CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEWS

2.1 Short Story

2.1.1 Definition of Short Story

A short story is different with novel. Erchun (quoted by Liu,

2009:142) defines a short story is like a cross section of wood. It is short in
length, varied in both structure and material source, simple in
characterization and plot progression. The variations of short story increased
rapidly. They influenced on each other and compete with each other.While
Poe (in Shodhganga, n.d) defines short story as a narrative fiction, having
a unity of effect or expressions, the reading of which could be completed at
one sitting. Kelly (n.d) states, A short story generally runs to 10,000 words
maximum. Furthermore, Writer Relief (2010) states, a short story could be as
long as 500 - 30,000 words.

Based on the explanations above, the writer concludes that a short

story is one types of narrative writing that has simple characterization and
plots which different with a novel. Short story usually contains 500 to 30.000
maximum words that could finished in one sitting.

2.1.2 Elements of Designing Short Story

In a short story there are some elements that really essentials for
designing a short story in general. Shivaji University (2013)
states, There are six main elements in dsigning a short story, they
are :

(1) Plot, which means the pattern that relate each other in a
sequence, through cause and effect, how the reader views the
story, or simply by coincidence. The type of plot that often
used by an author is a plot by Gustav Freytag. He considered
 plot a narrative structure that divided a story into five parts,
like the five acts of a play. These parts are: exposition (of the
situation); rising action (through conflict); climax (or turning
point); falling action; and denouement or resolution.

Picture 2.1 Freytag Triangle Plot

(2) Character, a character in a short story could be a person or

even an animal, it depends on the author.In literature,
characters guide readers through their stories, helping them to
understand plots and ponder themes. According to Wiehardt
(2017) there are some basic characters that often appear in
fiction, they are (a) flat character, is a minor characters in a
work of fiction who do not undergo substantial change or
growth in the course of a story. They only show one or two
personality and it doesn't change. (b) static character, is a
character that remains primarily the same throughout a story
or novel. Events in the story do not alter a static character’s
outlook, personality, motivation, perception, habits, etc. (c)
round character, is a well developed character who
demonstrates varied and sometimes contradictory traits.
Round characters are usually dynamic (change in some way
over the course of a story). (d) dynamic character, is a
character which changes during the course of a story or
novel. The change in outlook or character is permanent.
 Sometimes a dynamic character is called a developing
character. (e) stock character, a special kind of flat
character who is instantly recognizable to most readers. They
are not the focus nor developed in the story. (f) protagonist,
is the main character in a fiction. They are round characters
which the reader often sympathizes with or roots for.
However, they are not always completely moral or likable.
(g) antagonist, is essential to many works of literature and is
usually known as "the bad guy." The antagonist is the person
who is preventing the protagonist from getting what he wants
or needs.

(3) Setting, the setting of the short story is where the action of the
story happens. Setting includes place, time and culture of
where the story happens. The setting of the story also
provides as richness and depth to the story as it can relate to
the main message or idea to get across to your readers. Think
of the setting as a scenic background for which the drama of
the tale will take place.

(4) Theme means the story’s main ideas on the message the
writer intends to communicate. Short stories often have
single themes and illustrate a single idea such as the result of
certain actions on behalf of either the protagonist or
antagonist. Theme can be reflected in a variety of ways
through the story. Theme can be incorporated in a story
through setting, clothing, musing, sounds, certain smells,
things, things the characters touch or hold, transportation and
the occupation, abilities of the characters etc.

(5) Style, in fiction, style is the codified gestures, in which the

author tells the story. Along with plot, character, theme, and
 setting, style is considered one of the fundamental
components of fiction.

(6) Narrator and Point of View, The narrator is the teller of the
story, the orator, doing the mouthwork, or its in-print
equivalent. A writer is faced with many choices regarding the
narrator of a story: first-person narrative, third-person
narrative, unreliable narrator, stream-of-consciousness
writing. A narrator may be either obtrusive or unobtrusive,
depending on the author’s intended relationship between
himself, the narrator, the point-of-view character, and the
reader. Point of view is from whose consciousness the reader
hears, sees, and feels the story. The person who tells a story
is called the narrator, and the angle from which the story is
told is called its “point of view”. A story can be told by
someone who is a character in the story or by an outside
observer.

(7) Language

The language that used in a short story should be

communicative. Every writer has their own style in writing.
Try to not use the excessive or unfamiliar words, still
consider about the grammatical errors but do not make it too
stiff and boring.

