Does Each Element of Your Story Further The Theme?
Does Each Element of Your Story Further The Theme?
Creative Writing Tips ?Whichever theme you choose, all the elements, which make up your story, dialogue, conflict, scenes, etc should be written with the theme in mind.Your theme should progress the story.If you find that anything in your story doesn't progress it, it should be cut when you are in the editing stage.Before we see an example of elements written with a theme in mind, let's think of a theme and a story?.The theme is?'Arrogance Leads To Humiliation'Very briefly, this story is about a character that believes he is better than his colleagues.His goal is to get promoted to a managerial position. What will prevent him from reaching his goal, is the fact that management are aware of his arrogance and they don't believe, with his attitude, he is the right person to manage the staff.To meet his goal, the character will take on more work than he can handle. He will do this to prove to management, that he is the right man for the job. But in the end, he will make a grave error and his arrogance will lead him to humiliation.Now let's take a look at the elements of this story?DialogueThe character's dialogue will show his arrogance, by the tone of his voice and the words he chooses to express himself.CharacterizationI will show my character is arrogant by the way I describe him and from how other characters see him.MotivationsI will explain what makes him think he is better than everyone else.GoalI will state his goal and show how it arises from the fact that he believes himself better than everyone else.SettingThe setting is going to be in an office environment. I can show his arrogance through the setting by perhaps describing the contents of his desk (trophies) and his desk area in general (diplomas on the walls.) etc.ConflictThe conflict will come from himself. He is the one that creates it by doing and saying things, which create dislike.ClimaxThe climax is the highest point in my story where the conflict and his arrogance will come to their peak. Here we will see how he tries to overcome the conflict and reach his goal by taking on more work.EndingI will end my story with my character's humiliation. He takes on more work and makes an error in judgement. Which not only prevents his promotion but also gets him fired.My theme here would have run its course.Does each element of your story further your theme?About The AuthorBesides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site where you will find gift information, articles and readers' funny stories. Visit http://www.we-recommend.com
The Story Of My Amazing Dog Shandy
The Story Of My Amazing Dog Shandy
This is the story of my dog called Shandy. He was my favourite pet and he was very lively, lots of fun and very obedient. His main passion in life was to be taken for a long walk, culminating with a big run out in his favourite park.I would try to take him on this walk everyday, weather permitting. The park itself was about three miles away from our house. To reach the park we had to cross a number of busy roads, however he would never pull or misbehave. He knew where we were heading and seemingly did not want to rock the boat and risk been taken home before he reached his dream destination.At the park itself I would throw a ball and he would chase it and fetch it back to me.At this stage I was living at home with my parents, however aged twenty two, I decided to rent my own bungalow near the coast in Devon. This was nearly two hundred miles away from my parents in home in Birmingham. This obviously meant I was no longer in the position to take Shandy on his walk.I spoke to my parents, who reassured me that they would continue to take him on the walks.Two weeks after I had left, I had a phone call from my mother. She was panicking, stating that Shandy had managed to escape from the back garden and that she could not find him. She insisted that she had been looking for hours but that there had been no sign of him.I was quite worried and thought about where he may have gone to.
"Have you been taking him on his walks to the park everyday?"
I asked.She replied:
"Most days"
I asked her to try at the park, telling her that he loves that park etc.
"He would not be there, its miles away."
She said.I again asked her to try there.
