Building a Short Story

Love, Ms. Coleman

Assignment:

• Over the next few weeks, you are going to be writing a short story for the character you created for your character sketch.

• This may seem like a daunting task, but we’re going to break it down piece by piece until the story seems to write itself.

Where do I begin?

• Take a good look at your character. You’ve already decided 90% of who he/she is through:– Actions– Appearance– What he/she says– What others say about him/her– What he/she thinks and feels– What the author (you!) think about him/her

Every good story needs….

Conflict!

What is the next step?

What kind of a conflict would your character have?

Internal Conflict

External ConflictMan vs. Man

Man vs. Nature

Man vs. Society

Man vs. God

Man vs. Self

This may depend on his or her:

• Friends• Family• Job• Boyfriend/Girlfriend• Socio-economic status• Race• Gender• Sexuality

• Health

• Opinions

• Personality

• Disabilities

• Past

• Habits

• Decisions

Your Character

Daily Lifejob family

$

stresshealth

friends relationships

Big Picture

goals

hopes

dreams

education

support system

past

hobbies

activities

lifestyle

environment

Try to see your character’s Big Picture.

Most of our conflicts come from… decisions that we’ve

made!

What kind of conflicts could your character be going through?

Unfortunately….

Only very rarely does a person only have one thing that he/she is struggling with at any given time.

A person could be struggling against

• bills• Friends• Parents• Children• Relatives• Job responsibilities• His/her boss

• A cold

• A headache

• Car troubles

• A leaky faucet

• Hunger

ALL AT ONCE!

Which conflicts do you think your character is going through?

Conflicts will usually be a direct result of the type of person (think characterization!) that

the character is.

You know him/her best!

Now choose a main conflict for your story.

This will lead to your climax.

Map it out!

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up

somewhere else.”

Take your time. The better your outline is, the easier it will be for you to write an

effective short story.

Exposition

• Every story must have a beginning. The start, or exposition, is where the characters and setting are established. During this part of the story, the conflict or main problem is also introduced. 

Rising Action

• After the characters and main problem have been established, the main problem or conflict is dealt with by some kind of action. In this part of the story, the main character is in crisis. This is the place for tension and excitement. The complication can arise through a character's conflict with society, nature, fate, or a number of themes. In this part of the story the main character is aware a conflict has arisen and takes some kind of step to battle this crisis. 

Climax

• The climax is the high point of the story. It is the main event or danger that the character faces. This is the darkest moment, the worst challenge the character must oppose. At this point it looks as if the character will fail, and will never get what he/she wants. The turning point may be either physical or emotional.

Falling Action

• Following the climax, the story begins to slowly wind down. Falling action, one of the two final story elements, shows the result of the actions or decisions the character has made. This eventually leads to the final part of the story, the crisis resolution.

Denouement

• The denouement, which is French for "to untie" or "unraveling", is the conclusion of the story. Here, the conflicts are resolved, all loose ends are tied up, and the story concludes with either a happy or sad ending.

Now, using your graphic organizer, begin to map out the sequence of events in your

story.

You do not need to begin writing yet! We’re still in the pre-writing phase for the next few classes.