Eduqas A-Level English Language: Creative Writing
Revision Guide
Short Story
Definition: A short story is a brief piece of narrative prose that is shorter than a
novel and generally characterised by carefully selected detail and a focus on a
particular character, incident or theme.
Narrative Perspectives:
First person: ‘I’ ‘we’
- The narrator is a person in the story, telling the story from their personal
point of view, allowing the reader to experience their thoughts and
feelings.
- This creates a personal, intimate relationship between the narrator and
the reader, making the reading experience more emotionally engaging
and immersive.
- It is a highly subjective perspective that can make a story more exciting as
the reader experiences events and emotions as they happen, like the
narrator
- It encourages the reader to feel invested in the story and empathetic
towards the narrator and helps the writer to construct a personal voice
throughout the story.
Second person: ‘you’ your’ ‘yours’
- This narration is the least common and is a point of view where the
narrator addresses the reader directly using the pronoun ‘you’, making
them an active participant in the story rather than a passive observer.
- By positioning the reader as the viewpoint character, the writer can
instantly establish intimacy between the reader and the story or
characters, forcing them to engage with the series of events that unfold.
- It increases the reader’s engagement with the story and has the ability to
provoke passionate emotions, closing the emotional gap between the
words on the page and the reader.
Third person: ‘he’ ‘she’ ‘they’
- The narrator is an invisible, often omniscient observer who exists outside
the events of the story and relates the actions of the characters by either
using their name or the third person pronouns ‘he’, ‘she’ and ‘they’.
- Third person omniscient is when the narrator is all-knowing meaning they
can reveal the thoughts, feelings, motives and actions of any character at
any time.
- This creates flexibility for the writer, allowing them to explore a wider
narrative scope and can be used to reveal plot events or build suspense.
, - Third person limited is when the narrator limits their perspective to one
character in the story, giving a detailed account of their thoughts, feelings
and behaviours.
- This provides a deeper emotional connection between the reader and the
character while still maintaining that wider descriptive scope.
Freytag’s Pyramid:
Freytag’s Pyramid is a classic narrative structure that describes the five key
stages of a story arc, providing a straightforward way to organise a story from
the beginning, middle and end.
Stage 1: Exposition
- The foundation of the story where the writer establishes the setting, main
characters and mood.
- To hook the reader, the writer may drop hints about later events in the
story to create foreshadowing.
- For a short story, it is best to describe one setting and one or two
characters in a lot of detail.
Stage 2: Rising Action
- A series of events, usually involving obstacles or conflict, that disrupt the
protagonist’s life, building tension and raising the stakes for the main
character.
- During this stage, the plot thickens and the protagonist experiences
challenges that push them closer to the climax.
- The character’s thoughts, feelings and reactions are usually described in
response to this action.
Stage 3: Climax
- An intense, pivotal moment in the story where tension, conflict and
emotion are at their peak.
- This is often the moment when the protagonist is forced to face the
antagonist or central problem.
- It creates a major shift that changes the course of the story, as well as the
protagonist’s fate.
Stage 4: Falling Action
- The aftermath of the climax where the dramatic tension de-escalates and
the immediate consequences of the climax begin to unfold.
- This stage shows the effects of the climax on the character, exploring their
initial reaction and development.
Stage 5: Denouement
- The conclusion of the story where problems are resolved, loose ends are
tied up and remaining questions are answered.
Revision Guide
Short Story
Definition: A short story is a brief piece of narrative prose that is shorter than a
novel and generally characterised by carefully selected detail and a focus on a
particular character, incident or theme.
Narrative Perspectives:
First person: ‘I’ ‘we’
- The narrator is a person in the story, telling the story from their personal
point of view, allowing the reader to experience their thoughts and
feelings.
- This creates a personal, intimate relationship between the narrator and
the reader, making the reading experience more emotionally engaging
and immersive.
- It is a highly subjective perspective that can make a story more exciting as
the reader experiences events and emotions as they happen, like the
narrator
- It encourages the reader to feel invested in the story and empathetic
towards the narrator and helps the writer to construct a personal voice
throughout the story.
Second person: ‘you’ your’ ‘yours’
- This narration is the least common and is a point of view where the
narrator addresses the reader directly using the pronoun ‘you’, making
them an active participant in the story rather than a passive observer.
- By positioning the reader as the viewpoint character, the writer can
instantly establish intimacy between the reader and the story or
characters, forcing them to engage with the series of events that unfold.
- It increases the reader’s engagement with the story and has the ability to
provoke passionate emotions, closing the emotional gap between the
words on the page and the reader.
Third person: ‘he’ ‘she’ ‘they’
- The narrator is an invisible, often omniscient observer who exists outside
the events of the story and relates the actions of the characters by either
using their name or the third person pronouns ‘he’, ‘she’ and ‘they’.
- Third person omniscient is when the narrator is all-knowing meaning they
can reveal the thoughts, feelings, motives and actions of any character at
any time.
- This creates flexibility for the writer, allowing them to explore a wider
narrative scope and can be used to reveal plot events or build suspense.
, - Third person limited is when the narrator limits their perspective to one
character in the story, giving a detailed account of their thoughts, feelings
and behaviours.
- This provides a deeper emotional connection between the reader and the
character while still maintaining that wider descriptive scope.
Freytag’s Pyramid:
Freytag’s Pyramid is a classic narrative structure that describes the five key
stages of a story arc, providing a straightforward way to organise a story from
the beginning, middle and end.
Stage 1: Exposition
- The foundation of the story where the writer establishes the setting, main
characters and mood.
- To hook the reader, the writer may drop hints about later events in the
story to create foreshadowing.
- For a short story, it is best to describe one setting and one or two
characters in a lot of detail.
Stage 2: Rising Action
- A series of events, usually involving obstacles or conflict, that disrupt the
protagonist’s life, building tension and raising the stakes for the main
character.
- During this stage, the plot thickens and the protagonist experiences
challenges that push them closer to the climax.
- The character’s thoughts, feelings and reactions are usually described in
response to this action.
Stage 3: Climax
- An intense, pivotal moment in the story where tension, conflict and
emotion are at their peak.
- This is often the moment when the protagonist is forced to face the
antagonist or central problem.
- It creates a major shift that changes the course of the story, as well as the
protagonist’s fate.
Stage 4: Falling Action
- The aftermath of the climax where the dramatic tension de-escalates and
the immediate consequences of the climax begin to unfold.
- This stage shows the effects of the climax on the character, exploring their
initial reaction and development.
Stage 5: Denouement
- The conclusion of the story where problems are resolved, loose ends are
tied up and remaining questions are answered.
