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FICTION texts can be in the form of stories, plays or poetry. But in this section we will concentrate on writing stories. The main purpose of fiction is to entertain the readers. It can also make readers think about a theme or an issue, or teach a lesson or moral. At face value, this might appear like a repeat discussion on composition writing until you read closely to find additional information not revealed before.
For example, learners already know that there are three things that all stories have in common: setting, characters and theme. How are stories structured? All stories are organised in the same basic way. When you plan your story, think in five sections:
Beginning — where you introduce the setting and the main characters. Then there is the build-up whereby the story gets going as characters start to do something.
The next stage is where a problem is presented, something goes wrong. This the most exciting part of the story. In ordinary terms it is referred to as the climax of the story. After having a problem, then there should be a resolution of the problem. The problem gets sorted out. Then comes the ending. This is where all loose ends are tied up. The characters think or reflect on what has happened.
Setting, characters and theme are the three story ingredients, which learners need to put into the mixture to make a story.
They should work through each section carefully. Make sure you understand what you want your reader to think or feel. At O-level, your writing is lively and thoughtful. You can develop your ideas and organise them according to the purpose of your writing. You can make adventurous choices of vocabulary and use words for effect. You can use a variety of sentence types including complex sentences, and your spelling and punctuation should be accurate.
Again, on top of that, make sure your handwriting is fluent, joined and legible. Researchers say, “All writers ‘borrow’ ideas from other writers, so read as much as you can! Note down ideas, sentences, phrases and words that you like. Use them in your own writing. Readers do not know what is happening inside your head while you write, so make sure you tell or show them. When your characters are talking, tell the reader who is speaking.”
Another key reminder, use paragraphs. Think Person, Time, Place. When the person, time or place changes in your story, start a new paragraph. Let us go back and define the three main ingredients of the story. Setting is when and where your story takes place. You need to help your readers make a picture in their minds. The setting can also be used to create an atmosphere and affect how the reader feels.
How do you practice this skill? Think about some of the stories you have read. When and where were they set? How do you know? Look at some short stories to see how the authors have told the reader about the setting. Introduce the setting in the beginning section of the story. The two things you need to tell your readers are when and where the story is set. Is your story set in the past, now or in the future? You can use objects to tell when and where the story is set, whether it is set in the future or it is set in the present day.
The second ingredients in the story are the characters. This is who is in the story. You need to help the readers build up a picture of the characters — not just appearance, but also personality. Your readers need to have an idea of what the characters are like. Think of the stories you have read. Who were the characters? What were they like? How do you know? What were they called? How did they speak? Look at some short stories and see how authors have told the reader about the characters.
Theme is there in story writing, not only in literature. Theme is what happens in the story. Think about stories you have read. What happened? Did one story remind you of many others? Here are some common themes, for example, good overcomes evil, main character loses something, good beats bad, lost and found, wishing or wanting. Look at the basic structure of a story based on the theme, good overcomes evil.
In the beginning you can have two characters — one good, one evil. Setting. In the build-up — evil character plots against good character. Good character is innocently unaware. There follows a problem where evil character tricks or threatens to harm good character. As stated earlier, there follows the resolution, the problem is solved. At the end everything is fine.
Characters reflect or think about what has happened.
Short stories need some dialogue. A story without any dialogue could be very dull. What characters say and how they say it can tell readers a lot about the characters in a story and move the plot along. Use powerful speech verbs to tell your readers about the character who is speaking. Dialogue needs to move the story along. Only use it when you want to tell the reader something important about the setting, characters or plot.
Try to use a variety of verbs and adverbs to show how characters are speaking. Make it very clear who is speaking. When a new person joins the dialogue, always start their spoken words on a new line. Use pronouns (he/she/they) and the character’s names. Now, after reading this, you know how to organise your writing for stories, you know what to include and what to leave out.
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