Introduction to Short Story

Lesson Writing
1 Now: Write a 50-word story using the
Do Example
images below.
The key glistened in the
You may include the pictures in any order. sunlight as if to lure the
five teenagers to a
mysterious path. Johnny
picked it up and before
them loomed an old
mansion. He opened the
door and, on the floor, an
aged book flew open. One
by one, the disappeared
into its depths. (50 words)

The big question: How do

authors use narrative
elements to create a story?
 Introduction to Short Story Writing
Share your story with the person next to you.

The big question: How do authors use

narrative elements to create a story?
 Launch
Think- Pair- Share
What are the key ingredients for an effective story?
 Share your ideas: What are the key ingredients for an effective story?

Range of punctuation marks

Theme
s Settin
Dialogue
Sentence g
Variety

Plot
Characters

Imagery and sophisticated

vocabulary
 I Do Narrative elements

CLIMAX:
Where the dilemma
occurs
RISING ACTION: FALLING ACTION:
The events that The point in the story
build tension where the dilemma is
towards the rising resolved
action
EXPOSITION: RESOLUTION:
The start of the The end of the story.
story that Narrative
introduces the Elements
character, setting
etc.
 Using ‘On the house’ plot the structure of
the story
Short story
structure
Use the image below as inspiration to create a plot
outline for your own story. Use your plot outline
sheet.
Plenary: Share your plot outline with the
person next to you.
Lesson 2

Story element: Story opening

Do now – In silence
From The Sins of the
Mother
by Jamil Ahmad
Then he was completely alone the thousands of
birds which had kept him company for a while
had disappeared with nothing to keep him
occupied he became aware of his thirst and
hunger he tried to resist it for a while but as the
pangs grew sharper he finally walked over to the
camel and opened the bag containing food he
ate a little drank some water and then lay down
squeezed against the dead camel as the
sandstorm approached.
This should be five sentences long.
You need to add: Four full stops, followed
by capital letters, and six commas. Do the
full stops and capitals first.
Hint: Sentences are short to start with, and
 From The Sins of the

Do now Feedback
Mother
by Jamil Ahmad

Then he was completely alone. The thousands of

birds, which had kept him company for a while,
had disappeared. With nothing to keep him
occupied, he became aware of his thirst and
hunger. He tried to resist it for a while, but as
the pangs grew sharper, he finally walked over
to the camel and opened the bag containing
food. He ate a little, drank some water and then
lay down squeezed against the dead camel as
the sandstormWhat
Extension: approached.
kind of sentences do we
see here? Are they short / long? Simple /
complex? Do they change throughout the
paragraph? How do they reflect the boy’s
situation? How do they make us readers
 DROPS – A useful acronym to remind you of what to
include in your writing…

An example recipe
Devices
D
E.g. metaphors,
similes,
personification,
sensory language,
alliteration…
Range of
R punctuation
! ; : … - ()
.,?
Openings /
O
‘Grab’ or ‘hook’ your
reader; leave a
Closings lasting impression
on them…
Passion / Voice
P
Anger, enthusiasm,
sympathy,
knowledge,
opinion…
Give shape and
 How to hook the reader
What makes a story opening interesting?
Think- Pair- Share
 LO: Can create interesting hooks?
In pairs decide which opening sentence makes you want to read on
and why.
“Call me Ishmael.” “I write this sitting in the kitchen
Herman Melville, Moby-Dick (1851) sink.”

Different hooks
Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle
(1948)
“It was a queer, sultry summer, “It is a truth universally
the summer they electrocuted the acknowledged, that a single man
Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know in possession of a good fortune,
what I was doing in New York.” must be in want of a wife.”
Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar (1963) Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
(1813)

“It was a bright cold day in April, “It was a pleasure to burn.”
and the clocks were striking Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
thirteen.” (1953)
George Orwell, 1984 (1949)

“In my younger and more “This is the saddest story I have

vulnerable years my father gave ever heard.”
me some advice that I've been Ford Madox Ford, The Good Soldier
turning over in my mind ever (1915)
since.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great
Gatsby (1925)
“I’m going shopping in the The hottest day of the
village,” George’s mother summer so far was
said to George on Saturday drawing to a close and
morning. “So be a good boy a drowsy silence lay
and don’t get up to over the large, square
mischief.” houses of Privet Drive.

Once there were four When I was four months old,

children whose names were my mother died suddenly
Peter, Susan, Edmund and and my father was left to
Lucy. look after me all by himself.
 DIALOGUE ACTION

I start with someone

I describe an action,
talking, perhaps
something that happened,
saying something that
perhaps to the main
helps me imagine
character.
what could happen in
the story.

SETTING CHARACTER

I describe the setting of

the story, perhaps I introduce the characters,
where I am or when. I their names and maybe
may describe the some relevant information.
weather or something
that makes me imagine
the scene.
 One of the most common
ways to start a sentence is to
Different hooks

begin with the thing being

described as subject(first
word). So we start with
‘the...’, or ‘she/he/it...’,
followed by the verb (action).

Eg: The lanky, unkempt fellow slinked

down the canal path ...
 This way of structuring the
sentence can get a bit boring...
Different hooks

The car was very fast.

