Short Fiction

Think about short fiction and what it means.  Okay.  It’s short.  But, it’s also fiction.  Fiction is writing about that which is made up.  It can be very realistic fiction.  It can be historical fiction.  It could also be otherworldly like science fiction or fantasy.

Consider your favorite short fiction story we’ve read this semester.  Choose the one you like the most.  Find out ALL you can about the short story – read background in the book (and about the author).  Find some more information online about the story – like: the time period in which it is situated, the politics surrounding it, the theme(s) the story is known for, the message the author is trying to get across, etc. 

For this second essay, you will be doing a two-part essay. In this essay, in the first part, I want you to attempt to write one more “page” of the story.  Extend the short story.  Tell what happens next.   In the second part of your essay, I want you to explain the how/why you extended the essay the way you did.  Did you emphasize a point in the original short fiction that wasn’t emphasized before?  Did you embellish on a point that allowed a second (or third or fourth) theme to come out?  Did you develop what you thought was a logical “next” in the story?  Whatever the case, please explain what you did and reason why you did it.

This essay should follow a format like the following: Introductory Paragraph that tells the short fiction piece you are writing about and that tells a brief summary so the reader knows the background of the story and, particularly in relation to the conclusion of the original, how the original ended.  The next section of your essay will be the “continuation” story you tell…of what happened next.  The third section of your essay will be the explanation of why you chose to write about what you did…why it matters.  The last part – the conclusion of your essay – will be your “wrap-up” of what you did.

This assignment should be between 800 – 1100 words. 

You do NOT have to include outside information – like as research.  If some kind of research work you did supports the second part of your essay (the explanation part) then feel free to include it and make sure you cite it.