Short stories

Mgter. Edith Luna Villanueva

La Rioja, September- October

2014

Writing short stories

Writing is not a one -shot activity but a process

Stories from characters

A

Character is one of

the elements we should

pay attention

to in order to have a

good short story.

PlotComponents

C

Strategies

ORDER AND TELL THE STORY

Write a pictureThis is the story of

One day, she because

Her mother asked Why…

She said “I’m afraid under

“No worries” her mum replied………………………………….…………………………………………………………….……………..

‘Somebody-Wanted-But-So’ (SWBS)

Somebody wanted something, but there was a problem so it must be resolved.

1. Somebody - Who is the main character? (Character)

2. Wanted - What does the character want? (Goal/Motivation)

3. But - What stops the character from getting what he/she wants? (Problem/Complication)

4. So - How is the problem resolved? (Resolution)”

SWBS

Choose a letter and complete this short short- story

This is the story of a ……………… who/that wanted to……………. in a ……………… First, he/she/it …………….., then, he/she/it …………….. But he/she/it couldn’t ……………… So, one day, he/she/it …………….., and he/she/it ……………..!…

Stories from letters

This is the story of a PRINCE who wanted to PAINT THE WALLS in a PRINCESS’S PIZZA RESTAURANT. First, he PHOTOGRAPHED THE WALLS TO PAINT, then, he PICTURED THE DESIGN FOR THE WALLS. But he couldn’t PAINT ANYTHING because he was PENNYLESS AND COULDN’T BUY PAINT OR BRUSHES. So, one day, he PRINTED SOME PICTURES OF PUZZLES OF PIZZAS, and PASTED THEM ON THE WALLS!

The princess loved the PICTURES, invited him some PIZZA and after talking like PARROTS for hours they became business PARTNERS, and lived happily ever after.

“P”

Stories from objects

and elements

Three items make a plotCombine three items, real ones or not, in any way you want. Each can represent a part or all of them can set off a story.

A stolen ring, fear of spiders, and a sinister stranger. A taxi, an old enemy, and Valentine's Day. Identical twins, a party invitation, and a locked closet. A broken wristwatch, peppermints, and a hug that goes too

far. Aerobics, a secret diary, and something unpleasant under

the bed. An ex-boyfriend, a pair of binoculars, and a good-luck charm. An annoying boss, a bikini, and a fake illness. The first day of school, a love note, and a recipe with a

significant mistake. A horoscope, makeup, and a missing tooth. A campfire, a scream, and a small lie that gets bigger and

bigger.

Short stories

Second meeting

Setting

Fundamental elements

Answer questions like: Where When (time of the year, seasons, holidays,

anniversaries, significant dates) What time (time of the day) How long: elapsed time (The minutes,

hours, days, weeks, and months a story encompasses)

Climate (weather, temperature, lighting) Geography and topography of a place

(ocean currents, prevailing winds and air masses, latitude, altitude, mountains, land masses, and large bodies of water. E.g. tropical climates can create more carefree lifestyles)

Population (dense as in Hong Kong, vs. lonely places)

Historical times

Mood and atmosphere

Skilful writers show the readers what the place is like

Sight What can you see in the place? What does it look like?

Sound What can you hear there? What does it sound like?

Smell Does the place smell? What does it smell like?

Taste Does the place leave a taste in your mouth?

Touch How does the place make you feel?

The five senses

Ghost story An old house/ rainy night

Detective story A hotel /

Adventure story An old ship/ stormy ocean /pirates’ times

Science fiction story

A spaceship/

Fantasy story An enchanted island…

Where is your story set?

The Frog PrinceSetting :

The woods or palace gardens/ daytime/ gentle breeze/ scent of flowers/ birds singing/ humid

grass/ shallow water/ murky water / little fish/

water plants/ some stones/not -for -drinking water

Scenery Customes

Lighting Make up Props Music WigsConstruction Recording VFX Sound effectsPainting

Who’s in charge of...? STAGECRAFT

Scenic design

Sound design

Custome design

Creating conflict

CHARACTER’S BAD DAY

CHARACTER FACING FEAR

CHARACTER’S IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE

CHARACTER AGAINST HIS BELIEFS

STORIES IN COMIC STRIPSR

COMIC STRIP CREATORT

HTTP://WWW.MAKEBELIEFSCOMIX.COM/STORY-IDEAS/

MOVIE MAKERST

Writing ideas

YOUR CHARACTER... is running late gets an unusual assignment. finds something he or she had lost. has to choose between two things that s/he

loves. finally gets to take an exciting vacation during a thunderstorm, suddenly remembers

something has an accident gets an interesting offer from a friend.

had an argument with… meets someone with the same name. decides to take a new class or join a new club.

All goes well until the teacher or club leader says…

gets a visit from an old friend—but the friend has changed and doesn’t seem to be the same person.

has to give a speech. On the way up to the podium…

moves to a new town. receives a surprise package in the mail.

meets his or her favorite celebrity. finds a wallet with a large wad of bills stuffed

inside lying on the street. wins a big prize from a local radio contest. wakes up from an especially realistic dream.

In the dream, he or she was…

Memorable, disastrous, disappointing, strange, embarrassing, frightening, dangerous, funny or near death experiences

First or last day in your life A moment of failure or success An encounter that changed your life aAtime that you took a stand on an important

issue An experience that altered your view of

someone

MOMENTS THAT ARE WORTH WRITING ABOUT

an occasion when you experienced rejection your first visit to the country (or to a large

city) the breakup of a friendship a significant misunderstanding an experience that showed how appearances

can be deceiving an account of a difficult decision that you had

to make an event that marked a turning point in your

life an act of heroism or cowardice

a vacation trip from your childhood two different versions of the same event a day when everything went right (or wrong) the experience of being lost surviving a natural disaster an experience that taught you a lesson an important discovery an eyewitness account of an important event an experience that helped you grow up

Now, it’s your turn to create a

short story