Writing the Short Story..
Short stories can have multiple
topics, as I’m sure you can imagine. A
short story can be realistic or fantastic, comedic or tragic, even fictional or
non-fictional. You don’t even have to
limit yourself to choosing between those dichotomies, either! You can make a story that has a mix of comedy
and tragedy, realistic and fantastic elements, and even fictional and
non-fictional elements.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,
though. Every good story, short or
otherwise, begins with at least one interesting character. There should be at least one character who is
at the center of your story – the
protagonist. A protagonist needs to
be an interesting character, as a good story should be about the protagonist’s
journey. If we don’t care about the
protagonist, we don’t care about the story, and what good does that do? You may have more than one protagonist, but
remember that this is a short story –
too many protagonists may make the plot confusing in such a short medium.
Once you have your protagonist,
your story needs setting and conflict. Setting is the when and where of your
story. Conflict is the main problem your
protagonist faces. These two elements
should be developed at roughly the same time.
A conflict can come from the setting, or, alternatively, a conflict can
help you figure out what setting would be most appropriate. Conflict and setting don’t need to be related
to each other directly, but your story will have more unity if they are.
Your conflict may also be tied to
another character in the story. A
character who causes or is otherwise part of the conflict is called an antagonist. Your story does not need an antagonist, but
antagonists can make your story more interesting. Your story may have multiple settings,
conflicts, and antagonists – however, since this is a short story, you’ll probably want to keep the total number of each
in the single digits.
You may also want to make a supporting cast, which consists of
characters who, while not central to the story, are nonetheless important to
the protagonist’s journey. The
supporting cast may contribute to the conflict or help the protagonist end it,
but either way they do not play as big a role in the story as the protagonist
or antagonist.
After establishing these four main
elements – protagonist, setting, conflict, and antagonist – you will need to
write your story. A story consists of actions done by characters and events that happen to characters,
either as a result of the characters’ actions or as the cause of said
actions. Each story is a chain of
actions and events that leads to a climax,
which is an event/action that resolves the conflict of the story. After the climax your character will be
changed, having completed his or her (or its) story.
In short, your story needs a protagonist, setting, conflict, actions, events, and a climax.
It should probably also have an antagonist
and a supporting cast, but they are
not absolutely necessary.
____________________________________________________________
Homework, due Wednesday, November 27th
Character Sketch
The most important element of any
story, and the element you should develop first and foremost, is the
protagonist. A good story needs at least
one central character that draws the reader’s interest. To do that, the character needs to be three
dimensional and well rounded – i.e. they need to feel like a real person. In other words, your character needs to have:
Personality traits
Motivations
Physical Characteristics
Back-story
For this assignment, you need to
create a character who has all of these.
Give him her it a name and at least three personality traits, at least
one motivation, at least three physical characteristics, and at least one piece
of back-story.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
SHORT STORY
PROJECT RUBRIC
When you think you
have finished the final draft of your short story, look over this rubric to see
how well your paper meets the assignment requirements. It may also help to reread the assignment
sheet. Then look over your story one
last time and make any revisions and edits you see fit. When you are done, circle the grade you think
your paper deserves for each of the categories on this rubric. You will then write a short reflection (one
page or less) on what you have learned about writing during this project, and
how you feel your story has developed over the course of this unit.
Story length: 4-7 pages
Student Name:
________________________________________
CATEGORY
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
Characters
|
The main characters
are named and clearly described in text as well as pictures. Most readers
could describe the characters accurately.
|
The main characters
are named and described. Most readers would have some idea of what the
characters looked like.
|
The main characters
are named. The reader knows very little about the characters.
|
It is hard to tell
who the main characters are.
|
Setting
|
Many vivid,
descriptive words are used to tell when and where the story took place.
|
Some vivid,
descriptive words are used to tell the audience when and where the story took
place.
|
The reader can
figure out when and where the story took place, but the author didn't supply
much detail.
