Have you ever watched a thriller movie? How do you feel when watching those movies?
An international magazine has organised a short story competition and you have decided to enter. The competition rules say that the story must end with the following words:
They were lucky to be alive.
It was cold, dark and quiet, for now. Terry and his brother, Phil, were sitting in the cabin, shaking with fear. It had been Terry's idea to spend the New Year in the mountains. However, it was turning out to be a very bad one. Surely it wouldn't be long before the 400-kilo beast would break into the cabin.
Terry got up quietly and glanced outside. When he looked at Phil again, he was so terrified he could barely speak. He held up two fingers and whispered, 'There are two of them!' There was no hope left. Two polar bears would easily find a way in.
Suddenly, Terry had and idea. He searched through his bag and removed a small box. Phil immediately understood. Terry had some fireworks which he wanted to set off at midnight, but now was probably a better time. So, he lit one and threw it outside.
They held their breath. A moment later, there were loud bangs and flashes of light, which scared the polar bears away. 'They're gone!' cried Phil. The boys were so relieved!
The fireworks attracted some locals who took the boys to safety. They were lucky to be alive.
Has the writer ended the story appropriately?
What tenses does the writer use throughout the story?
What words / phrases does the writer use to link the ideas?
Why does the writer use Direct Speech in the story?
An international magazine has organised a short story competition and you have decided to enter. The competition rules say that the story must end with the following words:
Susan will never forget what happened that day.
When writing a story
always keep the given sentence in mind and plan your story around it. Do not change the given sentence.
use Past Tenses (Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect)
use linking words / phrases to indicate time and the sequence of events, to express result, consequence, cause, reason and to give emphasis.
use Direct Speech, to make a situation seem real.
use questions or exclamations marks, to make the story more exciting.
use expressions / phrases like:
It was too good to be true.
I couldn't believe my eyes
I was in / out of luck
How would you start a thriller story? How do you make it interesting?