Youth Writing Challenge - Short Story Writing Styles

Short Story Writing Styles

The Writing Challenge is fun and easy. The historical event can be of personal or national significance and date as far back as a traditional legend or as recent as the Caledonia land dispute. Participants are also encouraged to be creative in their choice of writing styles. Some alternative writing styles include:

Journal entry - An important historical event can be described in a journal entry by one of the main characters. For example, think about what a Mohawk warrior might have written in his journal on the day that violence erupted during the Oka crisis.

Newspaper article - A reporter's job is to try to write an accurate description of both sides of a particular event or issue. For example, think about the different perspectives a reporter would have to describe when describing the courtroom scene when Louis Riel was found guilty of treason.

Fictional autobiography - With this style the writer can imagine being an important historical figure reflecting back on his or her life.

Letter writing - Before the days of telephones and email, people often used letters to share important events with distant friends and family, knowing that the letter would often take a long time to reach the recipient. For example, an Aboriginal soldier fighting overseas during World War II only had letter writing to share his experiences with his family back home.

These are only a few examples of possible writing styles but let your imagination guide you!

Story Styles of Past Writing Challenge Participants

The creative authors who participated in past years of the Writing Challenge used a variety of writing styles to explore historical events. To read some examples of these different writing styles, click on a participant's name to access his or her story.

THIRD-PERSON NARRATIVE:
Nicole Munro "Remember, My Grandson, Remember Us
Kyle Wilson "The Power of One and All"

FIRST-PERSON NARRATIVE:
Nicole Nicholas "First Contact"
Jeremy Morin "A Lost Generation"
Sterling Simon "Survival"
Sable Sweetgrass "Maternal Ties"

FLASHBACKS:
Nicholas Printup "A Day of Healing"
Zach Toohey "Residential School Nightmares"
Kerissa Dickie "Steh-Wa"
Sara General "Going the Distance"

FICTIONAL BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY:
Jessica Yarrow "The Enchanted Owl"
Megan Young "Lily"

CURRENT EVENTS:
Cory Cappo "Election Day"
Alicia Elliott "Across the Barricade"
Joe Restoule General "Occupied"

LEGEND:
Katherine Severight "The Legend of Indian Summer"
Tehoneratathe Nelson "The League"
Theresa Robinson "Amitola - Rainbow"
Réal Carrière "The Unknown"