Creative Destination.com.au Exploring the Narrative World: Writing the Short Story
The world of creative writing offers a wealth of possibilities whether it be a writing a short story, screenplay or a poem. This free eBook contains three articles from the Writing the Short Story series, which provides some valuable tips on getting started in the narrative world, how to create dynamic characters, and how to brainstorm new ideas. There is also a short story sample, The Tale of Ruthie and Grace, at the end of the book. made with Table of Contents
1. Introduction 2. How to Write a Short Story
3. How to Create a Dynamic 4. Seven Tips to Boost Your Character Profile Creative Writing
5. The Tale of Ruthie and 6. Unleash your creative Grace * writing potential! Introduction
Hello, and welcome to Exploring the Narrative World: Writing the Short Story.
In designing this eBook, I wanted to provide you with some basic tips for writing a short story. Although there are no hard and fast rules for creative writing, having some guidelines and tips can help you get started on your creative journey.
Whether you are a new writer or a veteran writer, you can sometimes find yourself staring at a blank computer screen and wondering where to start with a story. The ideas don't always flow that easily. But creative writers should never exist in a literary void, sometimes we just need a little help to get us back on track.
I hope you will find this eBook helpful for your writing.
Happy writing!
Diana Jane Heath
All creative content remains the sole property of Diana Jane Heath unless otherwise referenced or attribution is noted.
How to Write a Short Story
One of the literary formats that is very close to my heart is the short story. This fondness grew out of my continual battle to complete a story. It was my literary nemesis. I had no trouble starting the story, but once I had written about a hundred words or so, I started to loose the plot– literally! In a creative context, of course. But due to my university study, and after writing a few stories, I think I have finally vanquished my nemesis.
So if you have ever wanted to know how to write a short story and would like to learn some creative storytelling tips and techniques, then read on.
The short story is an artistic product that contains a fixed sequence of words and is known for its particular format: length of words, structure, viewpoint, tone of voice, etc. It provides a small literary window onto an observed dramatic event or a personal experience. The short story has a long history, starting off in oral tradition long before writing and the arrival of the printing press. Some well-known forms are: Homer’s Iliad, folk and fairy tales. Many of these short story forms were used for didactic or teaching purposes– such as Aesop’s Fables, and in a biblical context – the parables of Jesus.
Folk or fairy tales were originally designed as subtle social commentaries on exploitation against the lower/middle classes throughout history. Of course, these social commentaries had to be cleverly disguised so as to protect their authors. Feudal lords, kings and queens were transformed into the fantasy characters we know so well today – giants, evil step- mothers/witches. And the passive captive princess – just an example of their fateful prey. There is more I could say about the dubious representation of gender roles in many of these tales, but for our purposes, we will stick to storytelling.
As folk and fairy tales have been passed down through history, they have been subject to revision, due to socio-political change. Many of the The Brothers Grimm tales in the late eighteenth century were censored and re- packaged towards children. I apologize for demystifying or removing the magical aura that surrounds the fairy tale. But seriously, would a prince really climb up a tower with a girl’s long blonde hair??? Don’t get me wrong – I am a fan of fairy tales too, but sometimes it is important to know the ‘why behind the what’.
I believe short stories are great narratives for the 21st century as they do not require so much reading time as novels do. They may not be as popular as the novel, but a short story can exist for the sole purpose of just posing an idea or a question to the reader.
A story tip to remember. When it comes to the short story: form and content are important! When you start to craft your story ask yourself these questions:
No. 1
What structure will I use? A traditional linear structure with the events unfolding chronologically, (including flashbacks) – or experiment and adopt a more innovative style.
No. 2
Where will I start my story? From the beginning? In the middle of the action?
No. 3
Where will I place my story conflict or rising action?
No. 4
How will I end my story? Will it close with a satisfying conclusion – with all the loose ends tied up or will I defy traditional storytelling techniques and leave the reader wanting more?
You are the creator of this infant literary world – it is up to you!
Personally – I like to challenge traditional storytelling methods.
Overall, form and content are important because a short story is determined by a specific word count. When I was at university most of my creative writing assessments were 1000 words. That may sound like a lot, but considering a novel is 70,000 words plus, 1000 words can be challenging for an author to create an intriguing story-line and a dynamic characterization. But it can be a lot of fun seeing what you can do in 1000 words. Of course, some short story competitions accept stories up to 5000 words. Remember! A story was never meant to exist in a literary vacuum – it was meant to be read by others. When you start writing your short story, consider your audience and their overall reading experience.
