1.3 Writer's Workshop: Short Stories

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Writing Goal: Short Story

Stories take us to different worlds where we meet new people and experience new ideas and situations. For example, we can go on an historical journey, take part in an action-packed adventure, or help solve a mystery. In this module you will explore various types of fiction (make-believe) stories and choose the type you like best. You will then plan and write a story of your own, incorporating the necessary elements of setting, characters, plot, and theme. The story you write may be as imaginative or as realistic as you like. You may use your wildest fantasies or your own memories of something that happened to you or someone you know. Be colorful, creative, adventurous, and above all, have fun with your writing.

In this unit, you will write a story with the theme of bravery! 

Workshop Overview:

1. Learn how to write a short story.

2. Look at an examples of story types, setting, characters, plot & theme.

3. Plan your short story with the theme of bravery.

4. Write a first draft and get some feedback to revise your writing.

5. Revise your writing.

6. Submit your final draft. 

      Writing Targets:

By the end of this workshop you will have incorporated the following into your piece:

• A clear setting
• Well developed characters
• Focus/Development of ideas
• A strong plot with a beginning, rising action, climax, falling action and conclusion.
• A short story with a clear theme focused on bravery
• Use of figurative language devices

Writing is like creating a beautiful piece of art. You begin with an idea, start to work on it, then make changes along the way to improve it. Eventually you produce a masterpiece that you can be truly proud of.

In this section you will go through the various stages of the Writing Process to create your own masterpiece—a great short story!

Before you begin, take a moment to complete a mini-lesson on nouns.  Go to Nouns are Naming words at the front of the course.

Return here to the book module when you're done.

Stories can be grouped into different types, or genres (pronounced jon-ruz), based on where and when the story takes place, what happens, and who the characters are. Some of the most popular story types are:

Watch the video on different genres of literature to learn more. Take notes in your Writer's Notebook as you listen.  Try to decide what type of story you will write. 

Many stories are actually a combination of two or more genres. For example, a story that takes place in a South American jungle is both an adventure story and realistic fiction. Another story about aliens attacking a space colony is both science fiction and a horror story.  

Of course there are many more types of fiction. And many stories include elements of several genres.

Open your writer's notebook and complete 1.1 Story Types.

One of the most important parts of any story is the setting.

The setting describes:

The location of the story

• in a small town in northern Canada, in the woods, on a distant planet, etc.

  The author usually describes the setting(s) in a story with lots of detail. This helps the reader really picture the scene.

The time of the story

• a long time ago, today, 2050, etc

  The time when a story takes place affects many things. If the story were to take place in the early 1800s for instance, then everything the characters do, wear, say, and how they live must match the time period.

The mood or feeling of the story

• is it a happy place? A sad place? A scary place?

  Authors carefully choose their settings in order to create a certain mood. For example, a story set in a haunted house on a dark, stormy night would be rather frightening. Another story set on a tropical island with a gentle breeze and waves lapping against the shore would be peaceful and relaxing. Skillful writers often take you through many different moods as they tell their story.

Example of "Setting"

Here is a passage from a sample short story. Notice how the location, time, and mood are developed in this passage.

Can you identify the location, time, and mode?? Here are some ideas:

Location

Time

• Early afternoon. It probably takes place in the summer (the scent of lavender and presence of bees hints at this).

Mood

• Very peaceful and quiet.

Open your writer's notebook and complete 1.2 Setting.

Characters are an important part of any story. They act out the events and keep things moving along. They are  the people, animals, and objects that take part in a story. 

Good characters have strengths and weaknesses, just like characters in real life. They are believable and interesting, so we want to keep reading about them.  Watch the following video on all the different types of characters found in a story.

There are several ways you can develop good characters. You can describe

1. What your characters look like

• e.g., Rita was small and fragile but had immense courage.

2. What your characters do (how they behave and perform)

• e.g., With a determined effort, Rita managed to get the rowboat into the lake and clamber aboard.

3. What your characters say

• e.g., "I'm afraid but I'll do it anyway!" Rita shouted.

4. What your characters think or say about each other

• e.g., Polly watched from shore, knowing it was impossible to stop Rita once she decided to do something.

TIPS FOR CREATING GOOD STORY CHARACTERS

• Keep a “character notebook” and write down details you notice about interesting people you see in stores, on the bus, in the news, etc.

• Look in magazines, newspapers, etc. for pictures of interesting people. Perhaps it is a young woman hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro or an old man feeding bread crumbs to pigeons in the park.

• Interview someone you think would make a great character. This guarantees your characters are realistic and accurate.

• Decide on the facts about your characters—name, age, family background, occupation, etc. Stick to facts you can easily imagine and that fit with the setting of your story.

• Decide what and who is important to your characters. What are their likes and dislikes, beliefs, dreams, and fears? What do they think about?

