USING CONTEXT CLUES

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NOW GUESS THE WORDS FROM CONTEXT WITHOUT USING A DICTIONARY AND WRITE THEIR MEANING IN ENGLISH. DON'T TRANSLATE, PLEASE. 

“Cat in the Rain”

by Ernest Hemingway

    There were only two Americans stopping at the hotel. They did not know any of the people they passed on the stairs on their way to and from their room. Their room was on the second floor facing the sea. It also faced the public garden and the war monument. There were big palms and green benches in the public garden. In the good weather there was always an artist with his easel. Artists liked the way the palms grew and the bright colors of the hotels facing the gardens and the sea. Italians came from a long way off to look up at the war monument. It was made of bronze and glistened in the rain. It was raining. The rain dripped from the palm trees. Water stood in pools on the gravel paths. The sea broke in a long line in the rain and slipped back down the beach to come up and break again in a long line in the rain. The motor cars were gone from the square by the war monument. Across the square in the doorway of the cafe a waiter stood looking out of the empty square.

The American wife stood at the window looking out. Outside right under their window a cat was crouched under one of the dripping green tables. The cat was trying to make herself so compact that she would not be dripped on.

“I’m going down and get that kitty,” the American wife said.

“I’ll do it,” her husband offered from the bed.

“No, I’ll get it. The poor kitty out trying to keep dry under a table.”

The husband went on reading, lying propped up with the two pillows at the foot of the bed.

“Don’t get wet,” he said.

The wife went downstairs and the hotel owner stood up and bowed to her as she passed the office. His desk was at the far end of the office. He was an old man and very tall.

“Il piove,” the wife said. She liked the hotel-keeper.

“Si, si, Signora, brutto tempo. It is very bad weather.”

He stood behind his desk in the far end of the dim room. The wife liked him. She liked the deadly serious way he received any complaints. She liked the way he wanted to serve her. She liked the way he felt about being a hotel-keeper. She liked his old, heavy face and big hands.

Liking him she opened the door and looked out. It was raining harder. A man in a rubber cape was crossing the empty square to the cafe. The cat would be around to the right. Perhaps she could go along under the eaves. As she stood in the door-way an umbrella opened behind her. It was the maid who looked after their room.

“You must not get wet,” she smiled, speaking Italian. Of course, the hotel-keeper had sent her.

With the maid holding the umbrella over her, she walked along the gravel path until she was under their window. The table was there, washed bright green in the rain, but the cat was gone. She was suddenly disappointed. The maid looked up at her.

“Ha perduto qualque cosa, Signora?”

“There was a cat,” said the American girl.

“A cat?”

“Si, il gatto.”

“A cat?” the maid laughed. “A cat in the rain?”

“Yes,” she said, “under the table.” Then, “Oh, I wanted it so much. I wanted a kitty.”

When she talked English the maid’s face tightened.

“Come, Signira,” she said. “We must get back inside. You will be wet.”

“I suppose so”, said the American girl.

They went back along the gravel path and passed in the door. The maid stayed outside to close the umbrella. As the American girl passed the office, the padrone bowed from his desk. Something felt very small and tight inside the girl. The padrone made her feel very small and at the same time really important. She had a momentary feeling of being of supreme importance. She went on up the stairs. She opened the door of the room. George was on the bed, reading.

“Did you get the cat?” he asked, putting the book down.

“It was gone.”

“Wonder where it went to,” he said, resting his eyes from reading.

She sat down on the bed.

“I wanted it so much,” she said. “I don’t know why I wanted it so much. I wanted that poor kitty. It isn’t any fun to be a poor kitty out in the rain.”

George was reading again.

She went over and sat in front of the mirror of the dressing table looking at herself with the hand glass. She studied her profile, first one side and then the other. Then she studied the back of her head and her neck.

“Don’t you think it would be a good idea if I let my hair grow out?” she asked, looking at her profile again.

George looked up and saw the back of her neck, clipped close like a boy’s.

“I like it the way it is.”

“I get so tired of it,” she said. “I get so tired of looking like a boy.”

George shifted his position in the bed. He hadn’t looked away from her since she started to speak.

“You look pretty darn nice,” he said.

She laid the mirror down on the dresser and went over to the window and looked out. It was getting dark.

“I want to pull my hair back tight and smooth and make a big knot at the back that I can feel,” she said. “I want to have a kitty to sit on my lap and purr when I stroke her.”

“Yeah?” George said from the bed.

“And I want to eat at a table with my own silver and I want candles. And I want it to be spring and I want to brush my hair out in front of a mirror and I want a kitty and I want some new clothes.”

“Oh, shut up and get something to read.,” George said. He was reading again.

His wife was looking out of the window. It was quite dark now and still raining in the palm trees.

“Anyway, I want a cat,” she said, “I want a cat. I want a cat now. If I can’t have long hair or any fun, I can have a cat.”

George was not listening. He was reading his book. His wife looked out of the window where the light had come on in the square.

Someone knocked at the door.

“Avanti,” George said. He looked up from his book.

In the doorway stood the maid. She held a big tortoise-shell cat pressed tight against her and swung down against her body.

“Excuse me,” she said, “the padrone asked me to bring this for the Signora.”

