As a writer, sometimes the most diffi cult thing to contend with is writing a good ending. You have probably been disappointed with the ending of a novel, play or fi lm on occasion. The most important thing is that readers or viewers are left with a satisfactory ending, whether it is dramatic, happy or sad. As the author Jeanette Winterson said:
There are only three possible endings – aren’t there? – to any story: revenge, tragedy or forgiveness. That’s it. All stories end like that.
You will read two short stories that have very satisfactory endings: ‘Humming Through My Fingers’ and ‘After Twenty Years’.
Short Story 7: ‘HumMing Through My Fingers’
SIGHT See clearly HEARING SMELL
What I will learn:
to identify
direct speech, dialogue and indirect speech
to see ‘Show, Don’t Tell’ in action
to see the creation of an
ending/resolution in a plot
Make a list of verbs you could use to express the five senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste). You could challenge yourself to make them expressive verbs by having an accompanying adverb. An adverb tells you how an action is being carried out. For example: ‘She roared angrily’. Adverbs can also describe adjectives (the describing words), for example ‘Oliver was extremely sinister’. Two examples have been completed for you.
