Short Story WritingShort Story Writing

Narrative• a composition used to recount an

event or series of events– simple narrative – events told in

chronological order– narrative with plot – less

chronological, events arranged according to the nature of the plot and type of story (flashback and flashforward)

Main Parts• Character

– protagonist (main character)

– antagonist (opposing force)

• Setting• Plot

– conflict– resolution

CharacterPhysical Characteristics

• what they look like

Emotional Characteristics• what kind of person they are• can be revealed through the use of words and

actions

Characteristics can be revealed either directly or indirectly.

Creating Characters You can often tell a lot about a

person just by looking at them. In pairs or groups of 3 create a life for the person in the photo. Think about what kind of person they might be, what their family might be like and what they might like to do in their spare time.

The Story of Your Name• Names are a very important part of who

you are. What do you know about your name? Where did it come from? Is it significant in any way? What about its history?

• In a good paragraph, tell me about your name.

Creating Characters• One of the first steps in writing a

story is the creation of characters. Now, you are going to create a potential protagonist and antagonist for a story that you will write.

Your Assignment• Now that you have created a few

characters you will choose two of them to include in the story you will eventually write. One will be the protagonist (main character) the other the antagonist (opposing force)

• Next you will create a good copy of a verbal and visual presentation for you characters.

Visual• This will include a picture of the

character as well as anything else you feel is important to the character or is representative of them.

Verbal• In paragraph form you will describe the

physical features of your character. You will also briefly explain their story – who are they? Be sure to include what you feel is important to know about this character.

• Try to use descriptive words when writing about your characters.

CharacterMarking Rubric

Step 1 – Protagonist & Antagonist /20

• Visual– Effort (5)– Creativity (5)

• Verbal– Content (5)– Mechanics (5)

Visual - This will include a picture of the character as well as anything else you feel is important to the character or is representative of them.Verbal - In paragraph form you will describe the physical features of your character. You will also briefly explain their story – who are they? Be sure to include what you feel is important to know about this character.

Try to use descriptive words when writing about your characters.

Character - Marking RubricProtagonist & Antagonist /20

VisualEffort (5) Creativity (5)VerbalContent (5) Mechanics (5)

Setting• Time – when the story takes place

• Place – where the story takes place

• Often plays an important part in the story, example “Identities”

Create a Setting for: • A high school drop out

• A former college sports star / famous actress

• A blind person’s bedroom

Your Setting• In a good paragraph or two, tell

me about your setting:– Where were you born?– Where have you lived?– Has that helped make you who you

are?– How might you be different in you

lived somewhere else?

Describing A Setting• You are a tourist information writer and

your job is to entice people to visit various places. In a good descriptive paragraph describe the setting in the photograph you select. After you have described the place, create a name that will also work to draw people in – be creative.

• Next briefly (good paragraph) describe a story that could take place in this setting.

Creating A Setting• Another important part of writing a

story is creating an intriguing and interesting setting.

• Think about the characters you have created and create a setting in which they might interact.

Setting Marking Rubric

Step 2 – Setting /20• Visual

– Effort (5)– Creativity (5)

• Verbal– Content (5)– Mechanics (5)

Conflict• Conflict is the essence of fiction. It creates plot. The

conflicts we encounter can usually be identified as one of four kinds.– Person versus Nature – struggle with a force of nature– Person versus Person – struggle with another character– Person versus Self – struggle deciding what to do or think– Person versus Society – struggle with the laws or beliefs of

a group

• Often, more than one kind of conflict is taking place at the same time. In every case, however, the existence of conflict enhances the reader’s understanding of a character and creates the suspense and interest that make you want to continue reading.

Name That Conflict• Steve is struggling to find a job after

completing a 5 year jail sentence for being an accessory for armed robbery.

• Gerald’s life is being made miserable by his hot-tempered abusive step-father.

• Julie is confused about her future plans; should she go to work or community college.

Conflict• Explain the conflict in the

following:

– “Powder”– “Boys and Girls”– “Identities”– “The Sniper”

Personal Conflict• Everyone has conflict in their lives,

from the minor internal conflict of, “What should I wear today?” to the person versus person conflict when we argue with our friends and family.

• Choose a personal conflict that you have faced in your life and, in a good paragraph or two, explain it to me. Also, please explain how you resolved this conflict.

Plot• All fictional stories have a plot. Plot is the sequence of

events that take place in the story. There are five components to plot: – Central problem or conflict often found at the beginning

of the story; – rising action which includes all the events created by the

conflict; – climax, which is the highest point or turning point of the

story; – denouement, or falling action, where the conflict

becomes unraveled; – resolution, where the conflict is resolved (the resolution

of a story may have either positive or negative outcomes).

Freytag’s Pyramid

Gustav Freytag was a 19th Century German novelist who saw common patterns in the plots of stories and novels and developed a diagram to analyze them.

He diagrammed a story's plot using a pyramid like

the one shown here:

Assignment – Plot Line

So far you have your characters and your setting. Now, it’s time to start thinking about how they are going to go together to create your story.

Probably the easiest way to start is to come up with a conflict, decide how it was created and how it could be resolved.

Let’s see what you come up with.