Short Story Unit
Rorschach Short Story
Name ___________________________
Humanities 8
Date ____________________________
This assignment has two parts. First, you will create your own original
Rorschach inkblot. Second, you will use that Rorschach as a writing prompt for
your own original short story.
Step 1: Read “Flowers for Algernon.” Complete the “Flowers for Algernon”
worksheet. Discuss the Short Story Elements handout with the class. Discuss
“Flowers for Algernon” as a class.
Step 2: Create your own original Rorschach inkblot. Use 1-3 colors of
paint and either black or white paper. Fold your paper in half. Place paint in a
random design on the right side of the folded paper. Fold the paper and blot the
paint to create your Rorschach design. Allow your Rorschach to dry. Make sure
you put your name on your painting.
Step 3: Brainstorming/Prewriting—Part 1. Examine your now dry
Rorschach design. What does it look like? What does it make you feel? Make a
list.
Step 4: Brainstorming/ Prewriting—Part 2. Look at your Brainstorming/
Prewriting Part 1 list. What on your list intrigues you? What would you like to
write a story about? Remember that whichever topic you choose must be able
to be conveyed in a short story that meets all of the required criteria.
Step 5: Short Story/ Imaginative Writing: Write an imaginative and
fictional short story that is 500-7500 words in length. The subject of your short
story should have been inspired by your Rorschach inkblot. Remember that
good imaginative writing contains the following key points: It is creative, and
original; it is unique and individual; your short story should be insightful and
dramatic, but it can also be suspenseful, humorous, or fantastical. Emphasize
the unusual and enjoy the unexpected. Your story can be realistic, but is not
necessarily bound by reality. Your short story can be any genre that you would
like it to be (romance, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, realistic fiction)
but it should not be based on reality. Do not reference people whom you know,
or use the names of your friends.
Your short story must also include and masterfully illustrate all of the short story
elements:

Setting—Where and when is your story taking place? What are the social
conditions of your story like? What is daily life like for your characters? Is
there a way to illustrate the “local color” of the setting of your short story?

Plot—A short story should have one plot line. Decide how the sequence
of events in your short story will progress. Will you give a full expositional
introduction, or will you enter immediately into the rising action of the
story? What will be the climax of your story? Will your story have a
resolution? If so, how will it resolve?

Conflict—What types of conflict will be in your short story? Will you have
one central conflict, or several smaller conflicts? Will the conflicts be
internal or external?

Character—Who is your main character (protagonist)? Who is your
antagonist? (Is your antagonist a person?!) What are the characteristics
of your characters? What do they look like? What do they think and feel?
How do others feel about them? Are your individual characters round,
and individual and textured and dynamic? Do they change or are they
static?

Point of view—Will your short story be told from the first or third person
point of view? Will your narrator be omniscient or limited?

Theme—What is the important, underlying idea of your short story? How
should your reader feel at the end of your short story? Will they be left
feeling positive and hopeful or will they be pessimistic and disillusioned?
How will you convey the theme of your novel? Will you use figurative
language?
Your short story must also meet the length requirements (500-7500 words.)
You will also be scored on each of the writing criteria (Ideas & Content,
Organization, Conventions, Sentence Fluency, Word Choice, Voice). Make
sure you keep all drafts of your short story. You will be required to submit
these early drafts and brainstorming activities along with your final draft. Be
prepared to make multiple drafts of your short story and to submit your story
to peer review.