Please gather in your groups this afternoon and check in with your reading group. Have you finished reading the book? Talk about the CRAFT of the WRITING of the stories you have read with your group.
When you conclude your discussion, please use the time in the lab to complete your first draft of your story. You should have continued to work on this story during break, but if you did (or did not) please use the time in the lab to consider how you ended your story.
As you revise and prepare your story project, consider how you ended your stories. If you are unsatisfied with your endings, look below for some advice regarding new endings:
Endings can be:
Circular: The beginning and the end reflect upon one another, often using the same situation, setting, characterization, or even repeating the same line or idea presented in the opening. This provides a sense of parallelism in your story structure. It is best used when suggesting that the past and future of a character/story is similar.
Matching vs. Nonmatching: similar to a circular ending, the first image is transformed, and is repeated at the end. This is most like the pattern in music: theme and variation. The first image of the story foreshadows or suggests the last image. Sometimes this is obvious, other times the image is subtle.
Surprise ending: Often an ironic ending, or an ending that surprises the reader. The American writer O.Henry was a master of this kind of ending. It is often found in horror/suspense or mystery fiction. The "surprise" needs to be planned by the writer, who should include details that prepare the reader for the surprise, instead of "shocking" the reader, who usually resents this strategy.
Summary ending: A summary of the outcome of the story – this kind of story wraps the plot up very tightly, suggesting the future for the characters. No loose ends. This sort of ending has fallen out of favor lately, so use it at your own peril.
Open ending: used largely in contemporary fiction, the story doesn’t end nice and neatly (like the summary ending). Instead, it leaves an important question posed to the reader, so that the reader must interpret the ending. Caution: this can sometimes confuse a reader. It is best used for subtle effect.
Ending with an image/idea: ending a story with an important detailed image or idea that reflects the theme of the story can "stain" the idea or image in the mind of the reader.
Try one of these endings for your story!
HOMEWORK: Be prepared with notes on your reading collection for the test Thursday. Be prepared to turn in your first draft of your short story Thursday as well.
When you conclude your discussion, please use the time in the lab to complete your first draft of your story. You should have continued to work on this story during break, but if you did (or did not) please use the time in the lab to consider how you ended your story.
- The story project is DUE THURSDAY, April 9.
As you revise and prepare your story project, consider how you ended your stories. If you are unsatisfied with your endings, look below for some advice regarding new endings:
Endings can be:
Circular: The beginning and the end reflect upon one another, often using the same situation, setting, characterization, or even repeating the same line or idea presented in the opening. This provides a sense of parallelism in your story structure. It is best used when suggesting that the past and future of a character/story is similar.
Matching vs. Nonmatching: similar to a circular ending, the first image is transformed, and is repeated at the end. This is most like the pattern in music: theme and variation. The first image of the story foreshadows or suggests the last image. Sometimes this is obvious, other times the image is subtle.
Surprise ending: Often an ironic ending, or an ending that surprises the reader. The American writer O.Henry was a master of this kind of ending. It is often found in horror/suspense or mystery fiction. The "surprise" needs to be planned by the writer, who should include details that prepare the reader for the surprise, instead of "shocking" the reader, who usually resents this strategy.
Summary ending: A summary of the outcome of the story – this kind of story wraps the plot up very tightly, suggesting the future for the characters. No loose ends. This sort of ending has fallen out of favor lately, so use it at your own peril.
Open ending: used largely in contemporary fiction, the story doesn’t end nice and neatly (like the summary ending). Instead, it leaves an important question posed to the reader, so that the reader must interpret the ending. Caution: this can sometimes confuse a reader. It is best used for subtle effect.
Ending with an image/idea: ending a story with an important detailed image or idea that reflects the theme of the story can "stain" the idea or image in the mind of the reader.
Try one of these endings for your story!
HOMEWORK: Be prepared with notes on your reading collection for the test Thursday. Be prepared to turn in your first draft of your short story Thursday as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment