Writing Workshop Short Story

Short Story

. . .continued

KEY TRAITS

1. IDEAS• Creates clearly described characters and an

interesting plot

• Uses details to help the reader picture the setting, characters, and events

• Has a central conflict and provides an ending for that conflict

• Includes dialogue

Writing Workshop Short Story

. . .continued

Short StoryKEY TRAITS

2. ORGANIZATION

• Follows a clear sequence of events

3. VOICE• Has a consistent point of view

• Uses the active voice

4. WORD CHOICE

• Uses sensory language

Writing Workshop Short Story

Short StoryKEY TRAITS

5. SENTENCE FLUENCY

• Varies sentence beginnings

6. CONVENTIONS• Uses correct grammar, spelling, and

punctuation

. . .continued

Writing Workshop Short Story

1. Find an idea.

Make a long list of “what if” questions—on your own or with a friend. Highlight the one you like best.

PrewritingWhat Should I Do? What Does It Look Like?

. . .continuedSee page 164: “What If” Questions

Writing Workshop Short Story

2. Figure out what happens.

Jot down some ideas for the characters, setting, and plot of your story. Use a chart like this one to keep track of your thoughts.

PrewritingWhat Should I Do? What Does It Look Like?

. . .continued

Writing Workshop Short Story

3. Map your story.

Think through the plot before you start writing. Then make a flow chart like the one shown here. If you prefer, you can make an outline or a list of events instead of a flow chart.

What Should I Do? What Does It Look Like?

. . .continued

TIP: Is it hard to come up with a great plot? Don’t worry about making it perfect now. More ideas may come to you as you write, and you can always change plot details later.

Prewriting

Writing Workshop Short Story

What Should I Do? What Does It Look Like?

1. Come up with a creative beginning.

Capture your reader’s interest right away. You can use sensory details to introduce the setting or the characters, or you can start out with dialogue.

. . .continued

Drafting

Writing Workshop Short Story

2. Decide on a point of view.

A character in your story can tell the story using I. This kind of first-person narrator draws your readers in. A third-person narrator is outside the story and refers to characters as she, he, and they. This type of narrator gives a broad view of characters and events.

DraftingWhat Should I Do? What Does It Look Like?

. . .continued

TIP: Either point of view is fine. Just be sure to stick to one or the other.

Writing Workshop Short Story

3. Make the order of events clear.

Use words and phrases that tell your reader when things happened and how much time passed.

What Should I Do?

. . .continued

What Does It Look Like?

Drafting

Writing Workshop Short Story

4. Solve the central conflict.

A conflict is a problem to solve. If you don’t have a conflict, you don’t have a story. Remember that the story’s ending must show how the conflict is resolved.

What Should I Do?

. . .continued

TIP: Before revising, consult the key traits on page 158 and the criteria and peer-reader questions on page 164.

What Does It Look Like?

Drafting

Writing Workshop Short Story

Revising and EditingWhat Should I Do?

. . .continued

What Does It Look Like?

1. Make the dialogueseem real.

• Read aloud the dialogue in your story. [Bracket] words and phrases that don’t sound as if the characters would really say them.

• Revise your dialogue by adding contractions, slang, exclamations, or phrases that match the speaker’s characteristics.

Writing Workshop Short Story

What Should I Do?

. . .continued

What Does It Look Like?

2. Make sure the sequence is clear.• Ask a peer reader to

underline places within or between paragraphs where the order of events is confusing.

• Add transitions to make the sequence clear.

See page 164: Ask a Peer Reader

Revising and Editing

Writing Workshop Short Story

What Should I Do?

. . .continued

What Does It Look Like?

3. Use the active voice.• When the subject acts

(Sarah wrote the story), the verb is in the active voice. But if the subject is acted upon (The story was written by Sarah), the verb is in the passive voice—and that can make writing seem dull.

• Look for sentences you wrote in the passive voice. Consider changing them to active voice.

Revising and Editing

Writing Workshop Short Story

What Should I Do? What Does It Look Like?4. Include descriptive details.

• Highlight concrete, specific language that helps your reader understand the plot and characters.

• If you don’t have much highlighting, add details to tell your reader what the setting and characters look like and how the events sound and feel.

Revising and Editing