Short Story Discussion Guide Contents Introduction 3 How to become a better reader 4 How to read a short story 5 What makes a good short story? 6–7 Put what you have learned into practise 8 Previous winners: discussion points 9–13 The Sweet Sop by Ingrid Persaud 9 The Edge of the Shoal by Cynan Jones 10 Disappearances by K J Orr 11 Kilifi Creek by Lionel Shriver 12 The Not-Dead and the Saved by Kate Clanchy 13 What next? Key dates 14 BBC Student Critics’ Award 2019 with First Story and Cambridge University 2 Introduction The BBC National Short Story The judges announce their shortlist The 2019 shortlist Award with Cambridge University for the 2019 award on Friday 6 is one of the most prestigious September, and the winner on Then you’ll be ready to move awards for a single short story, Tuesday 1 October during a special onto the five stories shortlisted with the winning author receiving edition of BBC Radio 4’s Front Row for the 2019 award, which will be £15,000. live from BBC Broadcasting House announced on 6 September. in central London. If you’re one of the groups Over its 14-year history, the award selected to officially take part in has celebrated established writers Student critics the BBC Student Critics’ Award such as Lionel Shriver, Hilary with First Story and Cambridge Mantel, Zadie Smith, Deborah Now, it’s your turn to be part of University, you’ll receive your Levy, Sarah Hall, Jackie Kay, Jon the awards. gratis anthologies in the post from McGregor and William Trevor, and The BBC Student Critics’ Award with Monday 9 September. The second new stars such as Jenny Fagan, First Story and Cambridge University resource with summaries and Lisa Blower, Francesca Rhydderch encourages 16 – 18 year olds to pointers to frame your discussion and Lucy Wood. read critically and build confidence will also be available to download from 9 September, and you can Expert judging in expressing opinions. You can take part by reading and/or listening to listen to or podcast the stories and Each year, the award is judged by the five stories shortlisted for the an interview with each writer from five expert judges. The judges 2019 award, and discussing the 6 – 12 September 2019 at select a shortlist of five stories stories with your friends. www.bbc.co.uk/nssa from approximately 1,000 entries, We’ve designed this resource to considering the originality and Join in! guide you through the process; excellence of the prose, the story using it will give you: If you are not a group officially structure and the overall impact participating in the BBC Student of the story on the reader (for full • A better understanding of the Critics’ Award with First Story judging guidelines, see page 6). elements of the short story form – and Cambridge University, you for example: structure, characters In 2019, broadcaster Nikki Bedi is can purchase copies of the BBC and imagery, and what makes a chairing the judging panel. Nikki is National Short Story Award with good short story. a television and radio broadcaster Cambridge University anthology* or who writes and presents The Arts • Tips on how you can become a listen to the stories on BBC Radio 4. Hour on BBC World Service and better reader. Why not organise a debate in your BBC Radio London. She is joined class or reading group? • Suggestions on how to formulate by novelist and writer of narrative your opinions and communicate You will be able to download the non-fiction,Richard Beard; short them whilst being open to shortlist discussion guide from story writer, novelist and youngest other points of view, and always 9 September 2019 at author to be shortlisted for the respecting the writer’s endeavour. www.bbc.co.uk/nssa Man Booker Prize, Daisy Johnson; screenwriter, novelist and 2017 • Discussion topics around previous *Anthologies are available to purchase BBC National Short Story Award winners of the BBC National Short for £7.99 from any good bookshop. winner, Cynan Jones; and returning Story Award. judge, Di Speirs, Books Editor at BBC Radio. BBC Student Critics’ Award 2019 with First Story and Cambridge University 3 How to become a better reader Here are our top ten tips for how to become a better reader. 1) Get comfy 1) Get comfy. Let the body rest so 5) Note down key quotations – 9) Express your opinions, but also the mind can work. Always have but add your own thoughts and listen to others. It’s important to your feet up and your defences comments with every quotation articulate your thoughts and be able down as you read. so that you have a record of your back them up, but hearing other thoughts and experiences. people’s ideas – particularly those 2) Read twice. Once for affect, contrary to your own – will open you once for analysis. And then a 6) Read A LOT. The more you read up to healthy debate. Reading is third time just to see what else the better you get. Libraries and subjective and every reader’s point happens… This technique works bookshops are great places for of view is valid. particularly well for close reading inspiration and recommendations. of short stories; the judges of the BBC National Short Story Award will usually read each story four or five times. 3) Look things up. Everything. 6) Read a lot This is quicker if you read digitally, but there’s something very 7) Ignore received opinion and 10) Respect the work. Getting satisfying about discovering the literary snobbery. Read what you anything published is tough – so meaning of a word in a dictionary, want to read. Study what moves before you begin to decimate a and tracing its etymology or you. The benefit of academic study book or story, think about its author translating it into another language of texts is demonstrated by the and the hours they spent writing for a deeper understanding of it quality of the criticism rather than it. And consider recalibrating your and its application. perceived prejudices about the appraisal into a more measured 4) Go beyond character and theme. quality of the material. critique. Think of books as machines; 8) Discuss what you’ve read. of reading as figuring out how Join a book group or find your herd the machines work and the role on social media (there’s so much their different parts play. You’ll be #bookchat on YouTube, Twitter surprised how quickly you build and Instagram) to reach beyond up knowledge of literature, for your own reading experience and instance, knowing how to scan connect with others. poetry, recognise rhetorical tropes, identify style and analyse narrative devices. BBC Student Critics’ Award 2019 with First Story and Cambridge University 4 How to read a short story Close reading is a way to get to 3) Put the brakes on. Slow down: It’s important to consider other know short stories. It’s like making read a paragraph once. Read it points of view and understand that friendships: there aren’t any rules, again. Note down your thoughts different readers will have different and how it goes depends on you after each time and see how they responses to texts that may and the story, each time. But here change and develop. Sometimes contradict your own. are some ways to make good you may arrive at a completely Listen and take stock: have they friends with stories that you could different idea to the one with which presented their argument well? Has try out. you began. Write notes around the what they said changed your mind, words on the page, underline them: or can you at least see some merit Experiment get your fingers inky. in their points? Close reading isn’t a science but it 4) Compare. Think of an image As well as listening to other can be fun to pretend it is. Trying (a painting or photograph) that you perspectives, it’s good practise out the following experiments helps could look at alongside the story. when critiquing a short story (in you think creatively about stories Think of a song, melody or lyric fact this principle applies to most and gets you closer to the ways that this story brings to mind. pieces of ‘art’), to ensure that there they work. Or even draw that picture or is some balance in your argument. compose that song. This can 1) Imagine you have a microscope. If a piece of writing doesn’t speak help you to place your feelings Hold it over sentences, words, even to you personally or ring true, you about a story, to analyse its tone, punctuation marks, and observe. are entitled to your opinion but you atmosphere and power. When you zoom in to make up should always respect the writer’s your mind about a small bit of a Engage endeavour – the time and energy text, it can look very different to they have put into the writing and what you expected, just like cells Once you’ve worked out what you getting it published. When you under a microscope. Some words think and feel about a story, then are discussing a short story with turn out to have several meanings, you need to work out how to let friends, imagine that the author is in or no obvious meaning. Some other people know this. There the room listening. quiet-looking commas are actually are many different ways to shape teeming with life. good critical argument.