STORY WRITING

To tell even a simple story well requires some practice. An uneducated person generally
tells a tale badly. He does not mentally look ahead as he tells it and plans it out. So he
repeats himself, omits important items, which he drags in afterwards out of place, and
dwells too long on minor details and fails to emphasise the leading points. To write a
good story, you must have the whole plot clear in your mind, and the main points
arranged in their proper order.
In this exercise you are not asked to make up a story. The plot of each story is given to
you, more or less fully, in the outlines provided. But an outline is only a skeleton; it is
your work to clothe the skeleton with flesh and breathe life into it. You must try to
produce a connected narrative, and to make it as interesting as you can.

HINTS
1. As has been already said, see that you have a clear idea of the plot of the story in your
mind before you begin to write.
2. Follow the outline given; i.e., do not omit any point, and keep to the order in which the
points are given in the out line.
3. Be careful to connect the points given in the outline naturally, so that the whole will
read well as a connected piece of good composition. Otherwise the whole will be
disconnected and jerky. You must use your imagination in filling in the details of action,
gesture and conversation that should connect one point with the next.
4. Where possible, introduce dialogue or conversation; but be careful to make it natural
and interesting.
5. The conclusion of a story is important. The whole story should be made to lead up to it
naturally, and then it should come as a bit of surprise.
6. If you are asked to supply a heading or title to the story, you may choose the main
character, object or incident of the story (e.g.,"The Barber of Baghdad," or "The Pot of
Olives,"or "An Accident"); or, a proverb or well-known quotation that suits the story
(e.g.,"No pains, no gains," "Sorrow's Crown of Sorrow", etc.)
7. See that your composition is grammatical and idiomatic and in good simple English.
Revise your work, and if necessary rewrite it, until it is as good as you can make it.

EXAMPLE


THE BOY WHO CRIED "WOLF !"
One of the boys in a village was sent out into fields to look after the sheep.
“Mind you take care of them and don't let them stray,” said the villagers to him. “And
keep a good look out for wolves. Don't go far away: and if you see a wolf coming near
the sheep, shout out 'Wolf!' as loudly as you can, and we will come at once to help you.”
"All right !" said the boy, "I will be careful."
So every morning he drove his sheep out to the hillside and watched them all day. And
when evening came, he drove them home again.
But after a few days he got rather tired of this lonely life. Nothing happened and no
wolves came. So one afternoon he said to himself: "These villagers have given me a very
stupid job. I think I will play a trick on them just for fun."
So he got up and began shouting as loudly as he could, "Wolf ! Wolf !"
The people in the village heard him, and at once they came running with sticks.
"Wolf ! Wolf !" shouted the boy; and they ran faster. At last they came up to him. out ofbreath.
"Where is the wolf ?" they panted. But the boy only laughed and said: '"There is no wolf.
I only shouted in fun. And it was fun to see you all running as hard as you could !"
The men were very angry.
"You young rascal !" they said. "If you play a trick like that again, we will beat you
instead of the wolf."
And they went back to their work in the village.
For some days the boy kept quiet. But he got restless again, and said to himself: "I
wonder if they will come running again if I cry 'Wolf !' once more. It was such fun the
last time."
So once more he began shouting , "Wolf ! Wolf !"
The villagers heard him. Some said. "That boy is up to his tricks again." But others said,
"It may be true this time; and if there really is a wolf, we shall lose some of our sheep."So they seized their sticks, and ran out of the village to the hillside.
"Where is the wolf ?" they cried, as they came up.
"Nowhere !" said the boy laughing. "It was fun to see you running up the hill as fast you
could."
"We will teach you to play jokes," shouted the angry men; and they seized the boy and
gave him a good beating, and left him crying instead of laughing.
A few days later a wolf really did come. When the boy saw it, he was very frightened and
began shouting "Wolf ! Wolf ! Help ! Help !" as loudly as he could.
The villagers heard him, but they took no notice.
"He is playing his tricks again," they said. "We won't be made fools for a third time. You
can't believe a boy after you have caught him lying twice."
So no one went to his help, and the wolf killed several sheep and frightened the boy
nearly out of his wits.