How 2 do Short Story

Short Story

Short-story writing gives you the opportunity to let your imagination soar—freedom some students love and others find intimidating. Breaking your short story into manageable tasks can make it a little easier.

Task 1: Requirements

Make sure you understand what your teacher expects of you. Review all of the information you have about the assignment and verify that you can answer the following questions. If you don’t know an answer, ask your teacher.

What are you expected to hand in?

When is your assignment due?

Is there a requirement for length?

Did your teacher provide any other guidelines for the assignment?

Task 2: Topic

Whether you’re starting from scratch or your teacher gave you a starting point—such as a general theme or setting—your first job is to decide what to write about.

1. Start by brainstorming. Don’t censor yourself—write down any ideas for your short story that come to mind. If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, consider using something that you know, such as a hobby or a special interest. Pick the idea that most appeals to you as your topic. Example: Your teacher asks you to write a short story from the perspective of a teenager. You’ve learned a lot about children from your after school job at a day care, so you decide to write about a teenager who is raising a younger sibling by himself.

2. Define the goal of your short story. Every story has a reason for being told. What is yours? Example: Your story will illustrate the difficulties that a teenage boy and his younger brother experience in their life without parents.

Task 3: Plot and elements

Once you’ve come up with a story idea and a goal, it’s time to flesh out the elements of your piece—that is, the theme, setting, point of view, characters, and plot.

1. Write a brief plot summary. Include a beginning, middle, and ending, as well as any possible plot twists. Example: You’ve decided to write about a day in the life of a teenager who shoplifts a gold bracelet and intends to sell it to a classmate for enough money to buy his younger brother a baseball glove.

On the way out of the department store, the teenager is detained by store security, who calls the police. The police take the teen to the police station.

2. Identify the elements of your piece. These components may vary depending on the kind of fiction you are writing, but they typically include:

Theme

Setting

Point of view

Characters

Plot

3. Once you’ve identified your story’s elements, begin to flesh them out. Example: Your story portrays the difficulty of two brothers’ life without parents (theme) by looking at a day in the life of a teenage boy (main character). Also appearing are the teen’s younger brother, the little brother’s Little League coach and teammates, a store security guard, and police officers and personnel at the police station (supporting characters). The action takes place at a baseball diamond, at a department store, and at the police station (setting). The story is narrated by the teen (point of view).

Task 4: Rough draft

Now that you’ve laid the foundations for your story, it’s finally time to start writing.

1. Take a few minutes to map the plot sequence of the story. That is, figure out what is going to happen in your story, when it happens, and how it happens. (Hint: In 50 words or less, summarize the action.) Example: The teen’s little brother needs a baseball glove. The brothers don’t have any money, so the teen decides to steal a mall-store bracelet to sell to a classmate. The teen is caught. The police are called. They punish the teen, but also help him pay for his brother’s glove.

2. Write. As you write, let your imagination roam freely. Don’t get distracted by spelling, punctuation, or grammar. Right now your job is to have fun and be creative. Pay attention to each of the story’s elements and expand on them as you write. Example: When you place the teen at the baseball diamond, take time to describe it. Is the diamond part of a park? What sounds can our teen hear at the park? What’s the temperature outside? Set the scene for the reader.

How about your supporting characters? When discussing your supporting characters, give them more than just a name. Let the reader know who these people are. Describe how they dress, talk, or act. Hint at their personalities. Make them real.

What about point of view? Make sure the reader knows who is speaking at any given time.

3. Relax! The hardest part is behind you. If you can spare the time, don’t even think about your story for a day or two. This will help you approach the next step with a fresh eye.

Task 5: Rewrite

As any poet, author, or playwright will tell you, rewriting is one of the most important parts of the creative writing process.

1. Read your rough draft again with a critical eye, asking yourself the following questions:

Does your opening grab attention?

Did you achieve your original goal?

Have you provided enough detail to give a sense of what’s to come without giving the plot away?

Does it have an ending, or will your reader be left hanging?

2. Rework any parts of your rough draft that don’t work well. Don’t be afraid to change a setting, introduce a new character, or even cut characters that don’t play significant roles.

Task 6: Final draft

You’re almost done.

1. Run a spell check on your piece. Nothing will detract more from your work (and possibly lower your grade) than misspelled words.

2. Read your short story from start to finish, the same way your teacher will. Fix any grammar mistakes or other errors you find.

3. Once you’re satisfied the story represents your best effort, get a second opinion. Ask a parent or other trusted person to read your piece with a critical eye and to give you feedback. Make any changes you think necessary.

4. Read the story one last time to make sure you didn’t introduce any new errors.

5. Hand in your work. Congratulations!

Visit: https://javierburgos.wordpress.com the Best English teaching/learning material

All material on the site – Javier Burgos ® all right reserved. Permission is granted to print

This page for personal or class use only. Contact. englishonnet@inbox.com. :  091698635