Short Story Writing

1. Short Story Writing

2. Characteristics • Involve only a few characters • Focus on one central conflict • Cover a very short amount of time. • Begin very close to the end

3. Planning • What will the setting be? (When and where) • What mood am I going to try to create? • Who will be the protagonist? Give a brief description of him/her. • Who will be the antagonist? In what ways will he/she block the protagonist? • What will be the inciting incident that kicks off the action? • What is the main conflict in the story? • What events will occur to build tension in the rising action? • What climactic moment does all action lead to? • What will happen during the falling action/resolution? • What point of view will I use? Why is this best? • Where could I add irony, foreshadowing, symbol, or motif?

4. Stuck??? • Find a postcard, photograph or painting depicting two or more people and write a story about them. • Look at any object and write about it – where does it come from, who does it belong to, who might want it? • Read the newspaper for unusual and interesting headlines and develop them as fiction. • Think about interesting or unusual people you see around town or in your daily life. Write a story that involves this person. • Pick up a book you really like and open it at a random page. Pick a sentence you like and write it down, and then carry on writing your own story.