Help!

[sterry]

I am a student and I have a terrible textbook that doesn't give me any answers. I need to know about structure in short stories, such as visible elements and underlying elements; what they mean and how they work. Can anyone help?

[JBI]

If you are looking for a nice introductory book to short story, try the Anatomy of a Short Story anthology. It has a nice collection of essays and stories, in addition to essays written by the writers themselves. Other than that, I cannot help you without you naming any specifics.

[bounty]

I am a student and I have a terrible textbook that doesn't give me any answers. I need to know about structure in short stories, such as visible elements and underlying elements; what they mean and how they work. Can anyone help?


sterry, if i may---too often students are afraid to go to their teachers to ask for help. let me encourage you to have a sit-down talk with your teacher.

theyre even sometimes afraid to talk with their peers or to form study groups to share information and come to consensual understandings about things. so i encourage you also to get with some of your classmates.

[prowesse]

I urge you to read the book entitled "Art of Fiction" because it gives answers to all the writing techniques.

[Pecksie]

Read Horacio Quiroga's "Decalogue of the Short Story Writer" for a great writer's insight into the process of creating a successful story.