SHORT STORY COOKBOOK

Recipes for How to “Bake”

a Short StoryCreated by Jennifer Lacey

Modified by Stephanie Kirk. Writing Resource Teacher

Ingredients (Terms)

• Character(s)—Each person or animal that takes part in the story. Major character—Most important

Minor character—Any other• Setting—When and where, time and place• Plot—Sequence of events in story. Five parts:

Introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution

Ingredients (Terms)

• Point of View—Who is telling the story. Three P.O.V.: 1st person (1),

3rd person limited (3L), 3rd person omniscient (3O).

• Theme—Main idea or message• Tone—Attitude on a subject or character• Mood—Feeling the reader gets as s/he reads

the story

MUST Ingredients For a Story

Character(s): Give your major character a name and identity—age, gender, appearance, personality. Example: Harry Potter, thirteen year old boy, black unruly hair, lightning bolt scar on forehead, black round-frame glasses, quiet thinker.

Plot or problem: Must be believable, solvable, and mean something to your main character.

MUST Ingredients (con’t)

Three different ways to solve the problem—From Harry Potter Book 2—1) Harry freezes everyone, takes over the school, and saves the day; 2) Harry is killed in a battle with Tom; or 3) Harry figures out who Tom is and saves the day. Not every way is going to be the best solution.

MUST Ingredients (con’t)

Setting: Give the reader a time and place—real or make-believe. Example: Hogwarts School, 7 Privet Drive, Kings Cross Platform Station.

Resolution: Story is wrapped up. Ending does not have to be happy, but it must be believable.

The Recipe (Plot)

Climax

Rising Action Falling Action

Introduction Resolution

Introduction—Meet characters and setting.

Rising Action—Problem begins.

Climax—Turning point in story.

Falling Action—Events that begin to lead to an ending.

Resolution—All questions answered and all actions completed.

The Cook (Point of View)

• The angle from which the story is being viewed—who is telling the story affects how the story will be understood.

• We experience the story through the eyes of the storyteller.

P.O.V.: First person (1) --a character in story• Third person limited (3L)—an outsider

looking in, knowing most things

• Third person omniscient (3O)—an outsider knows all

First Person P.O.V.

• Use the pronouns I, me, my, mine, we, us, our.

• Can only tell what the ONE character is thinking and feeling.

• Creates empathy for the character.

Third Person Limited P.O.V.

• Outside narrator tells the story for the main character only.

• Limited view—can only tell what main character feels or thinks.

• Uses the pronouns he, she, him, her.

Third Person Omniscient P.O.V.

• Outside narrator knows all and sees all—EVERYTHING.

• Narrator can tell past, present, and future events. Can be in two places at the same time.

• Uses the pronouns he, she, and they. Cannot use I to tell the story.

Testing for Doneness

• After you bake your short story, allow others to taste it (peer revise).

• If you need to add something, do it and taste-test again.

• Share the product (publish).