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Ways of crying

WAYS OF CRYING

• cry: produce tears from your eyes, usually because you are unhappy or hurt.
  Please stop crying, Paul!
• burst into tears: suddenly start crying.
  When her boyfriend told her the truth, she burst into tears and ran out.
• break down in tears: suddenly cry a lot, after trying not to cry.
  After reading his letter, she broke down in tears.
• be close to tears/on the verge of tears: be about to cry.
  When she heard his voice on the phone, she was close to tears.
• have tears in one's eyes: be about to cry.
  When I said goodbye, I had tears in my eyes.
• shed tears: cry.
  I must admit I shed a few tears when the school closed.
• be in tears: be crying.
  The children were all in tears when our dog disappeared.
• be in floods of tears: (UK) cry a lot.
  The children were in floods of tears when our dog disappeared.
• be moved to tears: be so upset that you start to cry.
  A lot of people were moved to tears by his story.
• weep: cry a lot for a long time.
  The kids wept bitterly when it was time to leave.
• cry one's eyes/heart out: be extremely sad and cry a lot.
  After the robbery, she cried her heart out.
• bawl: (a baby) cry very loudly.
  We could hear the baby bawling upstairs.
• sob: cry noisily, with sudden noisy breaths.
  He began sobbing uncontrollably.
• your eyes water: you start to cry, especially because there is a lot of smoke or because you have been cutting up onions.
  There was so much smoke in that room that my eyes were watering.

Ways of laughing

WAYS OF LAUGHING

• laugh: express joy by making a sound, moving the face or body.
  She splashed water on Nick and we all began laughing.
• chuckle: laugh quietly, because you are thinking about something funny.
  What are you chuckling about? I don't see anything funny.
• giggle: laugh quietly and repeatedly because you are nervous or embarrassed.
  She spilt the wine on the tablecloth and then giggled nervously at me.
• give somebody the giggles: make somebody start giggling.
• titter: laugh quietly, unkindly at something embarrassing.
  After she ended the lecture, she heard someone tittering.
• snigger (GB) / snicker (US): laugh quietly, unkindly at something that is not supposed to be funny.
  When the teacher tripped on the steps, the boys sniggered.
• roar / howl / shriek with laughter: laugh very loudly.
  It was such a good comedy that when it finished, he was still roaring with laughter.
• chortle: give a loud chuckle of pleasure or amusement.
  When I told her the joke, she started to chortle with delight.
• cackle: laugh loudly in a high voice.
  When I told her the joke, she started cackling and couldn't stop!
• guffaw: laugh noisily.
  They guffawed at what their baby had done.
• jeer: laugh at somebody or shout unkind things at them.
  The president was jeered by a crowd of protesters.
• burst into laughter: suddenly start laughing.
  The class burst into laughter.
• laugh your head off: (informal) laugh a lot and loudly.
  He told us a joke after another, and we laughed our heads off!
• smile: make one's mouth curve upwards, in order to be friendly or because one is happy.
  As the boy left, he smiled at his mother and waved.
• beam: smile very happily.
  The mother looked at her son and beamed proudly.
• grin: smile widely.
  When she knew she had won the prize, she grinned broadly.
• simper: smile in a silly and annoying way.
  He simpered at the boys as he spoke.
• smirk: smile in an unpleasant way, to show that you are pleased by somebody's bad luck.
  The kids smirked when the teacher fell on the floor.
• sneer: smile in an unkind way, showing no respect for somebody.
  She sneered at his boyfriend's musical tastes.

Related idioms

• laugh in somebody's face: to behave in a way that shows no respect for others.
  I told her my opinion and she just laughed in my face.
• be laughing all the way to the bank: make a lot of money without making much effort.
• somebody will be laughing on the other side of your face: used to mean that although you are happy now, you will be in trouble later.
• be laughed out of court (US): be rejected because people think it is completely stupid.
  His idea was laughed out of court.
• laugh up your sleeve: be secretly happy because you played a trick on somebody or you criticized somebody without him knowing.
• laugh something off: pretend that something is less serious than it really is by laughing about it.
  The president laughed off rumors that he would resign.
• laugh like a drain: laugh heartily.
  John liked my joke so much, he laughed like a drain.