It (the car again) drove around the corner before spinning out.
Its passenger was saved by the seatbelt as the car’s breaks gave out
and it rolled onto the pavement.
The passenger managed to prise open the door and crawl onto a
grassy strip out of danger.
 Use an ‘ly’ (adverb)
opening word:
Different hooks

Unsteadily, the lanky,

unkempt fellow slinked
down the alleyway...
Write the opening
sentence to describe
this setting using an
–ly opening word.
Example: Slowly, the
arid desert came to
life…
 Open your sentence with
words indicating location:
Different hooks

Along the canal

towpath , the lanky,
unkempt fellow ambled
slowly...
Write an opening sentence
to show the location.
Example: In the middle of
capital city lies a
sprawling, sandy oasis.
 Start the sentence
using a word ending in
“ing”:
Different hooks

Ambling along the canal tow

path, the intoxicated thief spied
his victim...
Write an opening sentence to using
a word ending in -ing
Example: Lurking beneath the sand
dunes are venomous creatures.
 Use a simile:
Different hooks

The mugger approached his

target like a stealthy cat
stalking its prey...

The pickpocket moved as

smoothly as a sea snake
glides through the water...
Write an opening sentence
to using a simile.
Example: Cacti stand tall
like soldiers in the middle
of the desert.
 Use time: including time
of day, season, and
temperature:
Different hooks

At 6pm on an icy winter

evening...
Write an opening sentence including time,
day and temperature..
Example: At midday, temperatures soar,
and every living creature seek comfort in
any shade they can find.
 Story openings:
eminder of some other ways in which you can begins a story

Describing a character
Describing the setting
Beginning with an action
Beginning with dialogue (talking)
Remember!
The opening of a story should normally
have:

• An interesting, dramatic or exciting opening

sentence using one of the opening components
discussed

• Information about the setting - where and

when the story is set, with a little description
about it

• Some characters introduced

Success Criteria:
• Writing a story opening using at
least one of the four different ways
covered.
• Hook the reader in with a dramatic
or exciting beginning.
• Help the reader to visualise the
situation by providing a
description.
• Give a little information about the
setting.
Now apply: Refer to your plot
outline from the previous
lesson and write your story
opening using at least one
of the four different ways
covered.
Hook the reader in with a
dramatic or exciting beginning.
Help the reader to visualise the
situation by providing a
description.
Give a little information about
the setting.
Plenary: Share your story
openings
 Lesson 3: Developing your
characters
Do Now: Write a definition of the above terms and
give an example for each.
• A noun:
• A pronoun:
• A verb:
• An Adjective:
• An Adverb:
• Onomatopoeia:
 Let’s read the story Night
Language devices
Terrors in Cairo,
As we read, find powerful
examples of the following.
Highlight them or underline
them in different colours.
A verb:
An Adjective:
An Adverb:
A Simile
 L.O: To be able to comment on writer’s craft.

Characterisation
Re- read the story in your groups and
find quotes to support the following
points….
Examples of the physical Examples of the descriptions
descriptions of characters. of the characters’
personalities.

Remember to use
me whenever you

“” copy words from

the book!
Success criteria for developing a
character
1. Describe what they look like
2. Give them a realistic name
3. Describe their personality
4. Think about their behaviour and how they speak.
5. What will other characters think of the?
What is revealed about the characters
in based on these descriptions?
Two men sat bolt upright in its tattered seats. The driver
was extremely tall and wiry. His face was a horrible sight,
red scars etching his thin face all over. The man next to
him was quite the perfect criminal, a bristly crew-cut
skimming his shiny head. He wore a pair of designer
sunglasses, even though it was pitch black, which rested
on his repulsive nose - a large chunk of flesh, bone and
cartilage had been lost during an earlier run in. A grim
and steely expression showed that nothing would stop
him raiding the Pyramids on this sweltering night.
 Now try:
Think about your main character to be featured in your story
inspired by this picture and complete your character profile
worksheet.
Plenary: Self-assessment
How will your character fit into your plot
idea?

Make changes where necessary.

 Putting it all together
There are three types of sentences:
Simple: Sam went to the shop . (Used for impact)
Do now

Compound: Sam went to the shop and she bought a chocolate

bar. (Used to add detail)
Complex: Sam went to the shop, bought a chocolate bar, then
went home. (Used to describe in great detail)

Change the following sentences into a complex

sentence using commas and connectives! You
can take words out or replace them!

The boy ran down the street. He was

sweating. His breath was short. He was
scared. He could hear the blood pounding
in his ears. He could hear the sirens
 There are three types of sentences:
Do now feedback Simple: Sam went to the shop . (Used for impact)
Compound: Sam went to the shop and she bought a
chocolate bar. (Used to add detail)
Complex: Sam went to the shop, bought a chocolate bar,
then went home. (Used to describe in great detail)

Change the following sentences into a

complex sentence using commas and
connectives! You can take words out or replace
them!

The boy ran down the street. He was

sweating. His breath was short. He was
scared. He could hear the blood pounding
in his ears. He could hear the sirens
following him.
Let’s recap plot development: Think-Pair- Share

What are the key parts of a story?

Watch this short film and identify the different parts of a story
 Use this story for
Application: inspiration.

Use your plot outline, character

worksheet and setting description
to write your own story.
Remember to:
 Create an intriguing opening
 Develop your main character
 Use dialogue
 Use very descriptive language
 Use a range of sentences
 Use a range of punctuation
marks
 Use paragraphs
 Add a story title
 Edit your work: check your
SPAG!
Submit your stories to
your teacher.
The best ones will be collated in our
own year 9 Short story Anthology.