The Scarlatti Tilt

368 Words2 Pages
The Scarlatti Tilt RICHARD BRAUTIGAN "It's very hard to live in a studio apartment in San Jose with a man who's learning to play the violin." That's what she told the police when she handed them the empty revolver. Read the short story “The Scarlatti Tilt” above. Not very long, is it? Yet it does have all the elements of a story. There are characters, suspense, dialogue and we even know what happens at the end! It’s amazing how much information is in this story and you’ll see that’s the case just by answering the following questions: 1. How many characters are in the story and who are they? 2. Where is the story set? 3. What has happened? 4. What will happen to the woman now? Richard Brautigan managed to write his story in a total of 37 words and that includes the title. Do you think you can write a short story like this? Try to write a full story in no more than 50 words. It can be fun to try and write exactly 50 words without writing less or more. Here are a few tips on how to do it. • Make sure that something exciting happens – conflict is the basis of any good story • Don’t include too many characters – two or three at most will be enough. It is best if you use only one setting. • Begin by overwriting your story, say 80 or 90 words long, and then see if you can cut down some of your sentences by using one word instead of a longer phrase. For example, you might start with “she was very angry and shouted at the man” and then cut it down to “she screamed at the man”. This says the same thing but you have cut out 4 words. • You may find it helpful to use a thesaurus. • When you have finished, read your mini-saga to your friends and ask them to comment on it. Do they think your story is clear or confusing? Does it have a definite ending? Basically, they should be able to answer the same questions as you have about The
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