Distinguishing Features of the Short Story

The short story should:

• be short enough to read in one sitting;

• be streamlined: aimed at one single, unified effect and one plot;

• have few main characters;

• cover a short span of time;

• take up a highly dramatic or crucial moment in the lives of its characters;

• focus on plot and characters and then setting;

• clearly present either a writer's or a character's tone

• contain the ten elements + irony