Writing Literature

You will plan, write, and revise a short narrative story that explores an appropriate theme and is at least five pages long. Be sure to follow the steps of the writing process to ensure a polished final draft.

Writing Tips

Part A

Outlining

Using your notes during the brainstorming process, begin outlining as you develop the structure and elements of your story. Outlining helps organize and develop your characters and plot. As you form your outline, write down the order of events as you see them. Remember, your short narrative should be at least five pages in length and should discuss a consistent theme throughout. Writing a story is a fluid process, so you may notice that your initial plan changes periodically as you outline and draft your story.

Part B

Drafting

One way to create a story is to build your narrative from your outline. To develop your story, create a rough draft based on your brainstorming notes and outlines. Take the events noted in your outline and develop those points into fuller narrative forms. As you build each point, begin to piece each event together into a broader story.

Part C

Revising, Proofreading, and Editing

After drafting your story, revise your initial drafts to clarify your thematic vision, character development, and the cohesion between ideas. As you read through your drafts, consider how you can improve each section of your plot structure, such as the rising action, the climax, and/or the resolution.

In a word processing document, revise your work for cohesion and clarity. Proofread your work and remove grammatical or syntactical errors, such as problems with spelling, fragment sentences, or consistency. After revising, proofreading, and editing, develop a final draft that you are confident portrays the theme, meaning, and characters correctly.