Quick Question (1 Viewer)

[MortImmortelle]

I've already worked out a rough plot for my major work after much scribbling and 'what if' talks with my 4u teachers and i fear that my story line may be to dramatic and soap-operaish..Yes it is a dramatic story and fitting it into 8,000words will be hard but not difficult. And i feel like it may be percieved as a piece of trash..

I've read other major works from ex studends who did really well at my school and many seem to focus on a specific scene or a really small period of thought and it looks like it makes their work appear much more stronger.

Do you suppose it would be dangerous to go for something dramatic and eventful?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

 

[idling fire]

I suppose it just depends what you can make out of it. If you think you can make it work, go ahead and try
I personally find it harder to do lots of action, because then my descriptions go haywire.

Just make sure you get in your ideas and some character development. If the "dramatic and eventful" story is going to do that for you, go ahead!

 

[alcalder]

For a short story to have good development it needs minimal characters and minimal ideas. That way you have more space to develop. That said, you can certainly include quite a lot by hinting at and allowing the reader to fill in the gaps.

So, if you want to go big and dramatic, have the least number of characters you can and the least number of locations. Hint at the rest in dialogue, thoughts and so on.

Hope that helps.

 

[glitterfairy]

I've already worked out a rough plot for my major work after much scribbling and 'what if' talks with my 4u teachers and i fear that my story line may be to dramatic and soap-operaish..Yes it is a dramatic story and fitting it into 8,000words will be hard but not difficult. And i feel like it may be percieved as a piece of trash..

I've read other major works from ex studends who did really well at my school and many seem to focus on a specific scene or a really small period of thought and it looks like it makes their work appear much more stronger.

Do you suppose it would be dangerous to go for something dramatic and eventful?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

To me, the issue is not so much 'dramatic' as it is "is it feasible?"

I had a similar discussion with my EE2 teacher. As more of a medium-length writer (at least, initially... lol) when I think of plot, I tend to think of something novel-length. More than three twists and turns. But for a short story? You're limited by space. Most short stories spent half the time setting up... and then there's a quick climax, then it's all over. Most plots are simple, simply because that's all the word limit allows.

My advice is to write it out QUICKLY (so you have time to totally rehash if you need to) and see how it works out. be careful with 'soap-operaish' - is everything melodramatic because you have a weak plot? Have you been watching too much daytime television? OR is it truly neccessary? Only you know, and only a written draft will show how effective it is.

 

[jimmayyy]

For a short story to have good development it needs minimal characters and minimal ideas. That way you have more space to develop. That said, you can certainly include quite a lot by hinting at and allowing the reader to fill in the gaps.

So, if you want to go big and dramatic, have the least number of characters you can and the least number of locations. Hint at the rest in dialogue, thoughts and so on.

Hope that helps.

great advice, i think you are totally right

keep it minimal, and anything else u want to include can be infered. creative writing is not like writing an essay where you have to be explicit - good short stories are implicit and rely on SHOWING the responder rather than TELLING them. let them fill in the gaps. the responder for u major work will most likely be an intelligent forty something - give them some credit.

 

[MortImmortelle]

thats some good advice..thanx...

 

[jimmayyy]

ive been wrestling with the same dilemma lately, its nice to know others are on the same lines

 

[marthastuart]

The only sentance you really need to know is:
Play the game. (Yes, I'm a cynic but these aren't my words, they're actually an Extension 2 marker's words)

The markers care very little for topic, its whether what you write is cliched or simply lacking in techniques that they mark harshly on. I've read a 50/50 about someone preparing toast for breakfast, subject matter really means little. If you think you can do it without resorting to cliches then you've pretty much got an average mark right there, techniques and what not add on, subject matter will prboably influence your overall mark only one or two points.

Minimal Characters and settings do help of course, not because it allows you to develop the characters and story line more, though a fluent plot does help, it's because it allows for a greater manipulation of language through descriptions and transformations within the characters, it allows you to become more intimate and intense with the settings thus resulting in more far more effective descriptions of time and place, as they draw on your emotions as well as your imagination. Overall be clever, make a plot twist an actual plot twist.

Making it dramatic will probably have a more positive result if you can make it original AND interesting from the word go. It's a lot of stress but if you can pull it off the markers will love you for it, they hate the usual kissing-their-butt serious or psuedo-intellectual crap about mental disease purely because they are very rarely done well.