Creative writing class
How to write a short story?
Stories are everywhere
Those who tell stories rule the world.
Native American proverb
 Why do people read? Why is reading important? Why are stories important?
 Where do we hear stories? Where do we tell stories?
 Storyteller dice
Structure of a story
• Story arc (next slide)
• Coca-cola commercial & Cinderella
• 1. Exposition
• 2. Conflict
• 3. Rising action
• 4. Climax
• 5. Falling action
• 6. Resolution
Form: personal narrative or short story?
• It is all about labelling
• f.ex. a novel heavily based on personal experiences, but written in the third person and the names
have been changed
• f.ex. short story in the first person making it look like some sort of diary (or personal story), but it
is entirely fictional.
 Choose your form!
Form: personal narrative or short story?
 Choose your form: ideas

Tell a true story from your own experience, but write it as if it were a fiction piece, with fictional
characters, in third person.

Create a completely fictional story, but tell it in first person, which would give it the same feel as a
personal narrative.

Tell a true story that happened to someone else, but write it in first person, as if you were that person.
For example, I could write about my grandmother’s experience of getting lost as a child, but I might
write it in her voice.
More ideas?
Assignment
• Write a short story
 Min 1 page
 Max 2 pages
 Criteria: Verdana – 9 – line spacing 1,5 – fully aligned – title
• How to?
 Throw the storytelling dice and pick 3 dice
 Use these three elements in your story (can be as a main storyline, side storyline, just mention it shortly, …)
 Think of a short story (beginning – middle – ending)
 Following the writing plan (next slide)
 Think of a good title
The writing process
• Determine your focus: what will your story be about?
• Who is/are the protagonist(s)? Background?
• What do you know about your protagonist(s)? (man/woman – age – name – appearance – characteristics - …)
• What happens to your protagonist? (certain action – adventure - …)
• What is the cause of main event? (cause – place – surroundings – setting - …)
• Think of an ending (the resolution to your problem)
• Determine your form.
• Start making a draft (this involves a lot of scratching and starting again)
• Write your story in the story arc template. Hand this in on time!
• Use the feedback you get.
EXAMPLE
Title: “Frog”
Main idea: a 13-year-old
girl who finally gets to
stay home alone, then
finds a frog in her house
and gets completely
freaked out, which
basically ruins the fun she
was planning for the
night.
How to start writing?
• Write your story.
• Reread.
• Reread again! (let somebody else read it as well)
• Make sure your story has a beginning – middle – ending (you can use the story arc).
• Use your spell check!
• Give your story an appropriate title
• Lay-out (Verdana – 9 – line spacing 1,5 – fully aligned)
• Reread again (preferably not on your screen but on a printed out paper)
• Check the evaluation criteria and the general checklist on Smartschool to see if you have done everything
asked.
• Hand in on time!
Important information
DEADLINES
• Handing in of the story arc
 Thursday the 23rd or January
• Hand in your story (on paper, put it in my personal box)
 Thursday the 5th of March
EVALUATION CRITERIA
• Smartschool (English > creative writing)