Freshman English 213

Literature and World HistoryName:

Short Story Unit: Original Story—Memoir, with Explication

  1. ORIGINAL SHORT, SHORT STORY. Writea short fictional or true* memoir—between 350-500 words (1-2 pgs)—in which your narrator looks back on an event from childhood on which he or she now has a greater understanding. Your story must include attention to the elements below.
  • Elements of Fiction
  • Plot—Be sure to have a plot that arcs in a meaningful way and has clear exposition, rising action, and a climax
  • Character—should be presented through indirect description—through appearance, actions, words (her or his own or those of others); there must also be some dialogue included in the story, properly punctuated
  • Conflict—Your story should have an identifiable conflict.
  • External or internal conflict—in which the narrator looks back on an error made to
  • a parent (“Rules of the Game”)
  • sibling (“The Scarlet Ibis”) or other family member,
  • a classmate
  • a neighbor (“Marigolds,” “A Rose for Emily”)
  • or to him- or herself (“Sheila Mant”)
  • Theme—What is the theme of the story?
  • Setting—At some point in the story, the setting—time and place—must be clearly presented
  • First-Person Point of View—The story must be told from the first-person limited point of view
  • Other Elements
  • Title. Create a title for your story that tries reach for another level of understanding the story, that tells the reader, “This is what the story is about.”
  • OPTIONAL: Use of dialogue. At some point in your story, present characters in dialogue with one another. A new paragraph begins with each new speaker or shift in character action. From “Rules of the Game”:

"About time you got home," said Vincent. "Boy, are you in trouble."

He slid back to the dinner table. On a platter were the remains of a large fish, its fleshy head still connected to bones swimming upstream in vain escape. Standing there waiting for my punishment, I heard my mother speak in a dry voice.

"We not concerning this girl. This girl not have concerning for us." Nobody looked at me. Bone chopsticks clinked against the inside of bowls being emptied into hungry mouths.

I walked into my room, closed the door, and lay down on my bed. The room was dark, the ceiling filled with shadows from the dinnertime lights of neighboring flats.

* Fictionalize a true story. Tell a story from your past and change the names and details as you like, in a way that you think helps the story. It can be a blend of truth and fiction. No one needs to know what’s true and what isn’t.

  1. EXPLICATION. Write a short 200-250-word explication paragraph of your story, discussingthe following elements of your story.
  1. Conflict. Discuss what you see as the central conflict of the story.
  1. Theme. Discuss the theme of your story. What is the story about? What were you trying to say through the story?
  1. Title. What went into your decision to give the story the title it has? Were there other options?