The Art of Storytelling: Crafting Engaging Short Stories

The Art of Storytelling

Crafting Engaging Short Stories

​Contents

The focus of this lesson will be:
Short Story Tips and Tricks
Opening Lines

​Future Lessons

The focus of future lessons will be:
Character Development
Descriptive Language
Setting
Narration

Open Ended

Think of a piece of literature (book, oral story, short story, etc.). Tell us a technique the author/narrator used to make it interesting.

A Few Tips

The next few questions highlight some key factors great writers should incorporate in their work.

Multiple Select

Advice: Use the time of a total stranger in a way that they will feel

• like their time is valuable

• like their time is wasted

• bored and unsure

• happy and engaged

Multiple Choice

The reader should be able to cheer for at least one _______

• plot twist
• character
• narrative arc
• storyline element

Word Cloud

Finish the thought (be appropriate): every character should want something, even if it is only __________

Multiple Choice

Start your story as close to the _____ as possible

• beginning
• start
• end
• middle

​Kurt Vonnegut’s Advice for Short Story Writing:

1.    Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that they will not feel the time was wasted.

2.    Give the reader at least one character that they can root for.

3.    Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

4.    Every sentence must do one of two things – reveal character or advance the action.

5.    Start as close to the end as possible.

6.    Be a sadist – no matter how sweet or innocent your leading character, make awful things happen to them in order that the audience may see what they are made of.

7.    Write to please just one person.

8.    Give your readers as much information as possible, as soon as possible.

Opening Line/Hook

• Grab attention with a compelling hook

• Introduce main character or conflict

• Set the tone and atmosphere

• Create curiosity and intrigue

​Opening Line: Developing an intriguing hook is crucial to set up the rest of your story. Without the hook, readers will not be interested.

​“Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.”

Poll

Which opener is better?

• “It was a bright and sunny day, just the kind of day I was supposed to die in.”

• “It was a bright and sunny day.”

Poll

Which opener is better?

• “Hi, Steve. Just wanted to tell you I convinced your partner to break up with you.”

• “Hi, Steve. You got a second?”

Poll

Which opener is better?

• “The grocery store was busy today.”

• “The grocery store was awfully busy for a ghost town.”

Poll

Which opener is better?

• “Jenna had just turned thirteen the day the planet exploded.”

• “Jenna had just turned thirteen.”

Poll

Which opener is better?

• “Around here, strawberries don’t ripen until late spring.”

• “Around here, strawberries don’t ripen until late spring—but the Magic Wars had changed all that.”

Choice of Openers

“The grocery store was busy today.”

Versus

“The grocery store was awfully busy for a ghost town.”

The Setting Line

“It was a bright and sunny day.”

Versus

“It was a bright and sunny day, just the kind of day I was supposed to die in.”

​The Weather Line

Choice of Openers

“Hi, Steve. You got a second?”

Versus

“Hi, Steve. Just wanted to tell you I convinced your partner to break up with you.”

​The Dialogue Line

​“Jenna had just turned thirteen.”

Versus

“Jenna had just turned thirteen the day the planet exploded.”

​​The Character Line

Choice of Openers

“Around here, strawberries don’t ripen until late spring.”

Versus

“Around here, strawberries don’t ripen until late spring—but the Magic Wars had changed all that.”

The General Statement Line

Reorder

Reorder the following based on best to worst opening line

• The train was late again. . .

• Rain pelted on the tin roof as she raced downstairs.

• "How could he do that to me!"

• I once saw a tiger.

• Kyle had just turned forty.

1

2

3

4

5

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

1.)   The train was late again. . .

2.)   Rain pelted on the tin roof as she raced downstairs.

3.)   "How could he do that to me!"

4.)   I once saw a tiger.

5.)   Kyle had just turned forty.

​

​Activity

Within your group, each person will choose one of the opening lines to the right, and work to make it better. This might involve changing the punctuation or adding more descriptions - use your imagination or personal experience.

Once you're done, change papers with your peers and get feedback.

​ ***Be ready to share out one or two of the best opening lines from your group.