The Short Story

Year 9
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Resource Booklet

Exploring the Concept Narrative: the short story version

When exploring all of your texts in this module consider these key questions:
Why are we so fascinated with stories?
Why are they so important to us? (Are they?)
How do different composers use the short story method to create an
engaging narrative?
Essentially, you need to analyse the techniques (aspects/ways/features/tools/devices)
a composer uses to create a sense of story and voice (perspective) in a text.
We will be exploring a number of aspects of narrative
The importance of a good plot
Use of language to engage and stimulate

from verbs to figurative language

The characters/personas in the text -

what is their individual perspective/voice?

The perspective of the composer -

what is their intention in conveying the voice?

Theme what is it and how do I carry it off?

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PURPOSE:
The purpose of writing a narrative in the form of a short story is to entertain the reader
and gain and hold their interest. Short story writing enhances a students ability to
compose in an imaginative way, creating images using a variety of language forms
and features. Students explore the real and imagined world and the relationship

What is Narrative?

between them. As composers, we construct a logical and complete story reflecting

appropriate language forms, features and structure.
Narrative short stories explore our ideas, experiences, emotions and values.

What is a Short Story?

A short story is a piece of fictional writing that is no more than a few thousand words
long and contains the following language features:
setting, characters, plot, climax and resolution.
Short stories can be used to explore your ideas, experiences, emotions and values.

The purpose of a short story is to entertain, so you can be really imaginative when you
write one. Just like other storytelling forms, the short story has a plot, setting, characters
and a theme; but it also has certain characteristics that make it different from other types
of story.
A short story is similar to a sitcom on television. It can be enjoyed in one sitting. Compared
with a novel, therefore, a short story doesnt go into great detail about plot, setting or
characters. Short stories have a number of features or characteristics that make them
different from other types of story.

Just get black on white (Robert Gray, 2011).

Fast write
Beginning with
observations,
chunks of writing,
little moments...a
sentence a day!

12 word stories

Twitter stories/ figurative language

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Jottings: Journal,
laptop, iPhone or
wiki/blog

Indicators for ongoing assessment

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Students will compose an imaginative original short story with a logical

development of the plot setting and including:
definite issues, themes and values
appropriate short story structure with a definite beginning, middle and resolution
development of characters
complications in the story
conventions of writing, including punctuation and direct reported speech

Students will write for a specific audience and purpose using appropriate
language forms and features in their short story, including:
Adjectives
Verbs
Adverbial phrases
Imagery through use of descriptive phrases show, dont tell
Simile
Metaphor
Personification

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Possible topics
SUGGESTED ADDITIONAL WRITING TOPICS FOR THIS UNIT:
Quest
The Journey
An amazing event
Just an ordinary day
The link
Mind over matter
Forgiven
Small talk
The track
One persons fear
The greatest challenge
One perfect day
The incident
Right or wrong
The decision
Justice
The flashback
Cruel to be kind
Friend or foe
Memories
Summer journey
Fame
Reflections
The image
The past; the present; the future

FEATURES OF A SHORT STORY

Creative Writing & Short stories

In this Unit you will read and study a range of short stories, focusing on the key
elements of short story writing, and produce your own original short story.
You will:
1. Read widely in the area of short story
2. Develop an understanding of the key elements of short story construction:
Orientation
Conflict
Characters
Climax
Setting(s)
Resolution
Theme(s)
Point of view
Plot action
Narrative techniques

3.
4.
5.
6.

Create your own original short story

Learn about the processes involved in completing your short story including:
Planning, drafting, editing and rewriting;
Engaging in peer conference to help you develop and fine-tune your story.

Features of a short story

Short stories have a number of features including:

Narratives may also:

o Use (minimal and always purposeful) direct speech.
o Use incomplete or truncated sentences - words and phrases used for impact.
o Contain facts, descriptions and atmosphere. (Atmosphere is the feeling a story
creates in the readers mind/imagination.
o Have flexibility in their use of tense (past, present, future)
o Use a variety of sentence lengths and structures.

A plot that deals with one main event only

A plot which has a problem or complication that a character has to overcome. This
provides the excitement or tension in the story.
Events or action which take place over a short period of time, usually in a single
setting
Only one, or perhaps two, main characters
Minor characters whom we dont get to know well
A single theme or idea for instance, relationships, love, overcoming obstacles, risk
taking, racism, bullying.

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Highlight the narrative features that appear in these extracts.

Answers might include truncated sentences, atmosphere, figurative language,
variation in sentence length, direct speech.
Another night without lights. The power had been off for three days and Jan was again
sitting in the dark house. Alone. Branches scrapped against the glass of the
windowpanes with eerie screeches with each gust of the breeze. She had heard it a
dozen times and she still jumped with each new sound. She was becoming frazzled
and scared.
There was a sudden knocking at the front door of the weary house.
Whos there? she called nervously, without thinking.
She realised her mistake immediately. She waited, almost holding her breath.
No reply. No more knocks.
Maybe it had been her imagination.
Slowly, ever so slowly, she pushed herself up from the warm cushions of her
grandfathers old lounge chair and crept towards the rectangle of grey glass next to
the front door.

Kon became aware that tension was building.

Everyone was staring at him, but when he took a closer look they were watching
something occurring over his left shoulder. Looking right past his sandy hair to something
in the distance. Well, not too distant.
Slowly he turned his head. Dee song giggled and tried to cover her mouth with her
hand. The explosion, when it came, was loud and so unexpected that he fell
backwards off his bench as Dee cried, Gotcha!
All the kids laughed loudly. Rusty Irons jumped up and down, slapping his hips as if her
were a demented monkey.

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Kon got up off the gym floor and scuffed to the double doors, then outside. Big joke!

Kon looked back to where the sound had come from.

There was Kylie pulling a splat of pink bubble gum off her face, Kon guessed it was
nearly as big as a small pizza but didnt look as appetising. She was pushing it back
into her mouth and trying not to laugh at the same time.

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When Reading and Writing Prose Fiction Consider N.E.C.T.A.R.S

When you are asked to analyse prose fiction, use the following scaffold as a
guide to ensure you consider all elements of the text:

voice/perspective)

Emotion (tone/atmosphere/mood)
Characters (personas)
Themes
Aspects/techniques(language/style/structur

e)

Relationship to the concept/s

Setting / Symbolism

E
C
T

Narrative/plot (narrative

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SHORT STORY STRUCTURE

THE SHORT STORY FORM

Stories can be thought of as a progression through an orientation then a series of events with a
complication and then a resolution.

Orientation:
who, what, when, where, why
the current situation - sets the scene and sparks interest

Complication / series of events

a problem is sparked or something unexpected happens
the protagonist responds to the situation
the tension increases and leads to the story's climax
protagonist undergoes moment of realisation/change/personal growth

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Resolution
the ending/the result/what happens
does not have to have a happy ending. May end with a twist

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Story Mountains - Plotting

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