Planning stories
STUDENTS, THIS week we continue our focus on short story writing. I must say that I love writing stories. I love being able to think about a story idea and then use language creatively to relate the events and create memorable characters. For many students, story writing is their strongest area. However, there are some students who struggle to put a beautiful story idea on paper. How do they overcome such a struggle? The key to developing competence in writing is reading stories and novels that are written by good writers. Another important thing to do is to hone writing skills through practice.
For this lesson, I will take you through the mental processes you can undertake as you pen your story.
Consider the story prompt below:
Dean had made up his mind. This was the moment. Include these sentences in a story.
When you have selected one of the story options – like the one above – you may ask yourselves a series of questions, like: What will the story be about? Who is Dean? Where is he? Who else is involved? What decision does he have to make? What has he decided to do? What are the results of what he has decided?
Below are two possible story ideas: Dean wanted to be a part of a popular group at school, but he had to do something bad.
Dean decided to enter a singing competition, but on the day of the event he became extremely nervous.
I will focus on the second one for this lesson. Remember, a story has a beginning, a middle and an end.
BEGINNING
Obviously, this is where the story begins, but the opening of your story needs to be an attention-grabbing one. The reader’s interest must be stimulated. Therefore, avoid bland beginnings like: “There I was standing.”/ “It was a bright and sunny day” or “One day while I was at home.”
Consider the following opening sentences:
1. Dean could not believe he was actually here. It was so surreal, he almost felt like pinching himself.
OR
2. He could hear the cheering audience in the background. He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart and dried his sweaty palms on his pants. His moment had finally come.
After you have opened your story, you need to unravel what happens next. You should establish the setting – the here – and give reasons for Dean’s presence in his current location. Once you have done that, you need to start introducing a problem. Yes, he is excited, but what is it that is going to create a conflict? Is he called on to go next? Does somebody come and say something that causes him to start having second thoughts or cold feet?
MIDDLE
This is where the story intensifies and the problem is developed some more. Here you would relate Dean’s dilemma. Give details about his thoughts. Describe his actions. Also, is another character present? Who is he or she? How does he/she look? What is being done or said? How is his/her presence relevant to Dean’s problem? Does he/she influence his actions?
Remember, while Dean is struggling to make a decision, he eventually has to, because the sentence prompt has to be inserted. This means that at some point he is faced with two choices. This will be a tense moment as the reader waits for him to choose. Eventually, there is something that causes him to choose one. What is it? All this should unfold in your story. It is at this moment that you include the given sentences – without changing a word or punctuation mark.
END
The story can end in one of two ways:
The story can end with him walking on stage and having a deep feeling of accomplishment and a conviction of how he will perform. You can provide pertinent details here.
The story can end with Dean choosing to give in to his fear.
Your options are endless.
Please note that the story idea that we just brainstormed had one major setting and no more than two characters. I recommend this simple approach. It makes it easier to write the story.
NB: Story writing is generally about knowing what your story is going to be about, the characters involved, and the setting. The greater part of the story is driven by how well you develop the plot, the characters and the setting. The language you use also plays an integral role in the impact of your story.
Next week, we will explore a sample story. Until then, take care!
VOCABULARY TOP-UP
Nefarious – evil, wicked. Nonchalant – casually unconcerned, indifferent. Notwithstanding – in spite of. Novice – beginner.