Embedded Files
Writing a short story is an opportunity to invent an imaginary scenario and populate it with compelling characters. That said, we don't have many words available to explore these ideas, so we need to make each word count.
Writing a short story is an opportunity to invent an imaginary scenario and populate it with compelling characters. That said, we don't have many words available to explore these ideas, so we need to make each word count.
Writer (creator, author, composer) - the person who crafts a short story.
Reader (audience) - the person who reads a story.
Narrative (story) - a retelling of a series of events.
Plot - the sequence of cause-and-effect events that make up a narrative.
Character - a person, animal or figure represented in a story.
Protagonist (main character, lead character) - the primary character whom the reader follows throughout a narrative.
Conflict - whatever it is the protagonist is hoping to overcome.
Introduction
Introduction
Short stories are wonderful, and the wonderful thing about them is that they are fictional. We are, as storytellers, masters of the worlds we create, and we can manipulate these fictional spaces to tell the most meaningful and moving stories possible.
Of course, it doesn't always work out that way.
When writing a short story there are plenty of traps we can fall into: biting off more than we can chew, getting bogged down in unimportant details, and forgetting that, while a scene may make perfect sense in our own mind, it may not come across that way to our reader if we do not choose our words carefully.
To help avoid these pitfalls, this guide is designed to help us plan and write an engaging short story with an accompanying rationale.
At the end of the guide there are downloadable and printable resources that summarise the information presented here, along with some sample short stories.
However, before we go any further, we should confirm the Golden Rule when it comes to using The English Inventory to help with assessment tasks:
The Golden Rule: The information presented here may differ from that which is taught in your school. When in doubt, always complete assessment tasks in line with your teacher's expectations.
All clear? Then let's get started.
Starting Out
Starting Out
Before beginning a short story assessment task we need to make sure we know exactly what is required of us. We may have to write a story in a particular genre, explore a certain theme, or contain our story within a specific setting. Because these requirements cannot be avoided, we must keep them in mind throughout all of our planning and writing.
In addition, there is a popular piece of writing advice that is helpful to keep in mind when starting a new short story: write what you know.
Each of us is a product of our upbringing, experiences, and interests, and there are certain types of stories that we are drawn to more than others. It therefore makes sense for us to write stories about the things that we are familiar with because we can imbue these stories with the passion, understanding and care that we have for the things that interest us.
Top Tip: Write what you know.
Asking Questions
Asking Questions
We should begin any task with some brainstorming, and when it comes to writing a short story it is worth reviewing the textual elements that are common to all types of texts, and the narrative elements that apply to all stories. Once we are familiar with these concepts, we can start asking questions to get a sense for the type of story we would like to pursue.
Here are some questions to get us started:
Textual Elements
What is the purpose of our story? Do we want to entertain our reader? Inform them about something? Persuade them to see our subject in a new light?
What tone would we like to adopt in our writing? Do we want our story to come across as lighthearted? mysterious? thrilling?
What theme would we like our story to explore? In other words, what is the underlying message we would like our reader to take away from our narrative?
What type of mood would we like our story to evoke? Do we want our reader to feel intrigued? terrified? ecstatic?
Narrative Elements
Where would we like our story to take place? This setting could be somewhere in the past, present or future, and it could be fictional or nonfictional.
Who is the protagonist of our story? What are their hopes and fears? What types of quirks can we give them to make them more relatable and sympathetic?
What conflict must our protagonist try to overcome? This conflict should be challenging, but achievable, to create the most narrative tension.
Who or what is the antagonist of our story? How can we make this person or thing a worthy adversary for our protagonist?
Will our protagonist encounter any supporting characters throughout the narrative? Will these characters help or hinder them? What purpose will they serve within the story?
From what point of view will our story be told? Stories are usually told from the third person perspective in the past tense, but we can deviate from these conventions if we have a specific reason to do so.
Will our story belong to a particular genre? If so, how can we use the tropes of this genre to engage our audience without becoming too predictable?
These questions can have many different answers and we should not rush through them.
With time, one or more stories will begin to emerge from our brainstorming, and we can start to hone in on a particular narrative we would like to tell. Then, it is time to start plotting our story.
Plotting
Plotting
Be careful here.
Very careful.
We are writing a short story.
Short stories should be short.
No, shorter than that.
Even shorter.
We are not writing a novel, or even a novella. We are writing a short story, and this means we need to establish an intriguing premise, build a genuine sense of tension, and resolve our narrative in a satisfying way—all within a specific word limit.
The key issue many of us have with short story tasks is spending far too many words at the beginning of the narrative, leaving too few words to resolve our story in a meaningful way.
So, with this in mind, let's review the traditional narrative arc, beginning with this excellent illustration by Donna Lichaw.
While there are seven steps on this version of the narrative arc, there are, in essence, three broad stages of any story: the beginning, the middle and the end.
Let's start with the beginning.