• Decide what your characters look like, how they act, and what kind of clothing they wear. What do they talk about and how do their voices sound?

• Decide how your character will change during the story. Figure out what your main character wants and why he or she wants it. What problem(s) does he or she face? How does your character overcome those problems?

• Make sure your character acts and reacts in a believable way. If you don’t think he or she is credible, neither will your audience.

• Reveal new information about your character as the story progresses, not all at once. This will help the audience better understand your character’s actions and motives.

• After you complete your character descriptions, ask a friend or family member to draw a picture of or describe your main characters. This picture or description might give clues about what is missing from your description.

Open your writer's notebook and complete 1.3 Characters.

A story needs characters and a setting but without a plot, it won’t go anywhere.

The plot is the sequence of events that happen in a story. It contains the situation, rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion of a story.

• The opening/situation introduces the setting (location, time, and mood of the story) and gives information on the characters. It also introduces the problem in the story.

• The rising action occurs when events begin to unfold and the problem gets worse.

• The climax is usually the most exciting part of the story. It is where a solution to the problem is suddenly revealed.

• The falling action is where the action in the story begins to wind down.

• The conclusion/resolution is where the story ends. The problem may or may not be resolved here.

In your assignment for this lesson, you will describe the plot of your story. Here are some tips for creating powerful plots that keep your readers turning the pages. Keep these tips in mind when you begin writing your story.

• Decide what the main problem in your story will be. Does the main character face an internal struggle, a problem with another character, or with a greater force, such as nature?
• Decide what events will take place as the main character faces this problem. These events should become more complicated or serious as time passes until they reach a climax.
• Check to see if you need to add connections between events, especially if you are changing place or time.
• Make sure you include events that will end your story in a satisfying way. Don't be too abrupt, but don't drag out the conclusion either.
• What will the key events in your story be? How will the conflict be overcome, or will it?

Watch the following video on plot to learn about the 5 different parts.

Open your writer's notebook and complete 1.4 Plot.

Theme is the central idea or ideas presented in a story. It is the deeper message that lets readers connect the story to their own lives.  Watch the following video on theme.

To find a theme, ask yourself:

• Why did the author choose to write this story?

• What insight or experience did the story offer me?

Here are some common themes in literature. Perhaps you can think of stories that have one of these themes.

• People can do extraordinary things when faced with difficult challenges.
• Good fortune is seldom recognized until it is lost.
• Solving problems sometimes requires compromise.
• Hard work and dedication are recipes for success.
• Friendships are sometimes tested by tough lessons and circumstances.
• People can be changed by the smallest of events.
• Society's expectations sometimes make us behave in ways we don't want to.

Stories or books that have different settings, characters, and plots can have the same theme. You will be writing a story on the topic of bravery as discussed throughout this unit.

In your assignment for this lesson, you will write down ideas for the theme of your story. Here are a few tips that may help.

You have already started planning and brainstorming your short story on bravery in your writer's notebook. It is now time to start writing! Remember it doesn't have to be a long story just a well-written one including all the necessary elements of a story that have been discussed.

For each step of this workshop you will use this template to complete your writing and hand in the same file each time you add to it.

Now it's time to write a first draft. A first draft is where you put your ideas into sentences and paragraphs.

Here are some tips that will help you write a first draft of your story.

• Work in a place where you can concentrate without distractions.

• Read your prewriting ideas carefully then begin your draft while the ideas are clear in your mind.

• Think carefully about your opening. This is where you introduce the characters, describe the setting and mood, and indicate what the problem or conflict in the story will be.

• Introduce your main characters as soon as possible. Make sure their actions, dialogue, and appearance are appropriate for your chosen story type. For example, characters in a historical fiction story need to be act, talk, and dress accurately for the time and place of the story.

• If the setting is important, add more details about it as your story progresses.

• Make sure the setting is appropriate for your chosen story type. For example, an adventure story about lost hikers is better set in the mountains than in a city.

• Everything in your story must lead up to the turning point or climax. If you keep this in mind while you develop your characters, setting, and plot, then your dialogue and narration will build towards the climax.

• Your story can have a happy ending, or a not-so-happy ending. Either way, it should end when the conflict or problem has been resolved. Don’t drag it out!

• Let your ideas flow naturally and keep writing. Don’t stop to evaluate your work.

• Don’t worry about order. You can move words, sentences, and even paragraphs later.

• After you’ve finished writing the first draft, set it aside for a few days.

When you are finished your draft submit it under the drop-box: Short Story Draft 

Once your teacher has marked your draft and given you some feedback on suggestions for revising in your template you can continue on the writing process.

