Short Story

A Lesson by Jodi Eaton

Short story with attention to short story elements and thoughtful development.

Short Story

Eaton—Creative Writing

1. This short story is to be 5-7 pages long.

2. You are to incorporate all of the attributes of the short story.

· PLOT—what happens?

· CONFLICT—what action does the main character take to resolve the conflict?

· CLIMAX—the key scene, the realization of the conflict

· RESOLUTION—closure of the story

· CHARACTERS—who are the people in the story? Must be developed completely with descriptions and definitions. Can be done through speech, appearance, thoughts, other characters, and actions.

· THEME—what does the story tell me about life and people? What’s the point of your story? What should I walk away with after reading it?

· SETTING—where and when do the events take place? Be extremely descriptive and use exact, precise and exciting language.

· POINT OF VIEW—Who is telling the story? Omniscient, third person limited, first person?

· TONE—how do you approach the characters and their situation? What is the speaker’s attitude toward the characters and their situation?

3. You must have your story drawn out ahead of time. You must know your characters, plot and resolution. This needs to be signed off by me before you begin writing.

4. Your story must be fresh, imaginative, inventive, and fun to read (and write). You also have to spend time thinking through who your characters are and what has happened to them in the past to bring them to the present. Sketch this out ahead of time.

5. You will have two weeks to work on your story. It will be due on Friday, April 11 at the end of the period.