Ways of talking

WAYS OF SPEAKING

• speak: make use of words in a normal voice.
  May I speak to George?
• talk: speak to give information, say things.
  What are they talking about?
• hesitate: be slow to speak (or act) because one is uncertain or unwilling to talk.
  He hesitated before answering my question.
• whisper: speak softly, without vibrating the vocal cords, privately or secretly.
  She whispered the secret word in my ear.
• hiss: say something in a loud whisper. (Snakes also hiss).
  'Get out!' she hissed at me furiously.
• mumble: speak unclearly, so that others can't hear.
  He mumbled something at me which I didn't understand.
• mutter: speak in a low voice, which is hard to hear.
  She was muttering something to herself as she went out.
• murmur: speak in a soft, quiet voice that is difficult to hear clearly.
  The classmates murmured during the test.
• hum: make a low continuous sound, when you take a long time deciding what to say.
  She hummed at the beginning of the oral exam.
• grunt: make short sounds or say a few words in a rough voice, when you don't want to talk. (Pigs also grunt).
  She grunted a few words and left the table.
• stammer: speak with pauses and repeating the same sound or syllable, habitually or from fear or excitement.
  'P-p-please give me the p-p-pen,' he stammered.
• stutter: stammer.
  'P-p-please give me the p-p-pen,' he stuttered.
• quaver: speak tremulously, because you are nervous or upset.
  Her voice quavered for a moment but then she regained control.
• lisp: speak with /th/ sounds instead of /s/ sounds.
  You're very thilly, Thimon. (You're very silly, Simon.)
• babble = gabble: talk foolishly, in a way difficult to understand.
  Her fever made her babble without stopping.
• ramble: talk continuously, in a confused way.
  Stop rambling and get to the point, please!
• slur: speak unclearly, without separating the words correctly.
  He was so drunk that he slurred to the bartender for more.
• chat: have a friendly informal conversation.
  They chatted away in the corner.
• chatter: talk quickly and at length about something unimportant.
  Please stop chattering, I'm trying to listen to the TV!
• gossip: talk about the affairs of other people.
  She was gossiping about her neighbours all day.
• call: speak in a loud clear voice, shout, cry.
  They called for help.
• shout: speak in a loud voice, in anger or to get attention.
  He had to shout because the music was too loud.
• whoop: shout loudly and happily.
  The children whooped when we entered the fair.
• cry (out): make a sharp noise, in pain or surprise.
  She cried out in terror when the old man appeared suddenly.
• yell: cry out loudly, in fear, pain or excitement.
  She yelled in terror when she saw the dead cat.
• scream: cry out very loudly on a high note, in fear, pain, anger or laughter.
  The baby was screaming the whole day.
• shriek: scream.
  The men shrieked with laughter.
• bellow: shout in a deep voice.
  The captain bellowed orders at the crew.
• squeak: speak in a high-pitched voice.
  She squeaked out a few words nervously.
• squeal: speak in a high-pitched voice, with longer and louder sounds than in a squeak.
  'Let me go!' she squealed.
• whine: complain in a sad, annoying voice about something.
  'I don't want to go,' whined Peter.
• chirp / chirrup (GB): speak in a happy high voice.
  'All finished!' she chirped.
• cheer: shout because of happiness.
  The public cheered when the team appeared.
• croak: speak with a deep hoarse voice.
  She had such a terrible cold that she could only croak.
• blurt out: say something suddenly and tactlessly.
  She blurted out the bad news before I could stop her.
• snap: say something quickly in an angry way.
  'What do you want?' the waiter snapped.
• splutter: talk quickly in short confused phrases, in anger or surprise.
  'But... what... where... how could you?' she spluttered.
• bark (out): say something quickly in a loud voice.
  'What do you want?' the shop assistant barked.

Related verbs

emit - communicate - pronounce - announce - mention - relate - narrate - retell - report - butt in - interrupt - discuss - argue - lecture - preach - define - state - assert- clarify - declare

Ways of walking

WAYS OF WALKING

• walk: move on one's feet.
  We walked to town.
• limp: walk unevenly because one leg is hurt.
  That man is hurt, he's limping.
• hobble: walk with difficulty.
  The old man hobbled along the street with the aid of his stick.
• stagger: walk unsteadily as if about to fall.
  He was so drunk that he staggered all the way home.
• stumble: stagger.
  She stumbled upstairs and into bed.
• lurch: stagger.
  The drunken man was lurching along the street.
• tiptoe: walk on the tips of one's toes.
  She tiptoed to the bed so as not to wake the baby.
• stroll: walk for pleasure.
  They strolled around the park.
• amble: walk at a slow, leisurely pace.
  They ambled along for miles.
• saunter: stroll.
  They sauntered around the park.
• wander: move without a fixed purpose or destination.
  They enjoy wandering through the countryside.
• roam: wander.
  They roamed through the streets for hours.
• ramble: walk for pleasure with no particular destination.
  He likes rambling around in the country.
• mooch: wander, walk slowly without any purpose.
  John mooched about the shops.
• meander: walk in a slow, relaxed way instead of taking the most direct way possible. (Rivers also meander).
  As I was sitting in the park, I watched as couples seemed to meander around happily.
• stride: walk with long steps.
  She strode across the fields.
• strut: walk in a proud way, with the chest out and trying to look important.
  He strutted past us, ignoring our greeting.
• swagger: walk proudly, strut.
  After winning the first prize, the player swaggered about proudly.
• stalk: walk in a proud or angry way, with long steps.
  The teacher turned and stalked out of the classroom.
• sashay: walk in a confident way, moving the body from side to side, especially so that people look at you.
  The models sashayed down the aisle showing their clothes.
• trudge: walk slowly and with effort because one is tired.
  We were very tired after trudging through the deep snow for two hours.
• shuffle: walk very slowly and noisily, without lifting one's feet off the ground.
  His legs were aching so much that he shuffled to bed.
• stump: walk heavily and stiffly.
  They stumped up the hill.
• plod: walk with heavy steps or with difficulty.
  Labourers plodded home through the muddy fields.
• pace: walk with regular steps.
  He paced up and down the platform, waiting for the train.
• march: walk with regular steps of equal length.
  Demonstrators marched through the streets of the city.
• parade: walk or march together to celebrate or protest.
  Demonstrators paraded through the streets of the city.
• crawl: move slowly with the body close to the ground or on hands and knees.
  A baby crawls before he can walk.
• toddle: walk with short unsteady steps.
  Her two-year-old son toddled into the room.
• edge: move gradually with small movements.
  Paul decided to edge away from the crowd.
• creep: move slowly and quietly with the body close to the ground.
  The cat crept silently towards the bird.
• sneak: go quietly and secretly in order to avoid being seen or heard.
  The boy sneaked in without paying.
• pad: walk softly and quietly.
  The child padded barefoot down the stairs.
• prowl: walk slowly and quietly because you are involved in a criminal activity or because you are looking for something.
  Street gangs usually prowl this alley.
• slide: move smoothly over a surface.
  I was sliding on the ice.
• slip: slide accidentally.
  She slipped on the ice and broke her leg.
• dash: move quickly and suddenly, rush.
  I must dash or I'll miss the train.
• dart: move quickly and suddenly in the specified direction.
  She darted away when I came in.
• scamper: run quickly and playfully.
  The children were scampering up the steps.
• sprint: run very quickly for a short distance.
  The kids sprinted down the stairs.
• jog: run slowly and steadily, as a way of exercising.
  She goes jogging everyday.
• trip over: catch one's foot on something and stumble or fall.
  He tripped over the step and fell.
• scuttle: move quickly with short steps, because you are afraid or do not want to be noticed.
  The mouse scuttled off when we entered the room.
• scurry: move quickly with short steps, because you are in a hurry.
  He was late so he had to scurry off to work.
• skip: move forward with quick steps and jumps.
  The child skipped with joy towards his father.
• lope: run with long steps.
  The man loped off after the ball.
• lollop: run with long awkward steps.
  The dog came lolloping down the path.
• tear: run or move quickly in a dangerous or careless way.
  When the storm started, they tore back into the house.
• rush: hurry, move quickly because you need to get somewhere soon.
  She was late so she decided to rush off down the hall.
• hop: move by jumping on one foot.
  The man hopped down the road after hurting his foot.
• trip: walk with short quick steps, usually as young girls do.
  The little girl tripped happily up the road.
• lunge: make a sudden movement towards somebody or something.
  The boxer lunged forward and grabbed his opponent by the arm.
• scramble: climb up or down, or over something quickly and with difficulty.
  They had to scramble up to the top of the hill to see the view.
• hike: take a long walk in the mountains or countryside, as an adventure.
  The group hiked up to the top of the hill.
• trek: hike; make a long, difficult journey on foot.
  For ten days she trekked across the mountains of China.
• paddle (GB), wade (US): walk for pleasure without shoes or socks in water that is not very deep.
  The children were paddling in the lake.
• waddle: walk with short steps, moving the body from one side to another, used especially to talk about birds or people with fat bodies.
  The fat man waddled off to the restaurant for lunch.
• prance: walk with high steps or large movements, in a confident way.
  She pranced around her room, pretending to be an actress.
• frogmarch: force somebody to walk by holding his arms tightly by his side, usually because of bad behaviour.
  The prefect frogmarched the boy to the detention room.

WRITING STORIES: DIALOGUE

Writing verbal conversations or dialogue is often one of the trickiest parts of creative writing. New writers often go into a story thinking it should be easy; after all, we all hold conversations several times a day!

What new story writers quickly realize is that crafting a relevant dialogue within the context of a story requires much more work than carrying out natural conversation.

Dialogue isn't just about creating direct quotations from different characters. Sometimes dialogue is best when it's put into a summarized form, rather than the drawn-out form of an actual conversation.

If you think about it, our conversations are boring to read, for the most part. A normal exchange would go something like this:

"Hi Tony," said Katy.
"Hey," Tony answered.
"What's wrong?" Katy asked.
"Nothing," Tony said.
"Really? You don't act like nothing's wrong."

Pretty tiresome dialogue, right? But by condensing a conversation within the narrative, the writer can convey relevant information that isn't important enough to merit its own dialogue segment. You might think of dialogue as feelings that are verbalized in an abbreviated way.

Instead of writing a dialogue like the one above, a writer could condense the scene:

"Hi Tony."
Tony looked down at his shoe, dug in his toe, and pushed around a pile of dust. "Hey," he replied.
Katy could tell something was wrong.

There are several important things to remember when writing conversations like the examples above, which are called direct dialogue:

• Do not use dialogue simply to convey information. Dialogue should set the scene, advance action, give insight into characterization, remind the reader, and foreshadow. Dialogue should always be doing many things at once.


• Keep the character's voice in mind but keep it readable. Dialogue doesn't have to be grammatically correct; it should read like actual speech. However, there must be a balance between realistic speech and readability.


• Don't use too much slang or misspelling in order to create a character's voice. Also remember to use speech as a characterization tool. Word choice tells a reader a lot about a person: appearance, ethnicity, sexuality, background, and morality.


• Tension! Sometimes saying nothing, or the opposite of what we know a character feels, is the best way to create tension. If a character wants to say 'I love you!" but their actions or words say 'I don't care,' the reader cringes at the missed opportunity.

Using Thoughts in Dialogue

Using thoughts or memories of occurrences and conversations can also show important details of a story without unnecessary character interaction. Thisindirect dialogue is another way of creating the feel of exchange without quotations. This often takes place internally in one of the characters.

