Short Story Project
Europa - One of Jupiter's moons.
Summary of Project: In the beginning of this project we had to choose an area of specialization that we would focus our writing on (both for a persuasive essay & a short story). Once we chose our area of specialization we had to gather research on it and organize it in a structured layout (my area was extraterrestrial life). Then we took that factual information and turned it into a science fiction story. During this project we learned about many things, including: literary terms, parts of grammar, and how to write effective dialogue.
Process: The process we took to write our short stories was long, but not too complex. First, before we started writing, we created characters for our story. Previously, we were taught that when you have an effective character, your setting will be developed automatically. Next, we were assigned to get all of our ideas down on paper, meaning that we write as much as we can up to five pages, and then stop (even if the story was not complete). Our next step was to take our stories to school and have them edited, so that if we didn't have a completed story, we could add to it. I got my ideas and inspiration from a previous story I had written. In addition, I have always loved reading science fiction, and through reading a lot of stories of that style I produced a story of my own. One great thing about this project was the amount of editing that we did, and this is where I got most of my improvements. When people edited my paper it was helpful because it told me how people reacted to my story and what they thought of it. Then based on the edits I received, I chose the ones I wanted to use. I think the most helpful thing to me was the fact that we had so much time to edit, and that out of all the edits that were made, I found the ones about the ending of my story to be most helpful.
Reflection: One thing that I learned about writing a story is that the use of literary devices or elements such as flashback, imagery and word choice, really help a story by making it more relatable, as well as making it more realistic. The three literary elements listed above are the ones that I chose to focus on in my story, specifically flashback, because in my story the protagonist has a painful past that he thinks of throughout most of the story. In order to have a good story you also need developed characters that are plausible. For a short story, though, you don't need to have too many characters, so having a very well-developed protagonist and antagonist can greatly benefit a story. Throughout our story writing process we had to read a lot of literature, and after we read it we answered questions about it. The questions we answered really helped us get into the story more, and heightened our understanding of the story. A lot of these questions asked us about certain objects in a story, and the significance of them. I think that these questions were the most helpful because it really got me thinking about the little details that I could have ignored otherwise. By reading and answering questions about the stories really did help me become a better writer. For example, when I write now I try to think of the little details, such as the steel plate in my story that is mentioned in the beginning, which seems meaningless, but in the end is an escape route for my protagonist. Another thing that these stories have taught me is how there are so many different kinds of dialogue, and that each character can speak differently, and by making them do so makes them a more unique character.
My Story: Below is an excerpt from my story. I chose this excerpt because I think it really taps into the emotions and makes you feel sympathy towards the protagonist's pain. Doing this makes the character more relatable and plausible. In addition, I think this is one of the strongest parts of my writing, because of the powerful imagery and strong use of flashback. I think that this excerpt can even work well out of context from the rest of the story because it is almost a story of its own; it has a conflict, climax, and even some suspense towards the end. In this excerpt my protagonist is about to be killed and is pulled back through his memories and relives the moments before and after the death of his mother. Below you will read the flashback that is happening in his head:
She had just arrived home on the shuttle when the Ralith started their invasion on Earth. I was seven at the time, and all I could think was how great life was going to be now that mom was back home. Right when I saw her get off the shuttle I ran to her as fast as my little feet could carry me. I saw her put her luggage on the sidewalk, and then she turned around and shouted my name, calling me to her. We hugged and she smelled as she always did—of gardenias with a bit of asteroid dust mixed in. Her smell was a blanket of protection and comforted me. It could banish all of the bad in life, and represented only the good.
I started to pull her towards the door, wanting to make up for the 10 months she had been gone, when she saw Dad standing in the doorway. She suddenly dropped all of her things, went up to him and hugged him for what seemed like hours. My parents seemed inseparable, so whenever my mom had to go away for long periods of time it was hard on Dad. Their embrace ended and my mom slowly walked inside. Dad then walked towards me so that he could help me with the bags, and then it hit. All I could do was stand there. The harsh, painful dirt flew everywhere, darkening the world around me. My eyes started to sting. A single tear fell gently down my face, cleansing away the dirt, followed by a family of others. My dad was screaming out my name, pain and fear filled his voice, but it sounded somewhat muffled, for the sound of the space rock colliding with the surface of the earth was too much for my ears to handle. My knees got wobbly; my mind was racing. Pain filled my body as it collapsed on the sidewalk. I could not speak. I could not move. I could not hear—
As the dust cleared the air, only ruins of a house were scattered on the suburban road. Flames shot up from the ground here and there, bringing pain to the eyes of the idle bystanders. But I was closer to the cataclysmic scene than any other. I was lying on the floor. No one was sure if I was dead or alive, for I did not move, and did not speak. I heard murmurs around me; I heard ragged crying, praying and wishing. I could not make out the words clearly because of the ringing in my ears from the impact of the asteroid that had been catapulted upon the earth by the Ralith. I felt stuck inside my small body; felt cocooned from the world; from the people around me. I started to cry, not wanting to face the miserable reality that awaited me. Later, my senses started to return, and I started to grasp what had just happened on this awful day; and one thought seared my mind: my mother was dead.
