【Story】 ,  【narrative】 ,  【tale】 ,  【anecdote】 ,  【yarn】  all denote a recital of happenings less elaborate than a novel.

【Story】 is the most general and the familiar word and may be interchanged with any of the others of the group, except in its generalized sense of legendary lore. A 【story】 may be oral or written, factual or fictitious, in prose or in verse, and designed to inform or to entertain but characteristically treats of a connected series of events or incidents rather than a single incident.

The short 【story】 and a newspaper 【story】 may treat of but one incident.

【Narrative】 in its common use is more often factual than imaginative. As a literary composition  【narrative】  usually suggests a plot or causally connected series of motived incidents; thus, a chronicle or a diary is not ordinarily called a  【narrative】 .

【Tale】 suggests, in consequence of its historical connection with oral telling, a more leisurely and more loosely organized recital, characteristically treating legendary or imaginary happenings, often those of ancient times, and may be in verse.

【Anecdote】 , retaining something of its original sense of an unpublished item, applies to a brief 【story】 of a single detachable incident of curious or humorous interest, often illustrative of a truth or principle or of the character or foibles of a notable person.

【Yarn】 often suggests a rambling and rather dubious 【tale】 of exciting adventure, marvelous or incredible, ingenious or fanciful, and not always reaching a clear-cut outcome.