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Short Story Guidelines
Short Story Guidelines
Guillen
Short Story Guidelines
Due Date:
Length: Minimum of ten pages, maximum 15
Title
: Centered, not in all caps, not quotation marks, boldface, or
underlining
Format: Typed, 12point Courier font, doublespaced, with indented
paragraphs (including dialogue exchanges), oneinch margins, and pages
numbered. See “Manuscript Format” and “Dialogue Format” handouts.
Suggestions:
ScopeRemember that the tighter the focus, the easier it will be to
write a tenpage story. This seems oxymoronic, but it's true. Short
stories are born out of small moments in life, not the sweeping epics
found in novels. Working with a few characters and a limited time
frame will encourage you to write in scene, to show not tell. For this
length, plan on working with approximately two to three scenes. Get
your protagonist into a conflict immediately, let that conflict build
in tension to some kind of dramatic peak, and then find a way to
resolve that conflict to a degree so that the protagonist sees the
world differently than before the story began. Review the stories we
covered in class to acquaint yourself with how much material can be
developed in a story of this length.
Point of ViewChoose the one that works best for your material. You
can get a sense of this by writing a scene in both first person and
third person. Which one reveals the voice that seems natural for your
narrator? Do you want some distance from your characters? Perhaps
third person will work better. Do you want an immediate sense of the
narrator and a more direct link to his/her thoughts and sensory
impressions of the setting/action? Do you want the youth/naiveté of
the narrator to be present in the voice? Perhaps first person is the
better choice. Remember, though, that first person can be too
restrictive. Sometimes the reader cannot bear to follow that character
so closely.
TenseThe natural choice and the easiest to manage is past tense.
However, you should reread Minot's analysis of both past and present
tense, including his guidelines on transitioning from present to past
tense and past tense to past perfect tense.
Writing and Revising the DraftMany of the concepts introduced in
Minot's text will make better sense to you as a writer once you have
written a first draft. If you try to juggle all of these ideas as you
force yourself to write a few scenes, you will go mad. In the first
draft, your characters and creative instincts should push you forward.
If you have no idea how to start shaping your narrative, revisit some
of the stories we have covered in class or those that you have enjoyed
in the past. Maybe you can model your approach after one of your
favorite author's. If you are still having trouble, try telling your
story to someone willing to listen. No one around for this? Try
talking into a tape recorder. Best of luck.