If you would like to read my completed story, please download it from the link below:
Process: The process we took to write our short stories was long, but not too complex. First, before we started writing, we created characters for our story. Previously, we were taught that when you have an effective character, your setting will be developed automatically. Next, we were assigned to get all of our ideas down on paper, meaning that we write as much as we can up to five pages, and then stop (even if the story was not complete). Our next step was to take our stories to school and have them edited, so that if we didn't have a completed story, we could add to it. I got my ideas and inspiration from a previous story I had written. In addition, I have always loved reading science fiction, and through reading a lot of stories of that style I produced a story of my own. One great thing about this project was the amount of editing that we did, and this is where I got most of my improvements. When people edited my paper it was helpful because it told me how people reacted to my story and what they thought of it. Then based on the edits I received, I chose the ones I wanted to use. I think the most helpful thing to me was the fact that we had so much time to edit, and that out of all the edits that were made, I found the ones about the ending of my story to be most helpful.
Reflection: One thing that I learned about writing a story is that the use of literary devices or elements such as flashback, imagery and word choice, really help a story by making it more relatable, as well as making it more realistic. The three literary elements listed above are the ones that I chose to focus on in my story, specifically flashback, because in my story the protagonist has a painful past that he thinks of throughout most of the story. In order to have a good story you also need developed characters that are plausible. For a short story, though, you don't need to have too many characters, so having a very well-developed protagonist and antagonist can greatly benefit a story. Throughout our story writing process we had to read a lot of literature, and after we read it we answered questions about it. The questions we answered really helped us get into the story more, and heightened our understanding of the story. A lot of these questions asked us about certain objects in a story, and the significance of them. I think that these questions were the most helpful because it really got me thinking about the little details that I could have ignored otherwise. By reading and answering questions about the stories really did help me become a better writer. For example, when I write now I try to think of the little details, such as the steel plate in my story that is mentioned in the beginning, which seems meaningless, but in the end is an escape route for my protagonist. Another thing that these stories have taught me is how there are so many different kinds of dialogue, and that each character can speak differently, and by making them do so makes them a more unique character.
My Story: Below is an excerpt from my story. I chose this excerpt because I think it really taps into the emotions and makes you feel sympathy towards the protagonist's pain. Doing this makes the character more relatable and plausible. In addition, I think this is one of the strongest parts of my writing, because of the powerful imagery and strong use of flashback. I think that this excerpt can even work well out of context from the rest of the story because it is almost a story of its own; it has a conflict, climax, and even some suspense towards the end. In this excerpt my protagonist is about to be killed and is pulled back through his memories and relives the moments before and after the death of his mother. Below you will read the flashback that is happening in his head:
She had just arrived home on the shuttle when the Ralith started their invasion on Earth. I was seven at the time, and all I could think was how great life was going to be now that mom was back home. Right when I saw her get off the shuttle I ran to her as fast as my little feet could carry me. I saw her put her luggage on the sidewalk, and then she turned around and shouted my name, calling me to her. We hugged and she smelled as she always did—of gardenias with a bit of asteroid dust mixed in. Her smell was a blanket of protection and comforted me. It could banish all of the bad in life, and represented only the good.
I started to pull her towards the door, wanting to make up for the 10 months she had been gone, when she saw Dad standing in the doorway. She suddenly dropped all of her things, went up to him and hugged him for what seemed like hours. My parents seemed inseparable, so whenever my mom had to go away for long periods of time it was hard on Dad. Their embrace ended and my mom slowly walked inside. Dad then walked towards me so that he could help me with the bags, and then it hit. All I could do was stand there. The harsh, painful dirt flew everywhere, darkening the world around me. My eyes started to sting. A single tear fell gently down my face, cleansing away the dirt, followed by a family of others. My dad was screaming out my name, pain and fear filled his voice, but it sounded somewhat muffled, for the sound of the space rock colliding with the surface of the earth was too much for my ears to handle. My knees got wobbly; my mind was racing. Pain filled my body as it collapsed on the sidewalk. I could not speak. I could not move. I could not hear—
As the dust cleared the air, only ruins of a house were scattered on the suburban road. Flames shot up from the ground here and there, bringing pain to the eyes of the idle bystanders. But I was closer to the cataclysmic scene than any other. I was lying on the floor. No one was sure if I was dead or alive, for I did not move, and did not speak. I heard murmurs around me; I heard ragged crying, praying and wishing. I could not make out the words clearly because of the ringing in my ears from the impact of the asteroid that had been catapulted upon the earth by the Ralith. I felt stuck inside my small body; felt cocooned from the world; from the people around me. I started to cry, not wanting to face the miserable reality that awaited me. Later, my senses started to return, and I started to grasp what had just happened on this awful day; and one thought seared my mind: my mother was dead.
If you would like to read my completed story, please download it from the link below:
four_painful_walls_final.doc | |
File Size: | 40 kb |
File Type: | doc |