Q: I NEED HELP ON DOING A SHORT STORY OUTLINE. IT NEEDS TO HAVE RAISING ACTION AND PRO AND ANTAGONISTS AND OTHER TERMS
A:
DoloreslaG
Not knowing the particulars of your need, I can only provide you with a few random observations; if you need more specific help, just let me know.
A traditional short story will follow a
conflict------->crisis---->resolution structure. The conflict, or problem, is introduced almost immediately; it then reaches a crisis and is resolved relatively quickly. (I can illustrate this better graphically, but try to picture the rising action of the conflict which reaches a plateau at the crisis...make sense?)
When I teach creative writing classes, I have my students watch primetime tv for examples of this structure as such shows are usually very overt. The better shows will do this with more grace but the structure is usually there. One excellent example of traditional story structure that actually follows Aristotle's criteria is Spike Lee's Mo Better Blues; it's problematic for other reasons but is an excellent, classic illustration.
Think about the elements of fiction and how they work together:
theme - what the story is about, its "message"
plot - what happens in the story, its action
characters - who function within the action
setting
Full, or round, characters are changed by the events of the plot while flat characters remain the same; a protagonist must be changed by what happens.
All four elements must work together.
I don't know if any of this makes sense. Probably the best advice comes from Henry James who said good writing is the result of showing, not telling.