"Hi Tony."
Tony looked down at his shoe, dug in his toe, and pushed around a pile of dust. "Hey," he replied.
Katy braced herself. Something was wrong.

It is important to keep in mind when writing thoughts not to use quotations. If you must write a direct thought, always italicize what is being "said" within the character's mind.

Formatting Short Story Dialogue

Format and style are key to successful dialogue. Correct tags, punctuation, and paragraphs can be almost as important as the actual quotations themselves.

The first thing to remember is that punctuation goes inside quotations.

• "I can't believe you just did that!"

Dialogue tags are the he said/she said's of quotations. Very often they are mistakenly used as forms of description. For example:

• "But I don't want to go to sleep yet," he whined.

While these types of tags are acceptable and even necessary at times, they should only be used sparingly. The dialogue and narration should be used to show the emotion or action stated in the tag. One of the most important rules of writing fiction is: show, don't tell.

Instead of telling the reader that the boy whined in the example above, a good writer will describe the scene in a way that conjures the image of a whining little boy:

• He stood in the doorway with his hands balled into little fists at his sides. His red, tear-rimmed eyes glared up at his mother. "But I don't want to go to sleep yet."

Paragraphs are very important to the flow and comprehension of the dialogue. Remember to start a new paragraph each time the speaker changes within the dialogue. This helps the reader know when someone new is speaking (and who it is).

If there is action involved with a speaking character, keep the description of the action within the same paragraph as the dialogue of the character engaged in it.

Creative writing is one of the few activities where hearing voices is not only a good thing, it is a necessity. If you find yourself having difficulty coming up with new voices for your characters, there are a few things you can do to help develop the voices in your head.

• Start a dialogue diary. Practice speech patterns and vocabulary that may be foreign to your normal habits. This will give you the opportunity to really get to know your characters.


• Eavesdrop. You should always carry a small notebook with you and write down phrases, words, or whole conversations verbatim to help develop your inner ear.


• Read! Reading will hone your creative abilities. It will help familiarize you with the form and flow of narration and dialogue until it becomes more natural in your writing.

As with anything, practice makes perfect. Not even the best writers get it right the first time. Start off writing in your dialogue diary and once you get to drafting, it will be a matter of molding your words into the feel and message that you intend.

Sample Short Love Story

It was very hard for Sam to keep from screaming at the unfairness of it all.

She had been working at the newspaper for years. She wasn't always the best writer, and she certainly could have been a bit more social with the rest of the office staff, but she was good at her job, and she had become invaluable to the editor. Derek had always valued her opinion for what it was, and he trusted her more than anyone else at the paper.

But that was before Christine.

Christine slammed into the newsroom like a Category 5 hurricane. She tore down everything Sam had worked so hard to build and left a trail of destruction in her wake. Within her first month, she'd managed to get four good reporters fired, and at least a few others were on the chopping block.

And Derek seemed to love her immediately.

It didn't matter to him that Sam had given the paper everything or that he used to trust her implicitly. When Christine winked, complimented him, and broke things off with her fiancé to “get to know him better,” all of that went out the window. It was like Caesar and Cleopatra all over again.

She demanded Sam's resignation two weeks later.

It was sheer luck that Christine wasn't in a position to influence hiring. No matter how much she complained about Sam's work, she couldn't get her way.

And then came the last straw: Derek promoted Christine to the job Sam had been promised, and that was it. A carefully crafted letter of resignation made its way to her direct supervisor's desk.

Truth be told, Sam still wasn’t sure whether it was the right decision. But she’d given her two weeks’ notice, and her desk would have to be cleared out by then. She had to focus on that.                 

When she walked back into the office that Wednesday night, there he was. She had hoped that today would be the day he’d decide he didn’t have to work until all hours and let her clear out her desk in peace. But Derek, who always seemed to have a sixth sense about her, picked his head up the second she made it across the room.

There wasn't much left: a calendar, a mug, a few notebooks, and a well-worn chemistry textbook lined the box she brought for her things. He at least had the decency to let her finish packing before calling her over.

This wasn't going to end well, and she knew it.

“Are you okay?” he asked once she was settled into the uncomfortable chair across from him. She nodded mutely, and he cleared his throat.

“Good. I, uh...you'll have to forgive the lack of professionalism here, but...”

She tilted her head. “But what?” she asked graciously, wondering briefly if he knew how thin a line he was treading. His eyes fixed on her, and it was like she was seeing the Derek of three months ago. She couldn’t breathe.

“Please don't go,” he blurted. She blinked, working hard to keep face blank. He leaned over the desk theatrically, and it was hard for Sam to keep from smiling. Whenever he pulled that move, she couldn’t help but think Derek looked a bit like Cary Grant.

“I don't know why you're leaving, but we need you here. You're the best writer at the paper. And I need your advice. Please stay.”

And there he was, giving her that look again—the one that always got him an extra slice of cake at company gatherings, could probably get him out of prison, and was very effective at melting a reporter’s heart. Sam felt her reasons for leaving start drifting away. He needed her. And she had always been there for him. How could she leave?

She felt the corners of her mouth turning up and forced them back down again. No way could she cave now; she was right in the middle of packing up her stuff! “What about Christine?”

