Starter quiz
- 'Chronological' describes a narrative in which ...
- events are described in a different order to which they actually occur.
- events are described in the order events actually occur. ✓
- large chunks of time between events are skipped.
-
- Starting with the first, put each section of the narrative arc in chronological order.
- 1⇔Exposition
- 2⇔Rising action
- 3⇔Climax
- 4⇔Falling action
- 5⇔Resolution
- What is a flashback?
- transitioning to a past time in a narrative ✓
- transitioning to a future time in a narrative
- skipping large chunks of time in a narrative
-
- Which of these is *not* a manipulation of time in a narrative?
- anaphora ✓
- flashback
- flashforward
-
- What is a climax in a narrative?
- the part of a text where characters are introduced
- the part of the text where conflict is resolved
- the part of the text with the highest point of dramatic tension ✓
-
- Which of these events is the most appropriate for a climax?
- a woman is alone in the forest
- a battle between a robot and human breaks out ✓
- it starts raining heavily
-
Exit quiz
- 'Exposition, rising action, ______, falling action, resolution'. Which is the technical term for the part of the narrative arc that is missing from the sequence?
- action
- climax ✓
- drama
- tension
-
- For short narratives, what might an exposition need?
- biographical details of the author
- an introduction to every character one by one
- a seed for something to go wrong ✓
-
- Which of these sequences does *not* manipulate time?
- Exposition -> rising action -> climax ✓
- Flashback -> exposition -> rising action -> climax
- Present -> past -> past
-
- Which of these would be most likely to lead to ignominy?
- a leader pays for people to vote for them in an election ✓
- someone wears last season's fashion to a party
- two friends argue on the bus
-
- When writing a short story, what is the least important thing to do?
- allow a full narrative arc to unfold ✓
- craft each scene consciously
- allow for a strong sense of voice to shine through
-
- In order to begin with the climax in a short story, which order could these narrative events be described in?
- 1⇔a violent, brutal fight is described
- 2⇔a character is describing that they are homeless
- 3⇔the character describes how conflict developed between them and a flatmate
Worksheet
Loading worksheet ...
Presentation
Loading presentation ...
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- When writing a short story, we can condense the traditional narrative arc.
- We need to craft for a believable unfolding of events for a short story.
- In short stories, we may need to plant seeds of conflict from the very beginning.
- We can also manipulate time in a short story to hook the reader,
- We can begin our story with the climax, a flashback or a moment after the events of the narrative have taken place.
Common misconception
All narratives have to follow the traditional story arc and have a chronological order for them to make sense.
Short stories often have to manipulate the traditional story structure to be engaging from the very beginning.
Keywords
Chronological - following the order in which a series of events occurred
Manipulate - to change or control something in a skilful manner
Ignominy - public shame or disgrace
+