Creative writing for young learners

11-12 years

Short Story
Week 4 Lesson 1

Tips for Short Story Writing

Read

• This is the best way to learn how to write – How can you know what your readers feel
if you don’t know what you feel about literature?

• Don’t just read for pleasure. Begin to analyze and think like a writer.

Write

• No writing is wasted

• Write about what you know

• Choose a setting which you know well and which is realistic

Characters

• Try to stick to one central character and stay in the mind of that character.

• Your character must have a problem, dilemma or conflict.

• Show, don’t tell. It is much more effective to reveal a character through dialogue and
events rather than just description.

• The reader needs to care about the character.

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The Ending

• Do not lose track of the main story and if you can, plan the whole story before you
start.

• It does not need to be a happy one – you can give your story a sad or unexpected
ending too.

• Keep the ending believable.