Remember your writing targets:

Writing Targets:

• By the end of this workshop you will have incorporated the following into your piece:

  • A clear setting
  • Well developed characters
  • Focus/Development of ideas
  • A strong plot with a beginning, rising action, climax, falling action and conclusion.
  • A short story with a clear theme focused on bravery
  • Use of figurative language devices

It’s now time to work on the parts of your story that need improvement. This is called revising. To make your story clear and complete, you might need to revise it several times. Remember, no one ever writes a perfect draft!

Revising is your chance to improve your first draft by adding, substituting, deleting, and moving ideas and words around. Once you begin revising, you may need to revise the story two or three times before your ideas completely take shape. Don’t worry about “small stuff” like spelling and punctuation though. Those things will be checked and corrected later in the editing stage.

Wait a few days before revising your draft. You will look at it with a fresh eye and new ideas if you do.

Check that you have done each of these things:

your setting gives the reader a sense of the time, place, and mood of your story

your characters are well described, interesting, and believable

your story is told from a consistent point of view

your plot develops logically from beginning to end

your story has a deeper meaning (theme) that is obvious to the reader

your writing includes a strong opening, interesting topic sentences, and a strong conclusion

you have provided enough details to make your writing effective, but not so many that the reader gets bogged down and forgets your main idea

you tighten your sentences by removing unnecessary or repetitive words and information

you replace unclear or overused words with more specific and appropriate words

you have added a title to your story

Revision is where your writing is taken to the next step.

Your teacher has given you feedback on one or more items to revise in your writing.

Return to the draft of your story to revise based on those comments and any other revisions you might want to make. This is an important part of the writing process and you will be marked on whether or not you were able to make the necessary revisions. 

To complete this assignment, click HERE to download the template.

Part A: Provide 3 examples of where you have revised your story.  Include both the original and revised sections.

Example:

Original:  As he approached the door he got more and more frightened.

Revised:  As he approached the door his hands started to shake and his mouth went dry.  (show don't tell)

Some things to keep in mind when revising:

strong opening show don't tell good title adding details removing unneccesary or repetitive words strong, specific words similes and metaphors word pictures believable dialogue

Part B: Incorporating Figurative Language

Earlier in this unit we discussed the literary element figurative language. It is time to incorporate the tool into your writing. Find places within your story where you can incorporate an example of each of the 5 types of figurative language.

Once you have completed the exercise upload your document to the Short Story Revising Dropbox.

Now that you have revised your story, it's time to edit and proofread it in preparation for the final draft. Editing involves a last look at things like parts of speech and sentence and paragraph structure. Proofreading is where you focus on things like grammar, punctuation, and spelling—and on getting your story ready for the world to see.

Before you submit your final draft you need to edit and proofread your draft. 

Your teacher may have included some editing marks on your draft or you might get a parent or friend to proofread your paper. 

Editing is where you make sure everything reads smoothly.

Check that you have done each of these things:

Parts of Speech:

Did I use a consistent verb tense (e.g. past or present) throughout my writing?

Do my singular subjects have singular verbs and my plural subjects have plural verbs?

Did I use the best words in my writing?

Sentences

Do all my sentences express complete thought?

Have I eliminated run-on sentences from my writing?

Have I eliminated short, choppy sentences from my writing?

Have I eliminated long, rambling sentences from my writing?

Did I use a variety of words and phrases to start my sentences?

Have I eliminated words that don't add meaning to my sentences?

After you have edited your story, read it aloud at least once.  Let your ear tell you what sounds awkward or ungrammatical.

I have read my story aloud at least once.

Once you are satisfied with your editing, it's time to proofread your writing.  Proofreading deals with the more mechanical aspects of your writing.  Check your writing for these points.

Title

Have I included a title?

Punctuation

Did I include a punctuation mark at the end of each sentence?

Did I use commas to separate items in a series?

Did I use commas before conjunctions (e.g., and, or, but) in compound sentences?

Did I correctly punctuate the dialogue in my writing?

Did I use apostrophes to show possession or missing letters (not plural)?

Capitalization

Did I begin each sentence and direct quotation with a capital letter?

Did I capitalize nouns that name specific people, places, and things?

Spelling

Have I double-checked the spelling of the names of people and places?

Did I use the correct word form for words that sound alike but have different spellings and meanings (e.g., their, they're, there;  too, to, two)?

Did I use the spell-check function on my computer?

Paragraphing

Have I indented each new paragraph or double-spaced it from the previous paragraph?

If there is dialogue, have I started a new paragraph each time the speaker changes?

Sometimes it can be difficult to spot mistakes in your own work, so you could ask a friend or family member to proofread it as well.

Once you have:

• completed the personal revision task
• revised your first draft based on feedback from your teacher
• edited your work for COPS 
• checked the rubric to make sure you have included all necessary elements
• you are ready to submit your final draft!

Submit under the dropbox: Short Story: Final Draft