Derek shook his head, sighing audibly. “Christine is…well, she’s something, all right.” He locked his eyes on hers, and Sam felt herself unable to look away. “But you have something that she just doesn’t.”

Sam furrowed her brow. “And what might that be?”

He ran a hand through his hair (his beautiful, perfect, full head of hair, Sam thought in spite of herself), seemingly struggling for words. She waited, biting her lip in anticipation.

Finally he spoke. “You’re kind. You’re funny. You’re incredibly talented but so modest that hardly anyone knows how amazing you are, even though they should. You keep to yourself, but you’re easy to talk to, and I know you’ll be honest with me no matter what I ask. Basically, you’re one of very few people I look forward to seeing every day, and I would genuinely hate to see you go.” By the end of his soliloquy, his face had gone red, and Sam noticed that he was twisting his tie around in his hands—almost as if she were making him nervous.

She smiled at the thought. And then she had an idea that was so crazy and out of character for her she couldn’t believe it could have come out of her own rational, analytical brain. But this is my last chance, really, she realized. If I don’t do this now, I’ll never be able to.

So she blurted it out before she had too much time to convince herself it was a horrible idea.

“If you’d hate it so much, prove it to me. Take me to dinner tonight. You can give me more compliments,” she laughed, “and reasons you want me to stay.”

He opened his mouth, his lips forming the word “no,” then caught her eye again and shut his mouth. Sam’s breath was stuck in her throat. She stared at him, refusing to blink, until at last she heard the words she hadn’t known she was waiting for.

“You know what? It’s a date.”

WRITING STORIES: MIXED TECHNIQUES

How to Write Short Stories – 10 Tips with Examples by Our Chief Editor

First step to write short story is to understand five basic elements of it. Ten Tips, by our Chief Editor, for How to Write Short Stories are vivid explanation of these elements with easily understandable examples.

How to Write Short Stories – Ten Tips With Examples

Before we jump to “How to Write Short Stories”, let us first have common understanding of what is short story and look closely what does compose a short story.

What is Short Story?

A short story is work of “fiction or imagination” that is usually written in “easily understandable grammatical structure” with “natural flow of speech”. Short story is meant to be read at single sitting and therefore it should be as direct and brief as possible. Because of directness and brevity, a typical short story has very little action and hardly any character development. However it must provide a snapshot of life – typically a decisive moment that may lead result lethal to the character in one or other form.

Confused? Not finding is easy? Relax… It is all about having a simple plot with preferably very few (one, two or maximum three) characters that directly and briefly touches the momentous part of life (by whatever manner but with “significant” effect). The ultimate finesse is making reader to say “Oh My God”, “Oh no”, “Poor xyz”, “Wow”, “Superb”, “YES… This I would have ALSO done”, “NO… This I would have NEVER done”…

Typically short story has five key elements – Character (fewer is better), Setting (brief but poetic and vivid), Plot (as simple and interesting as possible), Conflict (intense but one), and Theme (relating to majority of readers). These elements would become clearer subsequently in 10 Tips (2 per element) for How to Write Short Stories.

Let us check out these key elements in bit details along with examples and 10 tips – How to Write Short Stories – by our Chief Editor.

Characters in Short Stories

A character is someone or something that takes part in actions depicted in the short story. It could be a living person, a dead person, a ghost, an imaginary character, a robot, a dog, a toy… unlimited list. A character that is most related (mostly directly) to all actions depicted in the story is called protagonist or lead role. Other characters that closely participate in main action of the story for bit longer and/or more intense are main characters. Typically main characters are used to create conflict and resolve it. Few characters that may stay very short in story called supporting or side characters. These characters are primarily used for developing main characters, creating animated setting or heightening conflict (We shall discuss about conflict and setting in little while).

Let’s analysed two popular short stories one with many and other with fewer characters:

Example 1: Read this black humor CrasSSSSSHHHHH… and figure out characters.

Protagonist: Sales Director Asia Pacific
Other Main Characters: Wife, Boss
Supporting or Side Characters: Sales heads, Logistic head from B-school, child, driver, CEO…

Example 2: Check out this sweet love story Love Note after Twelve Years.

There are only two characters: first Wife – the protagonist, and second Husband the narrator – other main character. (Why not other way, that is, Husband as protagonist and wife as other main character?)

Tip #1: Fewer Characters – More than TWO is Crowd

The golden rule for selecting characters in short story is “Fewer are better”. A short story would more effectively convey its meaning if it has very few characters – one protagonist, one other main character and no supporting or side characters would be ideal.

Which story in the above examples did you found easier to understand? Is your answer “Both”? Let’s demystify it in next tips for How to Write Short Stories. But once again remember the golden rule “Fewer characters are better”.

Tip #2: Develop Characters for Theme – Do not fall in Love

Animating character with perfect adjectives and examples are a must for connecting readers with the character; however, typically while writing short stories, do not fall in love with your character and overdo the characterization. (But in case you fall in love… Congratulations!!! Now it is time for you to write novel or drama). You need to muster all but only required characteristics and decorate them poetically – use appropriate adjectives, interesting dialogues, colourful descriptions, or even short-lived (in story) side characters. But again, remember, you are writing short story and therefore you need to be choosy in painting your characters – must use needed paints (to match your theme), and must do it fast (as short as possible).

