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WRITING ASSIGNMENT : Writing a short story in 55 words or less.
(Completed in class the week of November 15-19):

THE BEST STORIES WILL:

A)      have an interesting theme

B)       include a surprise ending

C)       include some dialogue

D)      tell us something about the characters.
            (Who are they? What are their names? What is their relationship to each other?)

E)       provide info about the setting (Place and time of the story)

F)       use 55 words or less

G)      include some complex sentence structures

H)      use interesting words that convey much meaning and enhance the tone of the story. See: Choosing Words Carefully
            Examples: The word “pitbull” tells me more than the word “dog”. “Surgeon” tells me more than the word “doctor”.

I)        Include all versions / attempts at your story so I may see how you made changes to improve your story. Highlight your story, 
hold down the ctrl key and the c key at the same time. Then paste a copy of the story by holding down the ctrl key and the v key.  
Now you may revise the copy of your story to improve it while keeping the original story.

It is important to know that no one (not even an expert writer) can write a perfect story
on his or her first attempt. ALL stories get revised until they are good stories.

Start by thinking of a surprise ending. Then figure out what info you need to put in your story to lead your reader to that ending.

GRADING:

Everyone that attempts the assignment will get a grade of at least 73.  Items A to I listed above are worth three points each. 
Each item that you use in your story will earn you an extra 3 points. Include all of them and you will have a grade of 100.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

A) Merriam Webster online dictionary / thesaurus. Located at http://www.m-w.com/home.htm
B) Your teacher C) The spell checker on Microsoft Word  D) MS Word’s tool menu / word count

HERE IS YOUR TEACHER’S ATTEMPT AT THE ASSIGNMENT:

(ATTEMPT #1 - 52 words / I want to say something about eating well since there is an apple in the story, but I want to stay in my word limit)

The students listened carefully as Ms White explained how plenty of sleep would improve their appearance.

After class, Helga, a Russian immigrant with a scarf tied tightly under her chin, approached the teacher’s desk.

“Here’s an apple for you Ms White.”

“Thank you!”

“Don’t thank me. It’s from my mother, the Queen.”

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(ATTEMPT #2 - 56 words / I need to find a way to say more with fewer words!)

The students listened carefully as Ms White explained how plenty of sleep and a good diet could improve their appearance.

After class, Helga, a Russian immigrant with a scarf tied tightly under her chin, approached the teacher’s desk.

“Here’s an apple for you Ms White.”

“Thank you!”

“Don’t thank me. It’s from my mother, the Queen.”

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(ATTEMPT #3 - 53 words / I met my goal!)

The students listened carefully as Ms White explained how substantial rest and proper nutrition could improve appearance.

After class, Helga, a Russian immigrant with a scarf tied tightly under her chin, approached the teacher’s desk.

“Here’s an apple for you Ms White.”

“Thank you!”