The Beginning
The Beginning
The beginning of a story comprises the exposition and inciting incident stages of the narrative arc. Note that exposition is sometimes referred to as the orientation or opening of a story, while the inciting incident is also known as the complication.
It is here that we need to let our reader know where and when our story takes place, and who our protagonist is. We also need to set the initial tone of our story and consider any genre tropes our reader will be expecting.
In addition, we need to introduce whatever it is that sets our story in motion. This inciting incident should be something out of the ordinary that creates a sense of intrigue for the reader, encouraging them to continue reading to find out what happens.
Importantly, this needs to be done quickly.
No, quicker than that.
Even quicker.
In fact, a great way to start a short story is to begin right in the action: a technique known as a sizzling start.
Sizzling start - Beginning a story by immediately placing the reader in a strange or exciting moment.
If our reader is intrigued to find out what will happen in the story, and excited to turn the next page, we have achieved our goal here.
The Middle
The Middle
The middle of a story comprises the rising action and crisis stages of the narrative arc.
Having oriented our reader within our story and set up the complication, it is time to see whether our protagonist can overcome the conflict they are faced with.
There are different types of conflicts we can explore within our stories, so let's take a moment to review them in this excellent comic by Grant Snider:
Illustration of conflict types in literature. 2014. Grant Snider. Incidental Comics. Creative Commons.
To create the most dramatic tension in our story, the conflict which our protagonist is faced with should be challenging, but achievable. In addition, our protagonist should be presented with opportunities to grow or mature in a meaningful way.
If we have created a protagonist who is endearing and relatable, our reader will become invested in their progress and continue reading to find out what happens to them.
In addition, as the narrative progresses along the plot points on the story arc the stakes for success or failure should become higher. In other words, success should really matter, and so should failure.
Finally, this tension should build until a moment of crisis. At this point, the conflict facing our protagonist is most intense and success seems the farthest away.
If our reader is leaning forward in their seat, anxiously turning each page to find out what happens next, we have achieved our goal here.
The Ending
The Ending
The ending of our story comprises the climax, denouement and end stages of the narrative arc. The denouement (pronounced day-new-mon) is also referred to as the falling action, while the end is also known as the resolution.
Fortunately, because we did not spend too many words on the beginning of our narrative, we still have plenty of words available to finish our story in a satisfying way.
Don't we.
Top Tip: Make sure you leave enough words for the ending of your story.
The most dramatic part of a story is the climax: a single moment that determines whether our protagonist, and our reader, get what they want by the story's end.
So, how can we make this moment as dramatic as possible?
Our climax should be the culmination of all that has come before it. In other words, it should be an opportunity for our protagonist to take what they have learned and apply it in a meaningful way (or not, if we are writing a tragedy).
The dramatic impact of this moment can be heightened by a technique known as foreshadowing.
Also known as planting and payoff, foreshadowing requires us to provide hints early in a narrative about anything that will become important during the climactic moment. If we do not foreshadow this information, our reader will wonder Where did that come from? and feel cheated by the resolution of the story.
Top Tip: The end of a story should make sense given the narrative that came before it.
Choice is also important when it comes to crafting an effective climax. That is to say, success or failure during the climactic moment should come down to the protagonist's own actions (or inaction).
If our protagonist does not play a key role in the climax of the story, our reader will wonder Why did I bother following them for so long? Therefore, we should give our protagonist an opportunity to make a significant decision at this important moment that will determine their fate.
If our reader is on the edge of their seat, feverishly turning the pages to find out whether a protagonist makes the desired choice, we have achieved our goal here.
Show Don't Tell
Show Don't Tell
Throughout all of our creative writing there is an important rule we should keep in mind: show don't tell.
Our reader will be much more engaged in our narrative if we can bring each moment to life in a creative, evocative manner, rather than simply communicating information directly.
Consider an example of this:
Telling
Sylvia was hungry so she decided to go to the restaurant across the street.
Showing
Sylvia's stomach rumbled like an old steam train as the scent of roasted herbs wafted across the street from the restaurant on the other side. Without realising what she was doing she felt her feet changing direction, and her mouth watering.
Here, the second version of events is far more evocative than the first—but how is this achieved?
Notice that in the first example the narrator simply tells the reader that one event leads to another (the character enters the restaurant because she is hungry). However, in the second example the narrator shows the effect the cooking smell has on the character (a rumbling stomach) and the result of this (the character changes direction).
Importantly, it is the reader who makes the connection between cause and effect here—a satisfying experience that further invests them in the story.
In addition, the second example is more immersive than the first because it draws upon a variety of literary techniques. That is, specific language that is designed to bring a moment to life in the mind of the reader.
How many types of literary techniques can you spot in the second example?
Dramatic music
I count three, although it depends how specific you want to be.
Simile - "Sylvia's stomach rumbled like an old steam train."
