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Hello everybody!
Someone asked to put up on the blog a set of guidelines on how to write a
short story. Many people are afraid of writing anything in a foreign
language, but it only looks scary and in reality it is really creative
and fun! Let's get to work!
Mini-dictionary:
guidelines - wskazówki
required - wymagany, zobligowany
briefly - pokrótce
demand - wymagać
tricky - podchwytliwy, mylący, zwodzący
rambling - mówienie bez sensu
resent - mieć pretensje, obrażać się, oburzać
gradually - stopniowo
overcome - przezwyciężyć
convey - przekazać
pattern - wzór, schemat
crucial - kluczowy, najważniejszy, znaczący
paragraph - akapit, wcięcie
unravel - odkryć, odsłonić
thread - wątek
plot - fabuła
diverse - zróżnicowany
It is important that you know what form you are required to write. There are different possibilities and types of short writing forms, so I will briefly discuss most popular of them:a) Mini-sagasIt is a form of exactly 50 words. No more, no less. It seems to be easy to write, but it's actually very tricky, because it demands a specific idea and focus, you must fit within the limit and include everything that it needs to become interesting and surprising. Usually mini-sagas contain some surprising element, make people think about described problem and should not include pointless rambling. Here is an example of a mini-saga:
WHAT’S AN ALIEN?
An aggressive alien creature visited our planet.
It
was ugly, with a big nose, pinkish hairy skin, and feet that smelled.
It was frightened of us for no reason. It resented our differences. It
laid claim to our planet.
This strange alien was an Earth Human. It called me ‘alien’.
How to prepare to write one? Try to start with a bit longer story, but not more than 100 words. Then gradually cut a long story short, so shorten the sentences, get rid of unnecessary words, change two long sentences into one till you reach the magic number, for instance:
Alice didn't want to go to school, because she had a terrible headache. A moment later she thought she shouldn't skip it, so she pulled herself together and went to school.
Changed:
Alice, even though she had a terrible headache, overcame the problem and went to school.
b) Poetry
Poetry is not really a short story, but a short writing form. A really tough literacy form to be honest. It requires not only very good linguistic skills, but also deep understanding of words and ability to "play" with them. However, it is fun to write short rhyming poems. The main idea is that you remember what message you are trying to convey, that the poem has some regularity, repetitive elements, usually has a title and a point at the end.
c) Adventure/Fiction/Comedy/Love story
Just like in polish, the style of writing depends on the topic chosen. If you are going to write:
- a comedy, you want it to be funny and entertaining, with many jokes, referring to light topics like school, friends, love, with brilliant dialogues and a little bit of irony
- an adventure story, you want to use many verbs to keep the pace of the story and include unexpected turning points to keep a reader curious
- a fiction story, you want it to be mysterious, you slowly unravel different threads, characters and you use many adjectives to describe the surroundings
- a love story, you want to create intimacy between characters, show their relationship, focus more on their feelings, not the surroundings.
2) Remember about the story pattern!
Regardless the topic of your short story, there is a common convention that you want to stick to. In all stories there are three main parts:
1. Introduction - some say it is the crucial part of your story. You should awake the curiosity in a reader, include a clever thought, something surprising to make the reader want more. I'm sure you also pay attention to the beginning and that's why the first few sentences must convince the reader to stay and carry on reading.
Common phrases:
- Once upon a time - Pewnego razu/Dawno, dawno temu
- I will never forget this day - Nigdy nie zapomnę tego dnia
- This was the day that everything changed - Tego dnia wszystko się zmieniło
- It was a sunny morning and there were no signs of something special coming - To był piękny dzień i nic nie zdradzało nadejścia niezwykłych wydarzeń.
2. Main body - the middle part, where you present all threads, characters, surroundings, places, feelings, time and situations. Everything that makes up a story. Think of a good plot, so plan the action of your short story before you write anything to avoid hopeless situations and being stuck with an unwanted character.
Use adjectives to describe characters, places and emotions, but also dialogues to present characters' personalities and relations. See posts about vocabulary: negative and positive adjectives to use them when writing your short story and idioms to make your story more diverse linguistically.
This part should also contain the climax, so the peak of the story, a breakthrough, the most surprising and unexpected part of the story. Sometimes it is placed in the conclusion to leave even stronger impression on the reader.
Remember to keep the language simple and stick to only ONE TYPE OF TENSE - if you write in past tenses, i.e. Past Simple and Past Continuous, do not include present tenses and vice versa!
Also, the narrator should remain the same, so if the protagonist is a girl, do not change her sex in each paragraph or write from a completely different perspective, unless it is consistent throughout your work and you do it on purpose.
To make your story clear and easy to read, use paragraphs - indents, to show where a new thought appears, new action or a new character is introduced. It makes it much better for the reader, doesn't let you get lost in the plot and simply looks nicer.
Common phrases:
He was a dark-haired man with piercing look and something mysterious in his eyes - Czarnowłosy chłopak charakteryzował się charakterystycznym świdrującym spojrzeniem, a w jego oczach czaiło się coś niepokojącego
The place they visited was breathtaking - tall towers, massive walls, untouched beautiful scenery with a clear blue sky above their heads - Miejsce, w którym się znaleźli zaparło im dech w piersiach - wysokie wieże, grube mury i niesamowite widoki ponad którymi znajdowało się bezchmurne niebo.
They were trapped. They had no idea what to do next. Blood started to pump faster, their palms began to sweat and they had only a few seconds to find a solution to their problem. - Byli w pułapce. Nie mieli pojęcia, co dalej robić. Krew szumiała im w uszach i stali zlani potem wiedząc, że mają tylko chwilę na znalezienie wyjścia z tej sytuacji.
3. Conclusion - so a short ending of the story. No new things are usually introduced, because it gives the reader time to think of what has happened and what are the consequences of previous action. It should leave a good impression on the reader and not be distractive.
Common phrases:
I thought it was a dream, but unfortunately, the journey was just about to begin - Miałam nadzieję, że to był tylko sen, ale niestety, moja przygoda dopiero się rozpoczęła
I knew I was never going to see him again, but i couldn't help the feeling that I will never forget him - Wiedziałam, że już nigdy się nie spotkamy, ale czułam, że nigdy go nie zapomnę
I woke up suddenly. I looked around quickly, but there was nothing i could fear. I covered myself with a blanket and drifted off to sleep. I couldn't know that the danger was just around the corner... - Zbudziłam się nagle. Obejrzałam się dookoła, jednak nie zauważyłąm niczego niepokojącego. Okryłam się szczelnie kołdrą i momentalnie usnęłam. Nie mogłam przecież wiedzieć, że niebezpieczeństwo cały czas było w pobliżu...
3) Remember to have fun:)
It's the most important criterion. If you do not feel like writing something ambitious, do not force yourself unless you must (you have a test or an exam). Try to always choose topics that seem interesting, not the easiest. You are more likely to create a fun short story when you enjoy writing it. If you need more advice on how to write short stories, ask your teacher or browse literary forums. Good luck and have fun!
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