One characteristic is the use of wordplay. For example, like the 'Peter Pan neverlands' joke. It twists a common concept in a clever way. Another is unexpected responses. In the 'dog has no nose' story, the response 'Terrible' is not what you'd first expect when asked 'How does it smell?'. And they often have a simple setup. Just a quick back - and - forth between two characters, like in the 'seafood diet' dialogue, which is easy to understand and gets the humor across quickly.
Not necessarily. Short stories can focus on other elements like vivid descriptions or a single character's inner journey. However, dialogue can often make the story more engaging and realistic.
Formatting dialogue in short stories involves using clear punctuation and breaks. Put dialogue in quotes and vary the length and style of the lines to add rhythm. And always make it easy for the reader to follow who's speaking.
I'm not with you because I'm angry. I'm with you because I'm preparing to die of anger!
You seem to have a magical power that can tear my nerves apart!
If you're so smart, shouldn't you give your name to be treated as smart as me?
You fill my life with hope, I hope you can bring despair to my life!
I used to think that you were my world, but now I find that you are just a prop in my world!