The Elements of a Short Story

There are 8 elements of a short story that we need to be aware of.

Let us go through all these 8 elements. These are:

• Setting
• Plot
• Moral Values
• Character
• Point of View
• Theme
• Tone,mood and atmosphere
• Language and Style

What is the setting?

I have discussed this in the short story, "Flipping Fantastic' which is an earlier post. Setting involves informing readers of where and when that particular story takes place. In other words, it provides the background to the story.

Who are the character or characters?

They are the people in the story. There are main actors as well as minor characters. Characters provides body to the short story.

What is a Plot?

It refers to the sequence or chain of connected events in the story. A plot must be exciting to maintain the readers' interests.

What is the Theme?

These refers to the important ideas or moral ideas about life that will emerge from the story. It is not stated directly all the time. You may have to draw it out of the story. a story can have more than one theme.

What are the Moral Values?

This refers to the good values of humankind. It may also incorporate lessons to be learnt in everyday life.

What is Point of View?

What is point of view. It refers to the one telling the story. If the one that is telling the story is a character in it, we called that a first person account. If the story is told by someone outside the character list, we call it the third person view point or omniscient point of view. The word, "Omniscient" is taken from the concept of 'God being everywhere.', and as such he can tell us the story even to the extent of the thoughts of the characters.

What are Tone,Mood and Atmosphere?

What does tone mean in a short story? Tone refers to the attitude of the writer toward the subject of his story and to his readers. It can be serious,light hearted or aimed at arousing some emotional feeling such as sympathy.

Mood refers to the general feel of the story. The mood can be pleasant, amusing, frightening, cruel, despairing or whatever depending on what type of story it is and what emotions the author is trying to arouse in you.

Atmosphere is the general sense of the story. It is the creation of a situation using sounds and sights to create a foreboding of things to come.

What are Language and Style?

These are the language tools used by the writer. They are also known as literary devices. They are used to convey the message of the story.These can range from sights and sounds employing imagery,idioms, metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole,alliteration and others. All writers have their own style of writing.

Flipping Fantastic: The Setting

Let us re-visit the setting of the short story,"Flipping Fantastic" by  Jane Langford.

What is the setting for this story?

The  places where the story revolve around is the home of Tristan and James. The other places mentioned are Peter Hill Primary where the play was staged,Chesterlea Grange where Tristan,James and their mother visited to enroll Tristan and Highfields Secondary School where James will continue with his secondary education.

We can assume that the twins live with their mother in a comfortable home which is disabled-friendly. Nothing is mentioned of a father in the story and so it is safe to assume as well that the mother is a single parent. The twins found their home a relaxing place to pursue their own interests with the love,support  and encouragement of their mother.

Peter Hill Primary is where the twins had their primary level education. It must be somewhere  near the home of the twins.

Chesterlea Grange is a fully residential school for special children. It is fully equipped with facilities for the physically challenged to acquire knowledge and survival skills. Here, the students will have a whale of a time playing sports,acting in plays as well as to spend their time leisurely  in the indoor video and games room.The environment is refreshingly clean, healthy and cheerful to promote the well-being of its residents. It is unlikely to be near the twin's home.

Highfields is a normal day school for students to pursue secondary education.

What about the time?

It is now, in present day.

Interest Hike Poser

 What is the current economic scenario?

Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz has just informed us that Malaysia is clearly on the path of economic recovery.According to this lady central bank governor, improvement in leading global economic indicators will mean the possible end of the current loose monetary policy.

Fourth quarter economic performance in 2009 was better than expected. The country as such is no longer under the yoke of  extraordinary circumstances.

In fact, several central banks have started to tighten monetary policy particularly the Reserve Bank of Australia [RBA].  RBA has raised its key policy rate three times in 2009 while the US's  Federal Reserve has just raised the discount rate charged to banks for direct loans by 25 basis points to 0.75% on 18 February 2010, buoyed by rosier economic data and improved market conditions.

“Any adjustment in interest rates will be to achieve a normalisation and not a tightening,” Zeti clarified.