CREATIVE WRITING EXERCISE:
Your task, if you choose to accept it, is to:
Come up with a theme or an idea for your story.
Brainstorm your narrative structure. Will you start at the end or the beginning of the story, will you use flashbacks to save narrative space?
Choose your setting. A windswept beach, a Dystopian city, a medieval forest...
Pick one character. Yes – only one character.
Happy Writing!
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Book and Pen. StockSnap. Pixabay.com How to Create a Dynamic Character Profile As writers, characters deserve our full attention as they are the active agents that drive a story's plot forward. They can function as either a 'character- focalizer' (a narrative participant) or as a 'narrator-focalizer' (an outside observer who knows everything about the characters) (Culler 1997, p. 90).
Whatever their role, characters give us a front row seat for all the action. If we are reading a short story or novel, the characters provide us with an intimate view into their thoughts and feelings via their 'streams of consciousness'.
On my blog I have explored the basic techniques for creating the story-world's most important characters - the hero and the villain (See Creative Destination blog) In this chapter we will be exploring secondary characters and their narrative function. And I will deliver some tips on how to create a dynamic character profile for a False Hero.
The function of secondary characters.
Most stories are usually centred around the hero, so the secondary characters function as an extension of the hero's universe. The villain opposes the hero. The secondary characters provide help for the hero. But not always! If you are writing a comedy screenplay, chances are you might have a bumbling chaos-causing side- kick character who causes more problems for the hero than provide any meaningful help.
In film-making, the sidekick can sometimes be turned into a worthy helpmate towards the end of the film. So this kind of character is well worth considering. Can you think of any books or films with this kind of character profile?
All of these rules about writing and story-world character creation may come across as being rigid and not allowing room for unbridled creativity. You may be thinking – creativity is all about letting your mind run wild and free, isn't? Why can't I just sit at my notepad, computer, or iPad and just for go for it?
Yes, absolutely you can do all these things! But the writing mantra has always been - once you know the literary rules that govern the story-world, then you can be brave and break them! An example of breaking the rules would be to turn the the hero's helper into a character who causes more trouble for the hero. Remember the bumbling, chaos-causing side-kicks in Seinfeld - George or Kramer. I believe that if you learn these basic rules, then you are on your way to becoming a better writer. I also encourage you to explore the world of narratology as much as possible. Especially if you want to take your writing to the professional level. Learn from the experts such as: Robert McKee, James Patterson, Patricia Cornwell and others.
Become a reader too. Reading will expand your imagination, teach you about the beauty of language – and help you grow as a writer. My purpose at Creative is to help you develop as a storyteller. I am on a creative journey too and there is always something new to learn.
So let us start exploring our secondary characters a little more.
Seven archetypal characters.
In one of my blogs I mentioned that the story-world consists of seven archetypal characters as outlined by the Russian folklorist, Vladimir Propp. Here are Propp's * conclusions:
1. Functions of characters serve as stable, constant elements in a tale, independent of how and by whom they are fulfilled. They constitute the fundamental components of a tale.
2. The number of functions known to the fairy tale is limited.
3. The sequence of functions is always identical.
4. All fairy tales are of one type in regard to their structure.
* (Propp in Turner 1988, p. 69)
It is also important to remember that for modern-day storytellers these character types continue to remain stable and constant regardless of the setting or time period. But not all of these characters will be present in a narrative. And although all of these archetypal characters have distinctive functions, some of these roles can be played by more than one character such as the False Hero. Here are the seven archetypes as identified by Propp:
The hero
The false hero
The donor (or provider)
The helper/s
The princess (or sought after person) (sometimes accompanied by her father)
The dispatcher (the person who sends the hero on his journey)
The villain
You have probably noticed that I have been using the mediums of film-making and television to predominately draw my story examples from. Of course, there are many great examples in literature, but I think both film-making and television have a greater potential for a global story saturation. And most of us are familiar with film and television references.
So now I am going to use the Star Wars saga to flesh out these characters in a modern setting.
The hero – Luke Skywalker
The false hero – Darth Vader
The donor – Obiwan Kenobi
The helper – Han Solo
The princess – Princess Leia
The dispatcher – R2D2
The villain – Darth Vader The False Hero
I have chosen 'The false hero' for our secondary character profile.