Luckily he was there quite happily sniffing around, unaware of the panic he had caused.Stephen HillStephen Hill has a couple of websites at http://www.lasik-laser-surgery.co.uk and at http://www.debt-specialist.co.uk
How to Write a Short Story
How to Write a Short Story
Everybody knows writing a story is not easy. Like the drama or the poem, it is imaginative literature that should appeal to the emotions of the readers. Since it communicates the writer's interpretation of reality, there must be an artistic use of language to signify human experience. But how do we write a great short story? What are the things to keep in mind in order to come up with a short story that works? Here's a quick guide to get you started:1. ReadReading is essential to anyone who wants to write. In order to be able to write a good short story, you must read other short stories first. This will not only give you the motivation and inspiration for your own story, but it will also help you learn how other authors made an impression on the reader and use their style as basis to create your own style and impression.2. Get inspiredFor seasoned professionals, there is no need to obtain inspiration because thoughts naturally flow and they only have to put them into words on paper. But for novice writers, it is important to have one because it will not only help you begin your first paragraph but also keep you going throughout. Your inspiration may take the form of an object. a person, or an event that you just can't seem to forget.3. Conceptualize your storyThink of something you want to talk about with your readers. Let's say you want to relate a story about a couple who fell in love with each other. What about the couple? What is it about them that you are interested to let your readers know? Focus on this idea and think of other concepts that you want to associate with this couple. Suppose the girl's parents discommended their relationship. What about the parents? What did they do to stop the two from loving each other? This could signal a good beginning for your story. From here, you would have the notion what to write down.4. Map out the scenesIn order to keep your writing aligned with your pre-conceived story events, it is good to briefly map out scenes of your story on a different piece of paper. Write down the possible characters of your story and list the main events in order. You don't have to put so much detail on them because this only serves as a rough sketch of how your story will look like.5. Chooose your point of viewWho tells the story and how it is told is very critical for a short story to be effective. The point of view can change the feel and tone of the story radically. Hence, you must decide carefully before finally resolving with the angle of vision to use for your story. But whatever it is you decide to choose as the point of view, make sure it stays constant throughout your story to maintain consistency.6. Conceive your charactersFor a short story, create a maximum of only three main characters. Too many main characters will make your story confusing since each new character will provide a new dimension for the story. Each character should be more than cardboard caricatures. Make your characters speak naturally in proportion with their traits. Make them believable but mysterious.7. Furnish a good introductionWhen you have everything planned out, start scribbling your first paragraph. Introduce your main characters and set out the scene. The scene must be some place you know much about so that you'd be able to supply the necessary snapshot for a clearly described setting. Make your introduction interesting to hold the reader’s interest and encourage them to read on to the end. It is also important to hold back significant details and the greater part of the action at this point so the mystery is kept.8. Build up a great plotFrom your introduction, draw out events that will eventually create a problem or a conflict for the main character/characters. After that, begin laying out an array of clues to keep the reader interested, intrigued and guessing. Intensify the conflict as the story moves forward. This will not only make your reader enthused to read more but will also keep them riveted to your story.9. Show don't tellThe characters should be the ones responsible for expressing the story through their actions and dialogue and not the writer telling the reader what is being expressed. Rather than saying, "Annette was really mad at her bestfriend Christina for stealing her boyfriend", say "Annette felt an ache in her stomach and a strong pang of betrayal as Christina approaches her and flashes her with a sweet smile. She breathed hard trying to calm herself as she speaks with suppressed anger: "I hope you're happy now that you've proven yourself as a friend."10. Use active verbsPut as much life into your story as you can. In order to do this, employ verbs in the active voice in your story. Instead of saying,"The flower was picked by Johanna", say "Johanna picked the flower."11. Use some dialogueDialogue is important in bringing your story to life. Don't just use it to pad out your characters. Use it to convey your characters to identify with the reader. Use it in direct quotes like "Go there!" instead of indirect quotes as "She told him to go there."12. Keep references handyA good reference such as a thesaurus or a dictionary is crucial in creating a good story. You can use them to check your spellings and to find the words which best fit your description. Instead of using one lengthy sentence or paragraph, you can utilize one or just a few words to convey what you want to say. Oftentimes, one strong word has a greater effect than a paragraph full of fancy language.13. Conclude brieflyConclusions are tough sledding. For a good ending, it is advisable to experiment and to add a little twist. Make your ending unique but not hanging in a loose end. Make it satisfying without making it too predictable. Keep in mind to keep it short but concise and lingering so that the reader is left with a feeling of resonance. Your conclusion should wrap up everything from start to finish.14. Edit and reviseAfter fashioning the last words of your story, it is time to begin the editing cycle. Carefully go through your work and fix all your mistakes regarding sentence construction, word usage, formatting. punctuation marks, diction, spelling, grammar, and descriptive analysis. Scratch out words, phrases and even paragraphs which don't seem to contribute to the basic elements of the story. After you're done, let it sit for a while for days and even weeks, then edit it again. Reread your story over and over again at different occasions. This will make you see various things you may want to change to make your story shine at its best.15. Let others proof readHave your friends take a look at your work. They may just be able to see mistakes which you have missed. For instance, they may be distracted with some words or lines which you adore dearly. In this case, you have to decide on changing it or cutting it off completely.Writing a short story may not be easy but it can surely be done. With some knowledge on the basic elements and some passion and patience, it's effortless to pull together a story with just a few ideas. Just keep in mind that you're writing not because you have to, but because you want to. Give it a go now!Rachelle Arlin Credo is an entrepreneur and relationship coach. She also works as an image consultant and part-time writer. Formerly a contributing scribe to The Freeman and Sunstar Daily - Philippines, she writes short stories, poems, essays, and tons of articles for Writers.net, Netterweb.com, Ideamarketers.com, Searchwarp.com, and Goarticles.com. For more info, mailto: raeshylle@yahoo.com.