Exercise in Micro-Fiction: Re-creating an Old Story in a New Genre

Learn how to analyze a plot structure and boil it down to a logline

You have written and re-visioned a story of your own design. For this Learning Journal, you will pick a new genre that you haven’t used and re-create your story yet again. This time, however, you will use only 1-3 sentences to tell the entire story.

 

This is an exercise in Micro-Fiction and the ability to analyze a plot structure and boil it down to a logline.

 

For example, the movie Terminator can be ‘boiled down’ to one sentence: A man from a dystopian future is sent back in time to stop a killer android from destroying the unborn leader of the resistance.

 

Here is the old story Genre:

Thriller Amanda, Rose, and Josh, three friends decided to go on a short trip to a nearby hilly region. It was the beginning of winter when the region would be quite chilly at night and foggy in at early morning. Josh was a carefree chap, Rose was a little timid and Amanda was a person who would always choose to strike a balance between the other two, by choosing what was right in a particular situation. They made a reservation at the motel. The place was serene and desolate; with no people in the vicinity, it felt really strange at first. Soon they settled in, freshened up and was overwhelmed with the scenic beauty of the surrounding.

Mossy green terrain, foggy roads, chilly weather made it a perfect getaway that they were looking for. They thoroughly enjoyed the lunch and decided to take a nap after lunch. It was pitch dark when Josh woke up the other two, “Wake up you two, lazybones! Have you guys come here to sleep all day or what, huh?” Amanda and Rose sprang up from their slumber, Amanda on a sleepy voice replied, “why didn’t you wake us up before?”. Josh proposed that they should go out for a while and explore the place. Rose revolted, “Are you kidding me? It’s dark already. I don’t want to risk my life.” Josh laughed unapologetically, “why are so pansy all the time? we are adults now Rosy!” After a good ten minutes of convincing Rose, the three friends went out to explore the nearby area. After walking for a while, it was Amanda who pointed out that they had lost their way back to the motel.

 

Rose started to panic and sob in silence fearing for her life, Josh started to hover and search for a mobile network, while Amanda found out an abandoned shelter where they could spend the night until dawn. Soon they could hear strange noises and sounds of animals in that house yet could see no one. After a while, it was unbearable for them when the sounds began to deepen. They ran out of the house and kept running until they reached a highway. It was nearly dawn when a passer-by offered them a lift to the motel. He informed that the area was haunted and they should go back home at once. It was a terrifying experience for the three; they promised never to travel without researching enough about the place.