(Please see the Creative Destination blog for other character profiles)
From the Star Wars franchise we have seen the development of the Darth Vader character, from the conflicted and misguided 'false hero' Anakin Skywalker, to his evolution as the villain. As a little boy, he was innocent and sweet, and had a tragic life, and we felt for him, and we looked forward to his bright future as a light saber extraordinaire - the Jedi Knight. But alas, we were very much mistaken, or at least some of us tried to be shocked and dismayed at Anakin's descent into darkness – after the considerable gap between the films. But Anakin was the false hero and it was his son, Luke, who would be the real hero. What is your view here? Do you think it is possible to have two heroes?
Another example of a false hero is the well known classic story that has also made a billion dollar crossover to a filmic franchise – The Lord of the Rings. Who is the false hero in this narrative? You may not agree, but I reckon it is Gollum. Before he became the wretched and ring-obsessed pathetic creature, Gollum, he was just a normal hobbit who had discovered a magic ring, not dissimilar to Bilbo and Frodo. But once the ring had consumed him with evil, he became a false hero, and in some ways a villain as well. Of course he could have been the hero of the story, like Frodo, but his choice relegated him to the role of the false hero.
Just like the real hero, the false hero will have a journey to take and a choice to make. But he will falter in his journey, therefore allowing the real hero to step up.
Sometimes the false hero is used as a 'red herring' or as a clever narrative device to misguide the reader or viewer, and to keep them guessing.
So we can see from this brief character portrait that although these character functions “serve as stable, constant elements in a tale” (Propp in Turner 1988, p. 60), some of these fictional characters can develop a dual/split personality, so to speak.
For information on Propp's archetypal characters see: Graeme Turner: Film as Social Practice – available on Amazon Books. Check out Creative Destination for a character profile of the Princess. The Princess is an interesting character to explore as the 'princess' in traditional storytelling, especially in the fairy tale, has been presented as a passive observer of the action, and more often than not – the passive receiver of the action. But this role has changed. Many thanks to Sigourney Weaver from Aliens, and more recently, Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games.
Happy writing!
References:
Culler, Jonathan 1997, Literary Theory, A Very Short Introduction. Oxford. New York: Oxford University Press.
Turner, Graeme 1988 'Film Narrative', Film as Social Practice, Routledge, London.
Image: Diana Jane Heath. Seven Tips to Boost Your Creative Writing
Whether you are an emerging writer or a seasoned professional, seeking that next big creative idea can be like a knight embarking on an uncertain quest for adventure. The brave knight receives his commission to embark on a quest, either to save a princess in distress, save his kingdom from destruction, or just for the sake of the romantic idea of a quest.
Our quest for creativity is not fraught with untold dangers along the way like the knight's quest, but it is still a journey that can fill us with anxiety and make us doubt our abilities as a writer. But do not despair – here are seven tips to boost your creative writing. 1. MICRO FICTION
With groundbreaking digital technologies, software and new media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, the art of storytelling is rapidly evolving, therefore allowing writers to explore new ways of telling a story. Some examples of electronic literature are Hypertext Fiction, Interactive fiction, and Micro Fiction.
Micro Fiction, Flash or Nano fiction offers a tantalising challenge to writers to restrict their storytelling to a particular word count, anything below 400 words. Writing micro fiction not only allows a writer to practise brevity but a micro story can develop into a longer narrative.
Why not try these two writing challenges.
1. Linkedin recently issued a writing challenge to Write a Scary Story in Five Words.
2. Write a Story in 100 Words (on any topic).
2: BRAINSTORM DIFFERENT WAYS OF BEGINNING A STORY
A story’s opening paragraph should be designed to capture a reader’s imagination. It acts as a pivotal gateway through which your reader must enter so that they can journey successfully through your story. You can start to build your micro world in a number of ways:
A dramatic setting like a dark Dystopian city or a windswept beach.
Strong action like a battle or a pursuit through a haunted forest.
An intriguing idea.
A question.
Remember: “There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they'll take you.” Beatrix Potter. 3: MIXING GENRES.
Sometimes we writers tend to play it safe and stick to a familiar genre, but why not try mixing genres? Be brave and experiment. Mixing genres is a great way to revitalise your writing.
Boost your creativity by following these steps:
What's your favourite genre – horror, science fiction, romance, speculative fiction, comedy?
