The Rules of Story Forms

Story writing widens its roots into story essays, flash/microfictions, short stories, novellas, and novels. When writing a story, it can take either of these story forms.

I just finished writing a story which I called a flash fiction.

Someone chatted me up and asked why I called it a flash fiction and probably not a short story or novel as people do.

I told her, “Because it is a flash fiction.”

I know what was going on in her mind and her next question proved it, “what made it one?”

I’ll go ahead to break down that now.

A story is a narration of events, people, and various happenings which can be captured in any format usually in word form (written), verbal (audios), motion images (videos) and even still images (pictures)

All these formats can tell or narrate a story well depending on how the author wants it.

With that, let us go over to the

Now, if you are narrating or telling a story which you are going to write, then it can either be:

• Essays
• Micro/Flash fictions
• Short stories
• Novella
• Novel

This arrangement shows how a story develops from one form to the other. When you keep expanding a story idea till it gets bigger and bigger. It moves and passes each of these story forms.

In other words, when you expand your essay more, it becomes a flash fiction.

When you go ahead to do the same with your flash fiction, it becomes a short story.

If you add more flesh to your short story, it becomes a novella and finally a novel.

, there are two ways to know that what you are writing is either a flash fiction, a short story, or a novel and they are:

1. Word Count
2. Story Structure

I’ll explain this briefly.

The word count for essays is usually ‘not more than 250 words’ in your English teacher’s voice back then in secondary school.

Your essays are used to narrate, describe or even explain a concept and do so within the shortest time possible (in 250 – 500 words or less).

Whatever idea you have, you just go straight to the point and tell what happened, describe whoever or whatever you want to describe, and earn your marks.

The structure of the story is brief and concise, has just one or two characters, the plot is easy and the setting is very easy to understand as well.

This is the very elementary stage we all passed through as writers and it started right from our primary and secondary education.

You are going to be expanding your essay here. You are going to be meeting a word count of 1,000 to 9,999 to qualify that work of yours as a flash fiction.

Flash fictions are longer versions of essays. The structure would include more than two characters, you would have to add more information about the setting, there may be a plot twist as well.

It would have more narration to help your readers understand. A conflict, which would be resolved quickly as the story has to end just in time and within the word margin.

Flash fictions just like my story titled ‘Oh Death, where is your sting?” Is a good example.

PS: I’ve expanded the story beyond this word count and it now qualifies to be a short story.

As I said earlier, the more you expand your work, the format changes.

The word count for a short story is within the margin of 10,000 to 29,999 words. So when you are done with your work and you check the word count and it is up to 10,000 and above. Well, you have a short story right on your manuscript or PC.

The structure is an expanded version of a flash fiction as well, the characters might increase, there would be more narration as well.

It might extend over a longer period and span between ages, occupation, locations, and all.

If the above is what you are working on, that’s such a beautiful project to embark on.

The word count for a novella takes a higher tilt and falls within the margin from 30,000 to 50,000 words.

You will have to add more flesh to your structure as well and include more theatrics to make it interesting.

It is going to be longer and include more of everything you will do in a short story.

When your word count for that story idea gets to 60,000, it is officially a novel.

Some are 80,000 and above. Well, as long as it got to 60,000, you did it, my dear. You have tried.

The structure of your story then goes beyond that of a novella.

It includes more than two main characters, has lots of plot twists, more chapters, the setting would cover several places and even time. It takes a longer time to read as well.

Whatever story form you’re working on is amazing. Just keep at it and do well with it.

 

Maryann Ijeoma Nwokoye

Contact: 08099079028

Email address: maryannijeoma96@gmail.com

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