2.1.3 Types of Short Story Genre

Patterson (2016) states, genre is a style of art, music, or literature. As an

author, genre control what the author writes and how he/she write the story. A
genre is needed when writing a story to fulfill the readers’ expectations about
story that has been written by the author. There are seventeen types of genres that
often used in making short story, they are:
1. Romance, the story that used this genre is the story that draws a
romantic relationship between two people or more. They are
characterized by a lovey-dovey, heart fluttering scene, and so on.
There are many sub-genres of romance, including fantasy-
romance, comedy-romance, and so on.
2. Action/Thriller, in general this genre often puts the main
character in physical danger. The story that using this genre is
characterized by the thrilling feels, high tension between the
characters, quarrel scene, and there is always a climax that offers
the readers some relief.
3. Science-Fiction, this type of genre incorporates any story set in
the future, the past, or other dimensions. The story features
scientific ideas and advanced technological concepts. In making
this type of story, the author needs to be prepared to building new
words and the setting should define the plot.
4. Fantasy, this type of genre often takes place in a kingdom. The
story of this genre usually use myths, magic-based concepts, and
other ideas that beyond human logics.
5. Horror/Paranormal, this genre is draw about scary story where
the main character must overcome with the supernatural or
demonic beings.
6. Mystery, the central issue of the story with this genre is a question
that must be answered, an identity revealed, a crime solved. This
is characterised by clues leading to rising tension as the answer to
the mystery is approached.
7. Historical, the story with this genre usually take place against
factual historical backdrops. Important historical figures are
portrayed as fictional characters.
8. Family Saga, this genre is about on-going stories of two or more
generations of a family. Plots revolve around things
like businesses, acquisition, properties, adventures, and family
 curses. By their nature, these are primarily historical, often
bringing the resolution in contemporary settings.
2.2 Designing a Short Story
2.2.1 Definition
The meaning of ‘designing a short story’ will be defined by the words
‘design’ and ‘short story’. Firstly, the word ‘design’ is commonly used as either a
noun or a verb. As a noun, "design" generally refers to some object or other entity.
As a verb it is usually used to refer to a process, or series of activities. For the
purpose of this definition the word "design" will be used solely as a verb, thus
drawing attention to the fact that design is a process, Miller (2005:1). While Taura
and Nagai (n.d) state, design is the process of composing a desired figure toward
the future. Secondly, ‘short story’ means A fictional prose tale of no specified
length, but too short to be published as a volume on its own, Baldick (in Shivaji
University, 2013:5). Furthermore, designing a short story is considered as a
process or the principles that used for making a fictional tale that has no specified
length in the terms of story.
2.2.2 Tips for Designing a Short Story
Based on Poe (in Gray, 2015) there are some tips that need to consider
while designing a short story, they are:
1. Begin with some background scene setting and use a little insight
into the narrators mind.The setting is a vital part of almost all of the
stories, providing much of the atmosphere and situation.
2. Told in first person or using first person’s point of view, though
narrative distance varies.
3. Know the ending in advance, before you begin writing. The first
thing that the writer needs to consider when he/she begins to write a
short story, they need to know the ending in advance. It could make
the writer easier to decide his/her story’s plot.
4. Keep it short---the "one sitting" rule. A short story should be short
and not too long. The amount of words that used in a short story
should be around 10.000 – 30.000 words.
 5. Decide on the desired effect. The author must decide in advance
“the choice of impression” he or she wishes to leave on the reader.
6. Determine the theme and characterization of the work. In making a
short story, the writer needs to decide what are his/her story talking
about, the genres, and visualization of the characters. It is needed to
make the readers could be understand the story flow easier.
7. Establish the climax. The climax is really important in making a
short story. The writer needs to establish the climax so that the readers
could get into the story itself, never use flat conflict in making a short
story.

2.3 Designing a Story Cover

According to Sabin (2016), books with good graphics, eye-catching font and
good quality covers sell more copiers than those without. It means that a good
book cover is really important to leave the first impression to the readers. He
states there are some tips that could be use to design a good book cover, they are:

1. Designing a concept, before creating a cover design, it is important

to decide the message that the writer wants to send in the book cover.
What the target readers are looking for, what your book is talking
about, and so on.

2. Grab Attention, the cover of the book is a good marketing tool. A

good book’s cover is the cover that makes people will stop their tracks
and evoke their interest.

3. The book genre is really important; a book’s cover should be the

reflection of the book’s genre itself. A really good book’s cover “talks”
to its readers.

4. Keep it simple, the simple book’s cover could make the readers
more focus on your book’s title and also the writer.
2.4 Wattpad

Nowadays, there are a lot of applications that we can use to write and read
a short story, According to Utami (2012), there are some writing and publishing
application that can be used, they are fanfiction.net, fictionpress, kemudian.com,
wattpad, and penulismuda.com. The most popular one is wattpad. Carol (2016)
states, wattpad is a site for reading and writing that is easily accessible to anyone,
anywhere and anytime. With wattpad, we will get to know various writers, get to
know others and read stories from any part of the world as well as in various
languages. According to Urban Dictionary (n.d) wattpad is an amazing website
where you share stories that you've written, and read and comment on other
people's works. often called 'YouTube for ebooks". There is a shuffle button if you
don't know what to read, and if you like a particular author, you can 'become a fan'
which is basically subscribing to them. Hemus (2013) states, Wattpad is for
everyone with an interest in books. Setting up an account takes a matter of
minutes and is just a case of creating a username, uploading a picture and
mentioning a bit about yourself. In conclusion, Wattpad is an popular application
that we could access easily everywhere and everytime. Wattpad can be used by a
lot of people whether for reading or publishing story.