Fictional story
Assignment Instructions:
“We have worked all semester to brainstorm ideas based on the literary elements. After reviewing the Literary Elements and getting some advice from veteran writers in this weeks module work, pick one of your journal writings to develop further into a piece of fiction using the writing skills you are practicing.”
-the piece should be 2-5 pages long double spaced, Times Roman
-the work should be edited for grammar and clarity
-do not write an essay
-your work should have a well developed plot, setting and characters.
-your point of view or narrator should be clear with attention to symbolic development and style and tone
The 5 Elements of a Good Story:
1. Compelling Plot: How a writer introduces the action of the story, the risks and rewards, the dangers and triumphs and weaves conflict through their narrative to keep the reader engaged is critical for a great story. The plot should conclude with some kind of satisfying payoff (even if the story is meant to have a sequel). The ending should make sense to the reader.
2. Believable Characters: All humans have flaws, and your characters should be no different. Even if the characters themselves aren’t human, they should still feel real and have their own lives and point of views. The motivations behind their actions should make sense. A good story has relatable main characters you can empathize with and root for.
3. Natural Dialogue: Conversations flow organically between characters, and never feel forced. Characters feel more real when they communicate more like real people. Dialogue should be true to the period, and properly reflect a character’s background. What a character says and how they say it is influenced by where they come from, their social class, upbringing, and many other factors.
4. Strong Imagery: Appealing to the five senses and beyond can make for a vivid sensory experience that really invites the reader into a fictional universe. Writers don’t have to always resort to describing the way things look to create mental images. Describing how something tastes, smells, sounds, or feels—not just how it looks—makes a passage or scene come alive.
5. Good Pacing: A good story balances different paces for different moments within its narrative. A story suffering from slow pacing and too little action will bore the reader. Too much action or interest will wear a reader down and overwhelm them with activity.