold our breath as the old woman strains at the door. Will her husband stop her in time, and if not, what waits for her on the other side?
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Methods of creating Suspense
4. Reversal
A reversal is a sudden change in a character’s situation from good to bad or vice versa. In “The Tell-Tale Heart,” it seems as if the narrator has gotten away with his crime. The corpse is hidden and the police suspect nothing--and then suddenly the narrator hears the sound of a heart beating. We worry about what lies ahead: Will there be another reversal for the narrator, or will things get even worse for him?
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Methods of creating Suspense
The word suspense is related to the word suspended. When a story keeps us in suspense, we feel almost as if we were suspended in midair. We may even hold our breath without realizing it as we read on eagerly to find out how the story ends.
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Peanuts
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