It is finally time for you to complete a final draft of your short story. This draft should represent your finest work, and should be closely edited both for content and for form; be sure to read closely to ensure that you have done the following::

• Maintains a focus on character, setting, and conflict that builds to a specific climax. Do not keep details that do not build up to this climax!
• Use thought-provoking details that engage the reader and heighten their investment in the conflict. Use imagery that is especially striking.
• Develop characters that feel real; they should be described, use dialogue, and act in such a way that the audience can relate to them. They should also become more complex as the audience sees them struggle with the choices that arise from the conflict.
• Be sure you are following the structure of a plot: exposition, rising action, climax, resolution.
• Events happen in a logical order that builds reader interest.
• Provide a conclusion that feels reasonable and makes sense in the context of the story. If the story includes a “twist” at the end, there must have been foreshadowing earlier that makes the conclusion feel fair to the reader.
• Use specific and varied language. Try to be creative with description and avoid repetition.
• Use a variety of narrative techniques: parallelism, juxtaposition, irony, mood, tone, theme, allusion, symbol.
• Carefully check for spelling and punctuation.
• FORMATTING for all text (even titles): 12 point font, 1 to 1.5 line spacing, Times New Roman/Arial/Calibri

Remember to CHECK THE RUBRIC. It is on page 127 of our textbook, and I will be using it to grade your work.