PREPARING FOR THE SHORT STORY EXAM
STEP 1: Respond to the STIMULUS MATERIAL
BRAINSTORM, looking for inspiration in the images and words. QUESTION THE STIMULUS: who, what, when, where, why, how?
What story could you tell that is UNEXPECTED? Write down ANY ideas that you have for possible characters, complications, conflicts,
themes, atmosphere etc. Remember, you only need ONE good idea to craft a great short story!
STEP 2: Start to map out your STORY IDEAS
Once you have some ideas for a character, setting, complication or conflict, start to organise your ideas. Consider: characters , setting ,
plot
,
theme and style .
● CHARACTERS
To make your characters realistic you can “borrow” attributes from people you already know or strangers you have seen. People
watching with a notebook is a great way to spend some time writing what you see; you never know when it might be useful.
Make sure your characters’ personalities are not perfect. Every character needs to have some flaws, some problems, some
imperfections, some insecurities. You might assume that people wouldn’t like to read about a character with a lot of flaws, but that
couldn’t be farther from the truth. Batman wouldn’t be The Dark Knight if he weren’t a borderline sociopath!
People can relate to characters with problems, as that’s realistic. When trying to come up with flaws, you don’t need to give your
character some huge, bizarre issue. For most characters, try to stick with things you know about. For example, the character could
have anger issues, be afraid of water, be lonely, dislike being around other people, drink too much, etc. All of these could be taken
further in development.
● SETTING
Use the stimulus sheet for ideas: Where could this character be, for a story to take place? Where would this sort of complication take
place? Don’t try to make it too complicated; pay attention to the finer details of everyday life.
● PLOT
Start to brainstorm what may happen at the different stages of the story:
ORIENTATION : The opening of the story; the reader’s subtle introduction to complex characters and setting details relevant
to THIS story.
COMPLICATION/CONFLICT : The point of the story; the conflict.
RISING ACTION/TENSION : The events leading to the climax or turning point.
CLIMAX : The most intense part of the story, where the pace usually quickens.
RESOLUTION : A satisfying ending where the main complication/conflict is resolved, and the main character overcomes (or
does not overcome) the complication/conflict.
● THEME
Consider the themes that can help develop your story (friendship, betrayal, guilt, trust, love, religion, war, culture etc.) Consider how
elements of THE HUMAN CONDITION could be examined in your story: thematic concern about human nature, human society or how
we live our lives; an exploration of the fundamental issues of human existence.
● STYLE
From whose/which perspective are you going to write: First person, second person, third person limited or third person omniscient?
What about verb tense: Is the story going to occur in the present tense, with your characters learning about their fate as the story
unfolds, or is is going to be told in past tense, where there is opportunity for foreshadowing and reflection?
● REMEMBER: Size Matters – Limit the breadth of your story.
The main events of a short story should occur in a relatively short period of time (minutes or hours), and you typically won’t be able to
develop effectively more than one plot, one or two main characters, and one setting.
STEP 3: Make some CRITICAL DECISIONS
● Plan your short story in point form.
● You should know what is happening from the very beginning of the story to the very end of it, before you start drafting your
story.
○ ORIENTATION :
○ COMPLICATION/CONFLICT :
○ RISING ACTION/TENSION :
○ CLIMAX :
○ RESOLUTION :
STEP 4: DRAFT your short story
● Use the plan you created in Step 3, to write the whole story, from beginning to end.
STEP 5: EDIT your story
● Find the complication/conflict in your story: Is it relatively early in the story? If not, cut out some of the BACK STORY and
embed the necessary elements of the backstory, into the rising action/tension section of the story.
● Consider development of character and setting: Have these been developed with subtlety ? Or have you created “shopping
list” characters and settings (i.e. listing the character’s name, age, likes/dislikes, hair colour, family members, time of day,
weather conditions, etc.) THIS IS VERY INEFFECTIVE! Ensure you build characters and setting through the ACTION and
REACTION in the story, such as through characters’ facial expressions, movement and speech/dialogue. Only embed setting
details that contribute to the development of THIS STORY.
STEP 6: PROOFREAD your story for MECHANICAL errors
● Check the VERB TENSE throughout – have you been consistent?
● Check the use of narrator – first, second, third person (limited/omniscient) – for consistency.
● Check spelling – use a dictionary!
● Check punctuation (especially apostrophes, use of semicolons and dialogue: new speaker = new line).
● Check use of vocabulary – have you used an extensive and sophisticated range of words, which build character, setting,
tension, tone, atmosphere etc.
STEP 7: Proofread AGAIN checking for IMPACT ON READERS
● Does it flow? Is it cohesive?
● Is the story believable?
● Have you used imagery, figurative language and sensory appeal?
● Have you evoked a particular response from readers? (fear, laughter, inspiration etc.)
● Get your parents, friends, aunts, uncles, grandparents to READ your story and provide you with some feedback.
● Don’t be afraid to make changes! You should continue to refine and polish your work; rarely will an author EVER “finish” a
piece of writing.
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