College Media / Muammal Abbas
Part of the first lecture given by the writer Dr. Muhammad Y. Subaih on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, within the short story workshop at the College of Engineering, Al-Ayen Iraqi University. He focused on the basic elements that make the short story an integrated and attractive work. He first talked about the importance of the story's inauguration, explaining that the first sentence must be strong and immediately drag the reader's attention and arouse their curiosity about the events of the story.
He also touched on character drawing techniques, stressing the need to build characters with real and influential dimensions, where the reader feels that they are part of their world. He explained that the dialogue between the characters must be realistic and in line with their nature to enable the reader to interact and sympathize with them.
Dr. Subaih added, "the importance of economy in description within the short story, stressing that every word has its role in conveying the idea without unnecessary prolongation." He emphasized the role of a solid plot that proceeds logically so that the reader does not feel the presence of gaps or vague details.
The lecture was widely interacted with by the audience, as the students presented examples of their personal writings and received direct guidance from Dr. Muhammad, which contributed to developing their vision and understanding of the methods of writing short stories in a practical and applied manner.
