Writing Cool Short Stories textbook - Carol J. Amato, Author

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Writing Cool Short Storiesto incorporate the sensory details into the plotline and characterization.While the character narrates the story, it’s the student, theauthor, who is the story-master, behind all of the action!ExpositionExposition is background story. It gives readers a glimpse intothe character’s past/history. The writer briefly explains whathas happened to the character that led to the point where heor she is at the beginning of the story. After all, the characterhad a life before the current story and will continue to live longafter the story ends.In exposition, the writer briefly introduces the plot, setting,theme (if the writer knows what his/her theme is), and characterproblem, then moves on with the telling of the story. Studentsshould not spend too much time writing the character’sbackground information. It will slow the story down before itbegins.Here’s an example of exposition:In the novel, Harry Potter, the reader learns at the start ofthe plot, how Harry parents were murdered by an evil wizard.That’s how he came to live with his aunt and uncle and pesky,spoiled-rotten cousin. The author also informs the readerabout the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. The exposition inthe first Harry Potter book is rather long, but it could be becauseHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was the firstbook in the Harry Potter series.Remember to keep exposition (background information) asshort as possible, then move on with the plot—the action thattakes place in the story!28
Writing Cool Short StoriesThe All-Important First PageFive critical elements must appear on the first page of a shortstory. Called the “5 Ws and the H,” these are who, what, where,when, why, and how. That means the following questions mustbe answered:• Who is the main character?• What is the problem to be solved?• Where is the story taking place?• When is the story taking place?• Why has the situation occurred?• How did this situation arise?Here is an example of a story opening that covers all the bases:Jason Carpenter had wanted to be an astronaut since he wasfour years old. When he had heard NASA needed a teenagerto send to space to test the effects of weightlessness onyoung bones, he had applied. He had never thought in amillion years that he would win. Now here he was—in anairplane on his way to the Johnson Space Center in Houston,Texas, for astronaut training as a guinea pig. “I’m eitherthe luckiest or the craziest 14-year-old in the universe!” hemumbled to himself, as a knot formed in his stomach.Let’s consider our list again.Who is the main character? Jason CarpenterWhat is the problem to be solved? To test the effects ofweightlessness on young bones.Where is the story taking place? At the Johnson SpaceCenter in Houston.29
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Writing Cool Short Stories textbook - Carol J. Amato, Author

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