In this unit, students get to practice their creative writing skills, learning the elements of storytelling, character development, and the importance of vivid language. Through this process, students will begin to think more critically about texts. For many students, it can seem as if texts arrive in this world fully formed, as if published authors have never struggled with creative frustration; never felt doubt; or never had to rewrite a sentence over and over again until it finally worked. By creating their own short stories, students will come to appreciate how texts are created and the hard work they demand. They learn that a text is the result of a series of choices made by its author. Every sentence, every word choice, every character trait or plot twist, is the result of a conscious decision. Once a student understands how writers use these elements to create a story, they become stronger readers and critics, armed with the tools to effectively and incisively analyze a piece of literature.