Imagery (olfactory) - "...the scent of roasted herbs wafted across the street"
Imagery (tactile) - "Without realising what she was doing she felt her feet changing direction, and her mouth watering."
These techniques help to draw our reader into a scene by making it more meaningful and relatable.
It takes time and care to make sure a literary technique has the desired effect, but our story will be much more engaging as a result.
Rationale
Rationale
Creative tasks often require us to write an accompanying rationale in which we explain the creative choices we made when crafting our piece.
There are a range of ways a rationale can be written, so we should check the instructions on the task sheet carefully and remember the Golden Rule.
With this in mind, here are some broad recommendations for writing a rationale.
Language
Language
We should write our rationale using the same style as if we were writing an essay. That is, we should write in the third person perspective in the present tense, and we should use objective language and formal diction. This demonstrates that we can explain, analyse and evaluate the creative choices we have made in a neutral way.
Structure
Structure
We should also structure our rationale in the same way as an essay: that is, with an introduction, three body paragraphs and a conclusion.
However, while in an essay we attempt to persuade our reader that our specific interpretation of a text is valid, in our rationale we are simply explaining the creative choices we made in our story, and evaluating the effectiveness of these choices.
Introduction
Introduction
Our introduction will usually read like the introduction to an essay and can be structured as follows:
INTRODUCTION
Opening (one or two sentences) - A brief overview of our story and our protagonist.
Intended purpose (one sentence) - A clear statement about what we attempt to achieve in our story.
Signposting of body paragraph topics (one sentence for each topic) - An explanation of what we attempt to achieve in the beginning, middle and ending stages of our story.
Body Paragraphs
Body Paragraphs
Our goal when writing the body paragraphs of our rationale is to explain what we attempted to achieve in each stage of our story, and evaluate how successful we achieved these goals.
Importantly, we should resist the urge to simply retell our story in our rationale. Rather than describe what happens in our narrative, we should focus on how we attempted to communicate meaning to our reader throughout our story.
Top Tip: Do not simply retell your story in your rationale.
When it comes to the ways that we attempt to communicate meaning, we should focus on our use of narrative elements and literary techniques (both figurative and non-figurative). We should explain how these elements and techniques are used to engage our reader, and how effectively they achieve their intended purposes.
Our body paragraphs should therefore read much like the body paragraphs in an essay and can be structured as follows:
BODY PARAGRAPH
Statement (one sentence) - A clear statement about what we attempt to achieve in each part of our story (beginning, middle or end).
Evidence (multiple sentences) - A specific textual example wich demonstrates how we attempt to communicate meaning to our audience. We should give some brief context when introducing an example so our reader can position it within our story.
Explanation (multiple sentences) - A clear explanation of how we attempt to communicate meaning in these examples through our use of narrative elements and literary techniques. We should also assess how effectively each of these elements or techniques achieves its intended effect.
Note: The more evidence we include in our rationale, the more convincing it becomes. Therefore, we should repeat these two steps as many times as possible within each body paragraph. That said, we should be wary of providing too many pieces of evidence with too little explanation of how they support what we are saying.
Summary (one sentence) - A reminder to the reader of what we attempt to achieve in this stage of our narrative.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Our conclusion is an opportunity to summarise and reinforce what we have already said in our rationale.
Just as with the conclusion of an essay, we should not introduce any new information here. In effect, all we need to do is paraphrase much of our introduction, which can be done using the following structure:
CONCLUSION
Intended purpose (one sentence) - Another clear statement about what we hope to achieve in our story.
Reminder of body paragraph topics (one sentence for each topic) - A reminder of what we try to achieve in the beginning, middle and ending stages of our story.
Intended purpose (one sentence) - A final statement about what we are attempting to achieve in our story.
On Short Stories
On Short Stories
As with everything we do, we get better at writing short stories and rationales with practice. And, as with anything we want to get better at, we can speed up this process by reflecting on what we are doing in each stage of our work and making adjustments to improve our results.
Fortunately, writing short stories is great fun. And, the better we get at writing them, the more satisfying this process becomes.
So, the next time you are in a cafe, on public transport, or ... anywhere really, think about the people who are there, and the stories about them that are waiting to be told.
Downloadable Resources
Downloadable Resources
Short Story Breakdown
A two-page document which summarises the information presented in this guide.Comedy - The Beast of Inverness
A black comedy about an encounter with a seemingly all-powerful monster in a rural town.Romance - Closing Time
A romance about an unlikely attempt to form a connection in a local cafe.Science Fiction - Space Explorer Kim
A science fiction story about a life of solitory exploration of the cosmos.Thriller - Fieldwork
A tense thriller about an aging spy sent into the field once more.
Short Story Breakdown.pdfComedy - The Beast of Inverness.pdfRomance - Closing Time.pdfScience Fiction - Space Explorer Kim.pdfThriller - Fieldwork.pdfACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED:
Google Sites
Report abuse