Your Heroic Quest Short Story
(adopted and adapted from “A Hero’s Tale” assignment by Margaret Synhorst)
Assignment: Write a quest short story of at least 5 pages which includes research for a real life goal.
Due Dates:
Prewrite – Thursday October 22
½ Rough Draft – Thursday October 29
½ Rough Draft – Thursday November 5
Final Draft – Thursday November 12
Requirements:
Layout
Five pages min.
Double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman or Arial font
One inch margins
Title page – Title, Name, Mrs. Reynolds, Period
Bibliography with at least 2 sources (see High School Handbook or
online resources posted to wiki)
Content
Contains elements of fiction ( simile, metaphor, etc.) and incorporates
research
Includes THREE challenges from the Hero Cycle
Clearly follows the path of separation, initiation (quest), and return
Process:
1. Complete prewrite
2. Gather information for your quest through research and
create a works cited page of sources.
3. Complete each half of rough draft and participate in two
in-class peer edits. Peer edits will cover the six traits of
writing. Rubric provided by Mrs. Reynolds.
4. Edit your creation based on peer edit and personal edit.
5. Prepare title page and attach to your story.
6. Turn in all parts of the process on due date.
Your Heroic Quest – Prewrite Assignment
Due October 22
Think about some of the stories we’ve discussed that incorporate elements of the Hero Cycle (Finding Nemo, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Pan’s Labyrinth, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Cold Mountain, and “The Odyssey” of course). You may model your story on one of these, or be creative and develop your own style of story.
An effective short story
· establishes the setting in time and place
· contains a point of view which enhances the telling of the story
· presents a main character (our hero) who takes part in the action as the problem is resolved
· introduces and develops a conflict; a problem to be resolved
· weaves a plot, the series of events that comprise the action of the story, including a climax that suggests a theme or generalization about life
In order to write an effective short story, you must be very intentional about each of the above elements of fiction. Your first assignment in writing your story is to make a decision concerning each of these parts of the story. Use the attached page to begin the writing process. Remember that careful attention to the prewriting component of the writing process will simplify the drafting process and improve the overall quality of your writing.
Heroic Quest Prewrite Assignment
Name______
Period______
Plot – List the basic plot of your short story.
Background (exposition) –
Rising Action –
Climax –
Falling Action –
Resolution –
Conflict – what is the conflict in the story?
Prewrite pg. 2
Name______
Setting – What is the setting of the story?
Characters – Tell me about our hero. List the other significant characters.
Point of View – What point of view will you use? Why?
Theme – What is the theme of your story?
Prewrite pg.3
Hero Cycle components
Name______
Separation
Initiation
Return
Your story must incorporate the three basic parts of the Hero Cycle (above) as well as at least three challenges (Brother Battle, Dragon, etc.)
REMEMBER THAT THESE CAN BE METAPHORICAL
1.
2.
3.
*Talisman______
Your Heroic Quest – Rough Draft Assignment
Assignment #1 – 2 ½ pages double spaced typed
Due Oct. 29
Assignment #2 – 2 ½ pages double spaced typed
Due November 5
Strategies for drafting your short story:
1. Imagine that your friend called you and asked you to tell her what happened in the story and give her “all the details.”
2. Picture your story in your mind as if it were a movie. Describe what you see.
3. Remember that the telling of this story depends totally upon you, and the world needs to hear it.
4. Think like a hero. If you were the hero, how would you describe yourself and the actions in the story?
5. Write big, big, big. It is so much easier to edit writing by deleting words, sentences, and paragraphs, than by trying to add them.
6. Play the game in your mind where one person is blindfolded and the other person has to describe something in such detail that the blindfolded person can guess what it is. Details, details.
7. Pretend that you are having a cup of coffee (or your favorite Starbucks beverage) with the characters. They are all telling you the story. Are there any aspects of the story you have neglected to include in your draft?
8. See a person who comes to you and complains that there are no heroes. Tell your story to convince that person that real heroes do exist.
Strategies for using the Six Traits of Writing:
IDEAS: You should have most of your ideas in place from your prewrite assignment. Do not be afraid to make adjustments to your story if inspiration strikes you.
ORGANIZATION: Use paragraph breaks. One idea = one paragraph. Refer to your PIE paragraph handouts to help you.
VOICE: Be consistent. Be you.
WORD CHOICE: Use adjectives and action verbs. Use similes and metaphors. Use epithets if appropriate. Describe people, places, and events so well that I can close my eyes and I am there.
SENTENCE FLUENCY: Sentence length depends on the story. Quick action might use shorter sentences, while detailed descriptions might use longer, more complex sentences. Read it out loud to yourself. Does it flow?
CONVENTIONS: Use quotations for dialogue. Check periods and commas.
USE YOUR PREWRITE ASSIGNMENT AS YOUR ROADMAP.