University of Oregon
Pizzaz, Creative Writing & Storytelling: Creative Writing via Basket Stories
This PIZZAZ (People Interested in Zippy and ZAny Zcribbling) lesson plan will engage students in creative writing about items found in a basket. Examples of creative writing are provided. Examples of springboard ideas are included.
University of Oregon
Pizzaz, Creative Writing & Storytelling: Chain Stories
This PIZZAZ (People Interested in Zippy and ZAny Zcribbling) lesson plan will engage students in writing chain stories. A variation of the instructional activity is provided as an extension during the publishing phase of writing.
Other
Glimmer Train Press: Writing Guidelines
Glimmer Train accepts entries from both published and upcoming writers, although there is a separate category for new writers. Deadlines and additional information are given at this site. (It would be wise to click on the Short-Story...
University of Oregon
Pizzaz, Creative Writing & Storytelling: Tongue Twisters
This PIZZAZ (People Interested in Zippy and ZAny Zcribbling) lesson plan will engage students in writing tongue twisters. Examples of tongue twisters are provided. A template is also included as a graphic organizing support for students.
British Library
British Library: 20th Century: Angela Carter's the Bloody Chamber
These activities offer students a unique opportunity to examine how a writer crafts a narrative. By exploring many of Angela Carter's early drafts, students will uncover how she created her ground-breaking short story collection, "The...
Other
Write4 kids.com
This site provides a great deal of information on writing children's stories. Contains "Advice, instruction, insider tips, insight and inspiration."
Other
Fiction Writing Tips: Creating a Vivid Setting
Some excellent guidelines to consider when evaluating your setting in a short story or novel. Discusses the importance of setting, some examples, as well as practical advice in setting your story. W.11-12.3d Sensory/precise lang narratives
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: The Stupendous Dodgeball Fiasco by Janice Repka
This lesson will lead students in relating literature to their own lives. The book, The Stupendous Dodgeball Fiasco, will be read aloud to students. Afterward, students will create short stories about things which they'd like to change...
Other
Ink Pot: A Print Literary Journal
Ink Pot accepts short stories, poetry, and essays. Guidelines for submitting work, as well as samples of previously published entries, are readily available at this site. This site offers a great archive as well.
Caro Clarke
Historical Fiction: Who Rules?
This is the fifteenth article in a series designed to help the new novel author. This article focuses on the genre of historical fiction and the role of the author. Is the author a researcher or a story-teller?
Caro Clarke
Caro Clarke: Description: What's It For?
This is the twelfth article in a series that is designed to help the new novel writer. This article focuses on how to effectively use descriptions in any writing.
Caro Clarke
Caro Clarke: Pacing Anxiety, or How to Stop Padding and Plot!
This is the seventh installment of a series giving advice to the author who is new to writing novels. This article focuses on how to take your characters and use them and their conflicts to develop the plot of your story. W.9-10.3b...
PBS
Pbs Kids: Plum Landing: Backyard With Clem
This Plum Landing activity from PBS Kids engages students in using imagination. Students will think about their environments and then write and or draw what visitors would see.
Other
Nottingham Trent University: Kids on the Net
Visit this site for children's writing made by kids. Kids on the Net aims to help children develop a useful and informed approach to the Internet and how to use it for writing.
Other
Mystery Net Kids Mysteries: Mysteries by Kids Winners
This site offers links to the winning stories from MysteryNet's mini-mystery writing contest for kids. They provide good reading practice and/or models for story writing activities.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: The Rookie Project
This is a three-part writing project which includes a research paper, a creative short story, and a movie review inspired by the movie, The Rookie. The lesson is easily adapted to other appropriate films of similar themes.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: British Lit: 20th Century Postmodernism: Introduction
This is an introduction to a unit on 20th Century Postmodernism in British poetry and short stories. Although the works in this unit vary in style and themes, each reflects disorder and an attempt to create a new reality. The unit looks...
Caro Clarke
Not Stopping the Reader: How to Avoid Stumbling Blocks
This is the eighth article in a series that focuses on helping the new novel author. This article looks at how the author can avoid creating stumbling blocks that disrupt the flow of the novel.