Example 3: Let’s examine how writer developed “wife” character in our example short storyLove Note after Twelve Years. Try…

What is theme? Selfless love finally gets recognition. Does story talk how beautiful she is? Does writer depict her to be good mom? How good does she cook? Is she in job or house maker? No information at all. Answers to these questions have nothing to do with our theme. But does she love her hubby? Is her love selfless? Yes. Whole story is about portraying these characteristics of her.

Example 4: But, on lighter note, what if theme of story itself is characteristics? Read this hilarious short story Howrah Rajdhani.

Setting in Short Stories

Time frame and place constitute setting of short stories. The setting is often decorated with descriptions of scenes such as super market, bedroom, crowded metro train, or drizzling evening… again unlimited list. These descriptions are very important to make reader immerse in the plot.

Example 5: Let’s re-examine all the three examples again to find out setting in these short stories. Note the duration or time frame of settings.

CrasSSSSSHHHHH…: One very busy day in office (at end, during climax setting changes to 3 months and then to 12 months in future)
Love Note after Twelve Years: A trip of couple of days, check-in in hotel and then at airport while returning
Howrah Rajdhani: Three-four hours from leaving house in auto-rickshaw to catching a train on railway platform

Tip #3: Single and Short Time Frame – One at a Time Please

Unit of time frame may vary from hours to days to weeks to years. The golden rule in selecting time frame for short stories is “keep it shorter” and “have it single”. Short story that has setting of few hours may typically be clearer and more effective than with setting of few months or years.

But what if your plot needs longer time frame? And what if single time frame is not sufficient?

Be very careful. It may turn fatal attempt for short story writing. Re-look your plot because both the requirements need dynamic setting that is NOT recommended for short stories. But if you are still convinced for longer time frame then remember two points: firstly, advance events in your story faster, and secondly, place important events almost at equal distance. If you need multiple time frames for your plot, for example many scenes of fifteen minutes of online chatting, structure it in chronological or reverse chronological order. Avoid crisscross transitions among time frames (even expert writer would avoid it). Further you must use signposts (for example subheadings with dates) or any other creative method to provide clear idea of the time frames and of the transitions among them to readers.

Example 6: Read this very touchy love story One in a million – REWIND that uses multiple timeframes of same units in reverse chronological order.

Example 7: Read this psychological thriller Do Not Kill My Love that uses multiple time frames of different units with crisscross transitions.

Tip #4: Vivid Surroundings – Appeal to Five Senses of Readers

As a writer of short stories you must vividly describe surroundings. Here vivid description should not be misunderstood by predictable events and actions. You may choose to save few descriptions for climax but whatever you decide to disclose must be absolutely clear and very importantly be appealing to five senses of your readers. Be poetic, use suitable adjectives, script dialogues, or even deploy side characters… do whatever you need to ensure that the reader lives your story while reading.

Example 8: Read this heart touching philosophical short story Cycle of Life. Did you find yourself in “hospital setup” while reading it? Now read below two paragraphs: [1] has no description of setting where as [2] taken from the story has description of surroundings.

[1] A nurse guided us to a room where my best friend, my grandpa, was lying on a bed. My father was sitting sadly beside grandpa’s bed.

[2] A nurse guided us to a room. After a long week gap I saw my grandpa — my best friend. Grandpa was sleeping peacefully on hospital bed. There were many small TV and radio alike boxes with tiny lights. Few boxes were making “beep-beep” sound in rhythm. I knew that the sound was fading heart beats of my best friend — my grandpa. Then I saw my father, with red and swollen eyes, sitting closure to grandpa’s bed.

It is clear that while reading [2], one may feel more of “hospital setup” than while reading [1].

Plot of Short Stories

Plot is flesh and muscles of short stories. It comprises events and characters’ actions. More creatively you describe and logically connect the events and actions, stronger the plot would be; and stronger the plot you create, better interest would it generate among readers. A plot has start, body and end that are linked sequentially by events and character actions.

Tip #5: Catchy First Line – Love at First Sight

You must so choose a start that your reader gets hooked to the story. Now you may have question – how to do this? Well, answer is not so straight forward. You must know your readers well: what they like, what they speak, what surprises them, what arouses their interest… but finally it is your creativity. Nonetheless you must create confusion or question in readers’ mind by first line of your story. Your reader must try to get answer from best of her ability and experience but she should finally end up digging into subsequent lines of your stories to quench her temporarily aroused inquisitiveness.

Example 9: Let’s try evaluating first line of few short stories you read in previous example:

[1] Do Not Kill My Love: “Kill him now. NOW or NEVER!!! … the only reparation of your ruined life” with these continuously resonating words in her mind, innocent looking Maria picked up chopper from the kitchen platform and started creeping towards bedroom where Alex, the wild horse, was sleeping naked after having a violently exhaustive sex with her, just few minutes back.

[2] One in a million – REWIND: From FEB 24 2010 17:46 – the REST OF MY LIFE: There I was, lost forever, trapped and without a choice, holding my head in one hand and the ring on the other.

[3] Cycle of Life: That day, old man was leaving us, forever!!!