A. Choose two of your favourite genres and create an intriguing generic mix. For example: write a story that mixes romance and speculative fiction, or horror and comedy.
B. Read an article or a book about the rules or conventions of each genre.
C. Try mixing the genres together.
D. Evaluate your story. Has this brainstorming tip helped to revitalise your writing?
4. RE-WRITE A FABLE OR FAIRY TALE.
Storytelling has been the prime conduit for human communication for thousands of years and basic archetypal narrative structures like folk and fairy tales remain an integral part of contemporary popular culture. So why not try re-writing a fable or a fairy tale - or base your story on an archetypal plot.
Here are seven basic plot ideas:
Quest
Rags to Riches
Tragedy
Voyage and Return Comedy
Rebirth or Metamorphosis
Overcoming the monster.
5. JOIN A WRITERS' GROUP.
Although writing is predominately a solo vocation, writers can sometimes struggle and flounder when they live in a creative void. Even famous writers need someone to bounce their creative ideas off. Most novels have an attribution to someone, or sometimes, many people who have helped the author along their storytelling journey.
So why not join a writer's group either at your local community centre, or online. In the midst of like-minded people, you can share ideas and maybe even find a suitable mentor. There are many writers' groups on Linkedin like The Writers' Network, and I have listed some under the Resources tab.
6. THE ICWE. The ICWE is an 'innovative creative writing exercise' that is designed to help you brainstorm new story ideas. This is how it works:
Step. 1. Write at least five short paragraphs, up to 100 words each, on one sheet of paper. Your paragraph can be a description of a setting, a character description, or you can use dialogue.
Step 2. Print out the sheet.
Step 3. Cut up each individual paragraph into strips.
Step 4. Mix them up, then lay each strip on a table, one after each other, and see what you've come up with. You may be pleasantly surprised at the new narrative you've created.
Also, each paragraph can be developed into a separate story. 7. COMPLETE YOUR CREATIVE QUEST.
The best advice for any writer whilst on their creative quest is to persevere. Once you embark on your creative quest, you must stay on track until your quest is completed.
Keep your goal in mind as you go.
Avoid any distractions that may deter you from fulfilling your quest.
If you experience challenges from the creative writer's nemesis, 'writer's block', or it feels like your creative muse has abandoned you, take a break and then continue on your quest.
The creative mind works best when it's relaxed. So walk away from the notepad or computer and refresh those creative neurons. Then you can return to your storytelling journey and successfully complete your creative quest.
Even the bravest of knights have had to take a break from rescuing the princess or fighting the dragon. I hope these seven tips for boosting your creative writing will help you in your storytelling journey.
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Knight: Calavatro. Wikimedia/images The Tale of Ruthie and Grace * Once upon a time, there was a damsel in distress called Ruthie, who lived with her older sister, Grace. Grace had kept her much younger sister captive, as she believed that she could keep her safe from all the relationship angst that she herself had once experienced out in the big bad world. But Ruthie, not yet corrupted by disappointment, continued to spin her fantasies of being rescued by a handsome prince, whom she believed was the answer to all her woes.
Ruthie was now well into her forties, and the only aspect of her appearance that still drew attention to her lingering elixir of youth was her achingly long and glorious blonde hair. Grace, who was now pushing sixty, was afraid that men may still come from miles around to see Ruthie's fabled hair, and in a jealous rage had cut it off. According to Grace, this was, “In case a silly prince might have the crazy notion of climbing up the wall with your hair.” This statement was repeated by Grace quite often. But Ruthie thought this would be an odd thing for a prince to do, considering they had a front door like everyone else.
But Ruthie would just sigh and say, “Of course, Grace, you must know better that I. You're so much more...experienced than me.”
Grace's expression would look like thunder. In her mind experienced just meant you were getting past your 'use by date'.
This particular bright sunny day, Ruthie was sitting at her window dreaming. Her mind berated her that she should forget all those silly notions of being spirited away by a prince. But the little girl that lived inside her heart still clung to a misguided faith, which was based on her much loved Mills & Boon romances that were safely tucked away in her 'hope' chest. Ruthie managed to wrench herself back to grim reality when she spied a man driving up in a battered blue Volvo.
Downstairs, Grace was immersed in her favourite show, The Bold and the Beautiful.
The Prince or Barry as he is called, pushed open the door, which was unlocked, and dropped onto the couch next to her. “Oh great," he exclaimed. “You're watching my favourite show.” Grace turned and stared at him, “Who the heck are you?” she demanded.
