Short Story Writing
Throughout the last few weeks, we have been looking at the qualities of short stories and have
started to determine what makes a good story and what makes a bad one. We have seen that
all short stories are short, have a twist, have few characters, interesting settings and use
effective and powerful language as efficiently as possible. Authors use literary devices to
entertain their readers while dealing with deeper issues / morals / messages.
For this assignment you will write a short story that is 3-5 pages double-spaced. This short
story is to be a mystery – similar to the stories that we have read. They must have some level
of suspense built in to them. You should strive to include some type of twist if possible.
In this assignment you are expected to follow the steps of the Writing Process, and actively
participate in Writers’ Workshop in class. After each step, you will submit your work to Mr.
Lemmond for approval to move on to the next step. You are NOT to complete this story at
home. It is to be completed IN CLASS, according to Ministry Expectations.
The Process you will take is as follows:
1.
Brainstorm – write down any idea that comes to mind – do not ignore any ideas. Slowly
get rid of ideas that will not fit in to your overall plan. (Should take half a period)
2.
Plan – write down your ideas in a more organized fashion – plan the flow of your story
based on the Short Story Plot Graph. (Should take a period and a half)
3.
Draft – Start writing your story using complete sentences. (Should take 2-3 periods)
4.
Revise – Read through your work, adapting different areas of your work so that it makes
more sense, it flows better, it is more logical. On a separate page, YOU MUST IDENTIFY 3
PLACES WHERE YOU REVISED YOUR WORK. YOU MUST IDENTIFY 3 PLACES WHERE
YOU USED A THESAURUS TO IMPROVE YOUR WORD CHOICE. (should take 1 period)
5.
Edit – Skim through your work to check for spelling / grammar errors. YOU MUST
IDENTIFY 3 GRAMMAR ERRORS and 3 SPELLING ERRORS that you corrected by
underlining them in red pen (only if possible). (should take one period)
6.
Publish – Type out your good copy. (should take 1-1.5 periods)
Success Criteria for Your Writing:
1. Use a Voice in your writing that is appropriate to the Format and Audience.
Format – You are writing a short story, so your voice is not as formal as it
would be when you’re writing a letter or an essay. You are to choose First
Person Narrative (I said …, I was always …) OR Third Person Narrative
(He said …, The character did this …).
Audience – Your audience is a group of readers – you may want to consider
this by asking: “Who am I targeting with my story?” What age group /
gender / interest group / etc. would want to read my story?
2. You must use literary devices such as personification, metaphor, irony and
symbolism to improve your writing.
3. You must use vivid language to increase the engagement of your readers.
4. Your sentences must be fluent – flowing from one sentence to the next.
5. Before you submit your rough draft, you must exchange your story with a
partner for peer reviewing. Please be courteous of your partner in giving
them constructive and useful feedback.
6. You must use punctuation correctly.
7. You must use correct grammar (unless quoting one of your characters).
8. Your story would benefit from having a theme / using symbolism to
encourage deeper / more meaningful thinking.
9. Your story must be organized according to the short story chart.