Do not worry if you feel you still miss the punch in your first line. It comes with practice. Keep reading short stories… at least first line. (If you can leave a story after reading its first line only, then I would not recommend such first line for your story).

Tip #6: Choose Suitable Point of View – Who Narrates it Better

You need a tailor who will sew events and actions together in a meaningful and fashionable way in your story. Typically it should be one of the characters you choose – The Narrator of your story. Remember the narrator puts point of view from her or his or its perspective. Whose perspective would be better? It is not always perspective of protagonist that would make the plot better.

Example 10: Remember the question in Example 2 why not is husband protagonist in Love Note after Twelve Years? Husband is narrator of this story. The selfless love of wife would be presented more strongly if the person she loves presents it.

One more consideration while selecting suitable point of view is that the narrator can either support theme of story, oppose it, or present it neutrally. Any of these three styles is okay but I would recommend to choose a narrator that in general either directly would oppose the theme or act more to do so.  If you prove or present the theme against the narrator’s actions or belief or dialogue, the plot would have very interesting and heightened climax suddenly surprising your reader by letting the narrator itself embracing the big change or accepting the defeat, in a way.

Depending upon what role narrator is playing in story, the plot would be written in first (I or We), second (You) or third (he, she, they…) person perspective.

Conflicts in Short Stories

Hmmm… Do you like conflict? YES or NO? If no, start liking it because conflict gives life to short stories. It is struggle between two sides of the theme of the story. Conflict can be between characters, thoughts, emotions, beliefs or anything that exists in this world in contrast. You typically find protagonist at one side of the conflict and on the other side it could be other important characters, society, or even supernatural powers. Sometime protagonist would be conflicting with itself such as contradictory thoughts or, even worse, alter ego as you read in Do Not Kill My Love.

Tip #7: One Conflict Only – One Enemy is Enough

Have you ever tried resolving a conflict either professionally or personally? If yes, you know it takes time and unfortunately you do not have time in short stories. Choose only one conflict around the central idea of the theme. What does bother your readers? Do you see something that is still not resolved? Can you create confusion by revealing something surprising? I am sure you would get many ideas around any theme by answering these questions but choose one that you can personally relate (something you were touched recently or intensely). Why? More you relate to conflict, better you can animate the settings and develop characters.

Tip #8: Intense but Real Conflict

As we discussed, conflict gives life to short story, you must heightened the tension in your plot. Overcoming easy obstructions would not make your lead characters memorable. But, do not overdo it. Very rarely a superman would be liked in a short story. Even if you present a superhero on one side of conflict, you must show few “weakness” to make your story real.

So how to do it? Take a stand in beginning, make the stand dicey by posing sequence of actions against this stand, and just when both sides are “equally” fighting for superiority bring a “surprising” element that clearly makes your stand a winner or loser. That’s it.

Example 11: Let’s re-look into these short stories we read in previous examples

[1] CrasSSSSSHHHHH…: Tough sales target, double digit growth not possible, lousy team, but at last same team without our hero celebrates the needed growth

[2] Love Note after Twelve Years: Selfless love, wife always takes care of husband’s wish but all of sudden it seems she forgets a very important file, but she kept it there… how selfish husband is to blame her? Wait… he changed himself by started believing that gift does matter to express love

Theme of Short Stories

Central idea or main belief presented by a short story is called theme. It is skeleton or frame of your short story that is decorated by plot, setting, conflict and characters. You may find myriad themes around you such as triumph of true love, honesty is best policy, God is great, tomorrow never comes, determination finally brings success, true love does not exist…

Tip #9: Theme in Focus – Nothing More, Nothing Less

Every word in short story must be written for the theme therefore it is very important that theme is clear to you when you write story. Other elements of short stories – characters, settings, plot and conflicts – must tightly but comprehensively be tied to the theme. Be very careful not to be tempted to digress even slightly from the theme while writing short stories. You must heartedly decorate the setting and develop the characters but within narrow subject line as specified by the theme. Sometime, it may so happen that you may not be very sure of the theme while starting your story. No worry, in such case you determine the theme after completing the story and then critically chisel away extra flab that is not really needed for the theme of your short story.

Tip #10: Break Rules if Needed – Unleash Your Creativity

This is most important tip for becoming a successful short story writer – write for yourself. Unleash your creativity without impounding it by any rule. If you feel to break any rule, do it. However reading these “Ten Tips for How to Write Short Stories” periodically, would help to hone short story writing skill instinctively. You should also use these “Ten Tips for How to Write Short Stories” as checklist to review your short story before submit it for any competition or publishing.

Summary How to Write Short Stories

Five Key Elements of a Short Story

• Character
• Setting
• Plot
• Conflict
• Theme

10 Tips: How to Write Short Stories

• Tip #1: Fewer Characters
• Tip #2: Develop Characters for Theme
• Tip #3: Single and Short Time Frame
• Tip #4: Vivid Surroundings
• Tip #5: Catchy First Line
• Tip #6: Choose Suitable Point of View
• Tip #7: One Conflict Only
• Tip #8: Intense but Real Conflict
• Tip #9: Theme in Focus
• Tip #10: Break Rules if Needed

Hope you enjoyed this article. We love to read your feedback and comments. Furthermore, if you like us to review your short stories, our editors would be glad to do so for free. Wish you all the best for your short story writing and publishing.