Tag Archives: Plot structure and the short story

The storytelling elements of the short story and the shorter play have much in common. So how might this be an advantage for the writer?

Posted on March 6, 2017 by

Copyright © 2017 Jerry Dunne INTRODUCTION The length of the short story discussed here is not much more than 10, 000 words and the length of the shorter play not beyond a 90 minute performance and often shorter. Here I … Continue reading →

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Pace the story

Posted on October 31, 2014 by

Copyright © 2014 Jerry Dunne Narrative pace concerns how fast or slow the plot movement feels to the reader as they make their way through the story. Good pace enables the narrative to offer a feeling of smooth and constant … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughts on children's fiction, Writing fiction, Writing short stories, Writing short stories for the middle child reader | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Well-structured dialogue

Posted on August 31, 2014 by

Copyright © 2014 Jerry Dunne Dialogue is a powerful tool in the development of character, conflict, humour, drama, tension, suspense and pace. But dialogue must be handled skilfully in order to accomplish any of its objectives. Without a proper understanding … Continue reading →

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The plan: a bird’s eye view

Posted on July 26, 2014 by

Copyright © 2014 Jerry Dunne Before reading this post it is a good idea to read, The 3 act plot structure for the short story, if you do not understand the 3 act plot structure. This plot structure works as … Continue reading →

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Inspiration from inside an empty matchbox

Posted on April 30, 2014 by

Copyright © 2014 Jerry Dunne This post demonstrates how conflict fuels and develops a story. An understanding of our simple example will help the writer with both good story structure and the search for new ideas. It’s the ideas angle … Continue reading →

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The 3 act plot structure for the short story

Posted on January 31, 2014 by

Copyright © 2014 Jerry Dunne The plot isn’t a series of events that move forward in a random way. The events are connected by cause and effect and have a very definite structure to them. The plot for the short … Continue reading →

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