Bank Negara has left the interest rate at 2% since early last year but improvements in factory output as well as exports have fuelled speculation that the central bank would raise the key policy rate – the overnight policy rate – sooner than the commonly held view for second-half 2010 rate hikes.

A report by Standard Chartered Global Research puts the next rate hike as early as March 4, a week after the scheduled release of the fourth quarter’s gross domestic product (GDP) data this Thursday.

TA Securities Holdings Bhd economist Patricia Oh had said in an earlier StarBiz report that there could be a rate hike as early as May based on the stronger GDP numbers for the final quarter of 2009 and the expected improved numbers for the first quarter of 2010.

However, economists also believe that any “normalisation” of interest rates would come only if the central bank sees the recovery gaining momentum and to prevent any build-up in financial imbalances.

So,what would it be then,Zeti?

Watch YTL Power and YTL-E Solutions

YTL Communications Sdn,the communication utility company of  YTL Power International Bhd is poised to become the first in the world to launch a nationwide 4G network, offering state-of-the-art mobile Internet connectivity to Malaysia.

To do so, it has  committed itself to purchase one million units of WiMAX single chips from GCT Semiconductor which will fully support YTL Communications with its deployment of a nationwide 4G service in the country.

Interestingly,GCT will share technical expertise and provide YTL Communications with the most advanced and lowest power WiMAX chips available on the market today, making YTL Communications’ vision of creating a complete ecosystem with nationwide mobile Internet service using 4G a reality.

The one million units purchased will be consigned to key original design manufacturers selected to provide innovative 4G devices to YTL Communications this year.

GCT is the market leader in providing WiMAX single-chip solutions worldwide, holding the largest market share based on WiMAX chipsets sold and number of WiMAX subscribers currently using GCT’s technology.

According to a spokesman from YTL Power, for this project,"driving economies of scale is central to the ecosystem building effort towards developing the world’s first nationwide 4G network,”  “This will ensure  future customers will have the best price-performance in 4G products and solutions.”

GCT president and chief executive officer Dr Kyeongho K.H. Lee said the one million-unit commitment by YTL Communications will firmly secure GCT’s leading market share position.

He said it will also allow the company to maintain more than 60% market share this year with design wins from over 40 countries, including Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Russia and the United States.

Once this project go on stream it should have a positive effect on the share prices of YTL Power and YTL-E Soultions.

Teochew Porridge at Sunwaymas

It's another day at Sunwaymas.

As it was the day that the Hokkien celebrated the Jade Emperor God birthday, many shops were closed in observance.

I had wanted to eat at my regular shop. Chicken rice was on my mind. The shop was however closed too.

So, I drove back and ate at this quaint corner where a Teochew Porridge Shop stand. It is called the Eat-zy Teochew Porridge and Rice Resaurant.

They had the usual fare and more. Price is fair. Cost me about RM4.80, the first time around and tonight, I added an extra dish and it cost me RM5.80.

So what did I have  tonight?

One half of a salted egg-very good. Some fried salted fish,a mixed vegetable dish and a braised tofu in sweetened soy sauce.

I remembered the last time I had braised groundnuts.

Service was good.

I intend to try the other dishes available at this shop.

Time dotCom Sells DIGI

TIME dotCom Bhd (TdC), has disposed of 27.75 million shares in DiGi.Com Bhd for RM604.95 million, or RM21.80 apiece via private placement.

As such,the sale would reduce TdC's interest in DiGi.Com to 27.5 million shares, or 3.5 per cent.

The timely disposal will result in an estimated gain about RM5.33 million gross to TdC for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2009.

 TdC will enjoy pre-tax interest savings of RM23.4 million per annum going forward as a result of the full repayment of bank borrowings with the net proceeds from the disposal.

TdC as such  will no longer enjoy any future dividends declared on the shares disposed.


Given the current improved market conditions and DiGi's share price, and in line with its prudent debt management practices, TdC has decided to fully settle its borrowings which were taken to finance its investments in securities.

I think in a way this is also good for its parent company, Time Engineering Berhad.