Barry grinned and tried to sound debonair, “It's Barry, your handsome prince of course and I've come to... Oh blast...I'm having one of those 'seniors moments' again.“ He lapsed into silence.
Grace sighed, “To rescue me,” she said.
He looked thoughtful, “Ah, that's right. I saw you looking mournfully out of the window.”
Grace realised he must be referring to Ruthie. Hmm, she thought, Maybe this silly man who looks like he's pushing seventy could be my escape from this terminally single life. You see, Grace was fed up with always being portrayed as the evil witch who spread curses around like peanut butter. It seemed that everyone saw Ruthie as the prisoner, but no one ever gave a thought to Grace who might be wishing for her own second chance at romance. Barry wasn't her ideal prince as he was a little geriatric, but then again he did like The Bold and the Beautiful.
Upstairs, Ruthie was still sitting at her window and wondering what was happening. To her surprise, she saw another gentlemen drive up and get out of a bright and shiny red BMW. He was just like her fantasy prince!
She gasped, “Goodness, two princes in one day.”
Ruthie jumped up in excitement and ran to her door. All the years that Ruthie had been held captive, she'd assumed that Grace had kept the door locked, due to her sister's constant brandishing of the key as if it was a magic wand. But Grace assumed that naive little Ruthie was too afraid to venture forth and so Grace had left the door unlocked. Ruthie experienced this horrible revelation when the door sprung open. All the frustration that had been bottled up inside her vented itself. She wrenched back the door, flew down the stairs, and crashed headlong into the handsome prince. Ruthie had been dreaming of this magical moment for decades, yet she couldn't think of a word to say to him. The prince bowed and smiled. Despite his 40-plus years, he was in great shape and he knew it. His white teeth gleamed and his bright blue eyes sparkled. His hair and complexion was perfection itself and he was dressed in the latest fashion. But Ruthie, after all her years of dreaming, had come to the exhilarating realisation that she was not in the mood for this self absorbed and over-dressed man. Ruthie felt that being held captive once was enough for anybody.
She stared at the Prince who was still smirking at her, “Who are you?”
He laughed, “Who am I? He stuck out his chest. “I'm your handsome prince, that's who,” he said proudly.
Ruthie rolled her eyes.,“Oh please.”
He winked at her, “I know you. You're Rapunzel in the tower and I've come to rescue you.” He opened his arms wide.
Ruthie feigned excitement, “You have?" she gushed. "I've been waiting forever and a day for you! Well, I'm all ready to be whisked away for a night on the town.”
The prince smiled his perfect smile, “I'm right here baby and I'm loaded.” He flicked open his wallet which showed a wad of notes and a few credit cards to spare. He dangled his car keys in front of Ruthie's face.
A crazy thought materialised in Ruthie's mind. She felt bold and daring and snatched the wallet and car keys from the Prince's well-manicured hands. “Thanks!” She skipped down the stairs and then swung around to look up at the prince, “And just so you know, my name's not Rapunzel, it's Ruthie,” she said with a new boldness.
Downstairs, Grace and her prince were still glued to the TV screen, when Ruthie dashed into the room. Gracie jumped up startled, “What are you doing down here?" she demanded. In Grace's mind, Ruthie had always been so sweet, so demure and so willing to being stashed away in her tiny room. But this woman who now stood before her was not her little sister any more. Ruthie's green eyes flashed a defiant stare, which bore into Grace’s soul. Ruthie stuck out her tongue, “Sis, I hope the three of you live happily ever after!” she said happily.
Ruthie bolted out of the door without a backward glance. She clicked the remote and the door of the BMW sprung open, and she slid into the red leather seats. With a giggle of glee, she pressed the key-less start button and the engine roared to life, and she left behind her a trail of dust.
* The Tale of Ruthie and Grace is taken from Tales for the Sisterhood: A Collection of Short Stories, which is currently available on Amazon.
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Pinterest. http://au.pinterest.com/missdianaj778/writing-and... Unleash your creative writing potential! I hope you have been inspired by this eBook. If you wish to learn more about how you can improve your writing and discover the unlimited possibilities of the creative world, visit my blog at www.creativedestination.com.au, or contact me at [email protected].
For details on Tales for the Sisterhood: A Collection of Short Stories see Amazon.com, Fishpond.com.au, or Book Depository.com
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Magical Book. Pixabay.com
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