ENG 1DI



WRITING A DYSTOPIAN SHORT STORYSetting:Time:Location:Physical Description of Landscape:Back Story: What is the world like that we enter into at the start of your story? What is the history of conflict between the oppressed and oppressors?Is the society divided into different factions or groups? If so,explain the groupings: **GETTING GOING: To start your story, let us see this world. Start by describing it and then let your main character show up in this world, doing whatever he/she regularly does.Conflict:What is the new conflict that arises to motivate one character in this world into action? Some action of an oppressor has to newly impact the life of an oppressed character. (This will be the complicating incident for your story and the character who is affected is probably your protagonist.)Why does this new action of an oppressor affect that one character in particular?What does that one character decide to do to respond?**GETTING GOING: now add this action into your story next—this is the ball that gets your story rolling!Character:Who is the main protagonist (oppressed person) in your story? Let it be a specific person/creature. Describe that character and describe his/her back story here:Physical characteristics:Mental characteristics (strengths, weaknesses):Family history/personal history:Main goal right now:How does he/she speak? Write in his/her voice right here by having him/her describe the worst moment in his/her life and the best moment in his/her life:Best Moment: “I …Worst Moment: “I…Who is the main antagonist in your story? Let it be a specific person/creature. Describe that character and describe his/her back story here Physical characteristics:Mental characteristics (strengths, weaknesses):Family history/personal history:Main goal right now:How does he/she speak? Write in his/her voice right here by having him/her describe the worst moment in his/her life and the best moment in his/her life. This voice should sound different than your protagonist’s voice:Best Moment: “I …Worst Moment: “I…**GETTING GOING: 1. Look back at the inciting incident that you just wrote for the last section, and now add in more descriptive details about your antagonist and protagonist. 2. Also look again at their dialogue and see if you can make sure they have voices that are distinct from each other. 3. Look back to see if you have included some of your protagonist’s thoughts. If not, do so now (thoughts don’t have to be in quotation marks or italics). Back to Conflict:Now that your protagonist has responded to some change in the status quo that your antagonist did, your conflict has begun. Usually, the protagonist’s response to the antagonist does not go well, and the protagonist finds himself/herself in a worse situation that he/she must now respond to in a new way. (This series of actions and reactions is called the rising action.)How is your protagonist now in a worse situation than before he/she chose to act?What personality trait led to your protagonist not being able to succeed at this point?Other Characters:What compatriots/helpers appear to help your protagonist? There should be one character at least who may be able to help your protagonist overcome their personality weakness to triumph.Who is your protagonist’s helper/sidekick or perhaps their mentor?**Getting Going: if another character(s) hasn’t appeared yet in your story, go back now and add one in. It’s always helpful to have a character for your protagonist to talk to and to be compared to. Feel free to add more!Continuing Conflict of the Rising Action to the ClimaxIf you were writing a novel, this sort of back-and-forth action/reaction would continue for some time before the story reaches a climax. However in a shortish short story, there may only be one or two incidents in the rising action before the climax. Crisis and Climax: What will the climax of your short story be? Your antagonist needs to do a final act (crisis) that looks as if it will demolish your protagonist and his/her goals. *Often, the antagonist is able to do this climactic action because of some mistake that your protagonist made. In a traditional story, your protagonist overcomes his/her personality defect (perhaps with the help of another character) and is therefore able to react successfully (climax) to the antagonist’s final action.What is your antagonist’s final act (crisis)?What is your protagonist’s reaction (climax)?How does this reaction show that your protagonist has transformed?**Getting Going: now you may write one more set of an action/reaction conflict before you get to your climax, or you might go right to writing your climax. Remember, it’s best if the climactic action is brought on by some mistake your protagonist makes.Theme/Resolution By the end of your story, what message are you hoping your reader will come away with? Your message may work on more than one level: 1. What does your story say to a reader about what they should be beware of with regards to their own society? 2. What does your story say to a reader about how a single person can overcome challenges?**Getting Going: As you write the wrap-up to your story, consider whether your themes are obvious or not, or whether a character needs to say something aloud to another character or to their society to help emphasize the messages of your story.Dicton and Mood:Complete the following chart for your story:ProtagonistAntagonistSettingDescriptive wordsMetaphorsand personificationsAllusionsLook at your completed chart and ask yourself what overall mood will you be creating for your story?My overall mood: _______________________*Getting Going: now go back and add in these literary devices to your story to create your mood (and to develop character).Title:Will your title be informative or suggestive or intriguing? Will it use a literary device?My title: __________________________ ................
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