OPTION B
Now, if you are choosing to end the semester by writing a creative short story . . .
In this “Short Story” writing assignment, you should aim to write a piece of fiction in prose. Short stories can be read quickly, therefore, stick to the page requirement. In this short story, you can focus on one scene or moment, or you could detail a series of moments as they relate to a topic or theme from this class (vampire literature, gothic horror, vamp fiction, vampirism, dark stories, etc.).
Your goal is to try to move your reader in some way, by evoking an effect or emotion (pathos). Your narrative style can be constructed in any way that makes sense to you in order to communicate the story with your reader in mind.
— Typically, short stories tend to focus on one plot and one setting (being you have limited time/space to achieve so much), as well as one central theme as it relates to our course (vampire literature, gothic horror, vamp fiction, vampirism, dark stories, etc.).
The art of writing a short story is not being afraid to experiment with certain ideas, writing styles, or even literary devices – but don’t worry, no need to get too literary here!
There are no real rules for this short story assignment choice, but you must connect it to the overarching theme(s) of our course (vampire literature, gothic horror, vamp fiction, vampirism, dark stories, etc.).
To help you think about the kind of story you want to write, ask yourself some of these basic storytelling questions:
What story are you trying to tell? Who is your narrator? From whose point of view are we reading/hearing this story? Why does that matter? What kind of character, or characters does your story have? How does the character interact with the plot, and the conflict of the story? What is the conflict of this story? Does the character have internal struggles or conflicts, or is the conflict solely external? Is there an antagonist? What’s the setting? Where/when does this story take place? Why is this happening? What scene or moment builds up the story, or changes its narrative direction? What’s the climax or turning point? How does the story resolve itself, or try to resolve itself? What message are you trying to convey? What’s the takeaway of this story? How does your story connect to the topic/theme of our class?
Note: This Short Story assignment does not really follow a specific format (though MLA Format is recommended for heading, pages, margins, and font), you should do your best to create a story as freely as possible.
Try to have fun with this written assignment as much as possible! Be as creative as you want!
Creative Vampire Short Story thematic structure / genre possibilities:
- Monologue
- Diary Entries/Journal
- Blog Entry
- 1st Person Narrative
- 3rd Person POV/Omniscient Narrator
- Free Verse Poem
- Realistic Fiction
- Folklore/Fable
- Horror/Ghost Story
- Sci-Fi/Dystopia
- Love Story
- Crime/Mystery
- Coming-of-Age/YA
Your Creative Vampire Short Story should include:
- Original thoughts and ideas
- Development of Character, setting, conflict, plot, tone, narrator (s), and theme
- Dialogue / quotes
- Creative title
- Languages of origin, writing languages, etc.
- Images, artwork (if you want)
- MLA formatting
- Elements of Vampire fiction
- Elements of Gothic Horror
- Metaphor(s)
- Symbolism
Writing Resources & Support:
- Purdue OWL Writing Lab
- Purdue OWL YouTube Channel
- BMCC Writing Center
- Google Scholar
- BMCC Library Databases
- How to Write a Short Story (Writers.com)
- How to Write a Great Short Story (MasterClass)
- Best Vampire Creative Writing Prompts
- Writing the Vampire Short Story with Metaphor (TV Tropes)
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Requirements for Option A:
- 2,000-2,500 Words, 8-10 double-spaced pages
- MLA Format: Times New Roman or Arial, 12 pt. font
- MLA Format for in-text citations, Works Cited section/page
Requirements for Option B:
- 2,000-2,500 Words, 8-10 double-spaced pages
- MLA Format: Times New Roman or Arial, 12 pt. font