|
The reader has
trouble figuring out when and where the story took place.
|
Action
|
Several action
verbs (active voice) are used to describe what is happening in the story. The
story seems exciting!
|
Several action
verbs are used to describe what is happening in the story, but the word
choice doesn't make the story as exciting as it could be.
|
A variety of verbs
(passive voice) are used and describe the action accurately but not in a very
exciting way.
|
Little variety seen
in the verbs that are used. The story seems a little boring.
|
Dialogue
|
There is an
appropriate amount of dialogue to bring the characters to life and it is
always clear which character is speaking.
|
There is too much
dialogue in this story, but it is always clear which character is speaking.
|
There is not quite
enough dialogue in this story, but it is always clear which character is
speaking.
|
It is not clear
which character is speaking.
|
Creativity
|
The story contains
many creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's
enjoyment. The author has really used his imagination.
|
The story contains
a few creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's
enjoyment. The author has used his imagination.
|
The story contains
a few creative details and/or descriptions, but they distract from the story.
The author has tried to use his imagination.
|
There is little
evidence of creativity in the story. The author does not seem to have used
much imagination.
|
Organization
|
The story is very
well organized. One idea or scene follows another in a logical sequence with
clear transitions.
|
The story is pretty
well organized. One idea or scene may seem out of place. Clear transitions
are used.
|
The story is a
little hard to follow. The transitions are sometimes not clear.
|
Ideas and scenes
seem to be randomly arranged.
|
Writing Process
|
Student devotes a
lot of time and effort to the writing process (prewriting, drafting,
reviewing, and editing). Works hard to make the story wonderful.
|
Student devotes
sufficient time and effort to the writing process (prewriting, drafting,
reviewing, and editing). Works and gets the job done.
|
Student devotes
some time and effort to the writing process but was not very thorough. Does
enough to get by.
|
Student devotes
little time and effort to the writing process. Doesn't seem to care.
|
Spelling and
Punctuation
|
There are no
spelling or punctuation errors in the final draft. Character and place names
that the author invented are spelled consistently throughout.
|
There is one
spelling or punctuation error in the final draft.
|
There are 2-3
spelling and punctuation errors in the final draft.
|
The final draft has
more than 3 spelling and punctuation errors.
|
Peer Revision Sheet
AUTHOR NAME:____________________ REVISOR NAME:______________________
Use one of these sheets for each of your peer revision
sessions in class today.
AUTHOR: What do you
need the most help with in this paper?
REVISOR: Please read
through the story and write any comments you have on the margins. Be sure to note things you like about the
story as well as any problems you found in it.
Afterwards, circle an answer for each of the following
questions:
1.
Does the story have a rising action, climax, and
resolution? YES NO
2.
Are the characters and setting of the story established
early on? YES NO
3.
Is the main character well developed, with unique
personality traits, physical characteristics, a detailed back-story, and clear
motivations? YES NO
4.
Is there a specific Inciting Incident (the moment when
the action begins or the problem is introduced)? YES NO
5.
Is the major conflict in the story identified early on? YES NO
If yes, is the conflict INTERNAL EXTERNAL
6.
Does the writer use vivid imagery to describe the
setting of the story? YES NO
7.
Does the conflict seem real and meaningful? YES
NO
8.
Does the conflict lead to a sensible climax? YES
NO
9.
Does the character undergo a significant change because
of the conflict/climax?
a.
YES NO
10. Does
the falling action and resolution fit the story? YES NO
a.
If NO, was it:
Too Rushed Too Drawn-out (circle one)
Overall Evaluation:
What
parts of the story (characters, setting, conflict, specific scenes, etc.) do
you think work the best?
What
parts of the story are less successful than others?
Write
any other comments, critique, opinions, feelings, etc. you have about the story
here.
After you have finished this sheet, exchange it with your
partner and discuss what you wrote down.
Make sure your partner is clear on your answers and comments so you can
both create better stories in the future!
