I have to write a short story based on a poem (around 800 word) for a school assignment. Any tips on short stories? Fictional/romance? Anything which would help me?
The basics of a short story is to pick one thing that the whole story is going to focus on and make everything focus on that thing. You often don't have room to have a sprawling story, especially at 800 words.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo
Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
Honestly, it depends on the poem you choose off of. If you could give a poem, I could help
"Don't give up after you've put your effort into trying" "If you love someone, put their name in a circle; because hearts can be broken, but circles never end." Karen Amanda Hooper, Grasping At Eternity
Decide what you want to write about. Think about different things that could happen. If you're really stuck, write stuff like: I'm bored. Why am I doing this etc. Junk like that, until you're brain produces ideas. That's what I would do.
I know this post is months old but I feel I have some good advice for this type of situation because I've done the exact same thing to what I consider to be great effect. a few years ago I wrote this story based on this poem by Charles Bukowski. the best way to summarize the process of creating this story is to use a situation which most people are familiar with. as a kid, when I found a book or a movie I really enjoyed I would return to it over and over, imagining in my head how I would tell the same story if it were my own. that's essentially what I did with Happy Hollow.
writing this story was a two pronged approach:
first I took the most visceral images from the poem (the creature, the blood, the soil) and imagined a new context for them.
second: I examined the speaker's voice and tried to emulate it as best I could, albeit as a new character with whom I felt more familiar with.
the result was a prose story with a poesy atmosphere of voice and imagery. but keep in mind, the only reason I was able to do this was because I had found a poem which really spoke to me on a personal level. for your story you need to find a poem that makes you say, "wow, I wish I had written that!" and then basically rewrite it as your own.
First you will awake in disbelief, then in sadness and grief and when you wake the last time, the forest you've been looking for will turn out to be right in the middle of your chest.
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