Monday, May 5, 2014

8 short stories participating in the third YEWS contest

 The Turkish stories participating in the third Yews Contest in Balikesir are:

1. FILANIA                                                        2.THE GREEN HAT MAN


 The French stories participating in the third Yews Contest in Balikesir are: 

1. LOVE IS BLIND                                          2. THE DARKEST HOUR


The Bulgarian stories participating in the third Yews Contest in Balikesir are:

1. WHO IS LEO?                                             2. THE MAGIC OF DANCE


The Italian stories participating in the third Yews Contest in Balikesir are:
 
1. OVER HAPPINESS                                    2. THE DREAM AND THE SEA

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

8 short stories participating in the third YEWS contest

The Turkish short stories are:


The French stories are:

1. Love is Blind                                 2. The Darkest Hour 

The Italian short stories are:


The Bulgarian short stories are:

Friday, January 3, 2014

8 short stories participating in the 2nd YEWS contest

 The Turkish stories participating in the second Yews Contest in Balikesir are:

1. AFTER YOUR LEAVING           2. A DETECTIVE STORY


 The French stories participating in the second Yews Contest in Balikesir are: 

1. CYBER FIGHTERS                     2. THE END


The Bulgarian stories participating in the second Yews Contest in Balikesir are:

1. HEAVENS                                     2. REAL DREAM


The Italian stories participating in the second Yews Contest in Balikesir are:
 
1. THOMAS' BLUE EYES                2. THE CARILLON

Creative writing in the classroom: five top tips for teachers

English teacher, Alan Gillespie, shares his advice and resources on how to teach creative writing...

To read the article on the Guardian website, click HERE.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

How to write a short story based on a photo


(Is it different from a story writing based on a paining?)

1. Can you see the picture in front of you?

2. You must remember that the photographer HAS CAUGHT a specific moment. What is it? Write only words to describe it.

3. The moment CAUGHT by the photographer captures an emotion. What is it? Describe it with three sentences.

4. COMBINE the three sentences from above into one (Take the most important and unlocking to put them into one).

5. The title of your short story is hidden in THIS ONE sentence. GET IT OUT!

Now it is the moment for you to decide who the narrator is:
·    Is he/she one of the participants in the action?
or
·    Is he/she an omniscient narrator?

6. What are the most important details of the characters at the moment caught (in the picture)? Write them in a list.

7. How are these characters and details connected? Join them.

8. What happened to them before the moment? Use your imagination and think about THE PAST of the characters. Now you create the pre story events (the exposition and the complication).

9. What will happen to the characters after the moment? Use your imagination and think about the future of the characters. Now you hint the denouement and behold the end of your story.

10. What is happening NOW, at this very moment? Feel it. Be in the shoes of each character at the moment! This way you depict the moment and create the gist (the meaning, the idea and the feeling) of your short story.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Focus on the plot

What is Plot?
What is plot in a short story? It is the series of events that make up the story, in which there is a beginning, middle, and end.
A  plot is what happens in the story. Something has to move, to change. This change could be:


  • A physical event (a serial killer is killing young girls -CHANGE- police arrest the killer).

  • A decision (character wants to become a doctor  like his father-CHANGE-character decides to be a ballet dancer).

  • A change in a relationship ( They hate each other-CHANGE-They fall in love)

  • A change in a person (character is a selfish jerk. -CHANGE- character has learned to be less of a selfish jerk.)

  • A change in the reader's understanding of a situation. (character appears to be a thief.-CHANGE- The reader realizes that character is actually innocent and made a false confession.)
This change could even be the realization that nothing will ever change. (your character dreams of escaping her small town -CHANGE- her dream escape is shown to be an hopeless.)