Writing Short Stories
Have you heard the phrase "great things come in small packages?" This could be said about short stories. Short stories usually focus on one key incident. The goal of the short story writer is to engage the reader with a story from start to finish, in one sitting. Individuals from all over the world have tackled the craft of writing short stories.
Here is a list of some well-known short story authors: Kate Chopin, Anton Chekov, Edgar Allan Poe, Flannery O'Connor, and Raymond Carver.
Consider reading the work of one of these authors to inspire you before or after you apply the techniques in his lesson to write your own short story.
Prewriting: Choosing Your Topic
In this video, you will learn some valuable writing tips from professional writer Anita Desai. You will learn that she writes every day and, consequently, she has a large amount of notes to draw from if she needs inspiration for a story. Most of us do not have this option, so choosing a topic for a short story can be difficult. It is important that you select a topic that will reach your audience, making them laugh, think, feel, or see things in a new way.
Luckily, there are several strategies available to make this process a little easier.
Prewriting: Strategies for Generating Topics
You may recall that the first step in any writing process is the prewriting process. When writing short stories, there are certain strategies you can use to help get you started.
Choosing a Story Type—Select a type of story to tell. For example, you may want to write a mystery, a western, or a fable or folk tale. Then, write a sentence or two telling about the story: where it takes place, who is involved, what the conflict is, and what happens at the story's end. Use these ideas as the basis for your short story.
Naming Characters—Jot down the names of characters that you might like to write about. Then, write a few phrases about each character you've named. Choose the character that most interests you as the central character of your short story.
Drawing a Setting—Interesting settings can sometimes trigger story ideas. Start by sketching a setting. It can be an actual setting, like a schoolroom; a historical setting, like a mining camp in the Old West; or a fantasy setting, like an undiscovered planet. Then, look at your drawing, and think of a conflict that may occur in the scene and the characters who might be in the conflict. Use these ideas to build your short story.
Notebook
Write these strategies in your notebook.
Using Real Life—Some short stories are loosely based on real life. Think of a real-life incident that had an impact on you, and adapt it into a short story. Make a chart like the one below to help you adapt elements from real life into fiction.
Take a look at this illustration to see how real life experiences can become fiction.
Author James Berry bases the elements of his narratives on his life experiences. His Caribbean childhood and life in England provide rich inspirations for colorful settings, interesting characters, and compelling plots. To gather and develop his ideas, Berry jots down his thoughts in a notebook:
"I have over the years had dozens and dozens of notebooks. . . . When I read something, when I see something, [when] somebody has said something to me or when I overhear a conversation, [or] I see something in the newspaper or on television—I want to write my own story about that particular thing."
Prewriting: Narrowing Your Topic
Once you've chosen a topic, focus your story. Use the technique known as CASPAR to help you identify important elements you'll need for your story.
Take a look at the chart to get a better understanding of CASPAR. It will be easier to narrow your topic if you carefully consider all of the elements listed here.
Characters
Phoenix Jackson and people she encounters
Adjectives
Old, fragile, determined, weak
Old, fragile, determined, weak
Setting
Rural South, bumpy forest path, small town
Rural South, bumpy forest path, small town
Problem
Phoenix needs to travel into town to get medicine
for her grandson.
Phoenix needs to travel into town to get medicine
for her grandson.
Action
hike, struggle, survive, fight
hike, struggle, survive, fight
Resolution
Phoenix gets to town and gets medicine.
Phoenix gets to town and gets medicine.
Explanation:
