For this unit in English, we had to write a flash fiction, or a short story. The idea behind a flash fiction is that less is more; Meaning, how can you portray a story in the least amount of words possible while still following the standard storyline structure.

We also had to design a graphic novel based on the flash fiction we wrote. The graphic novel outline then began the rough scenes for our animatic and later animation. If you click on the image to the left, you will be able to view my graphic novel in black and white.

Writing a short story was a bit of a challenge for me as it was difficult to come up with an interesting story that had the potential to become an animatic, character portrait, etc. Not only was coming up with the story challenging at times, but mainly keeping the story consise was also something to keep in mind. We really emphasized good storytelling in this unit and I came to realize that it's important to be a good storyteller not only for this project, but for other aspects of life too. Stories are what tie people and generations together, so it's an important skill to keep alive. I have included my short story below-enjoy!

The Indecisive Decision

 

Miss Aspyn Grey exited the department store with her medium brown bag in hand, as she had just secured her last purchase of necessities for the most anticipated night of the year. Dress? Check. Ticket? Check. Guests? To arrive later that night. Everything seemed to be falling right into place for the most magical night of the year: prom. Dreaming of this night for the past three years, Aspyn had planned everything to the minute.

As Aspyn pulled into her driveway and started to schlepp her bags out of the trunk, her phone chirped from inside her purse; It was her best friend, Kate. A suspected request to ditch prom and go catch a movie, Aspyn thought to herself as she swiped her phone to reveal the message. The message read as follows: “The Emotional Roller-Coasters. Radio contest. Front row seats. Backstage passes. Meet & greet with band. Tonight. You. Me.” Aspyn’s jaw (and her bags) both dropped to the floor. Her hands were too shaky to text, so she hastily dialed up Kate. All that could be heard on both ends of the line were high-pitched screams. “Can you believe it?” Kate screeched. “You and me, The Emotional Roller-Coasters...tonight!” As Aspyn’s squeals got softer and softer, reality started to sink in as she remembered what tonight was. “But Kate, tonight is prom night...Everyone will be here in less than an hour for pictures and such. I already bought my dress and ticket and everything!” Aspyn muttered. A recently dumped Kate was boycotting prom and had planned on staying home that night anyway, so she had no conflicts with the spur of the moment tickets. “There will be other proms, Aspyn! There will only be ONE Emotional Roller-Coaster concert for which we have seats, let alone backstage passes and meet and greet...The whole nine yards! You have to go with me!” Only Kate was wrong; This was their senior prom and unfortunately there wouldn’t be any more for them. Aspyn had been saving up her money from her part time job at the bagel shop for over four months to cover all the expenses of this night. Was she going to just throw this night away for one concert? After a prolonged silence, Kate eventually gave her an ultimatum; “Well look, you’re my first choice as far as guests go, but hey if you’re not interested I’m sure dozens of other people would be more than happy to accompany me.” Aspyn swallowed. “Give me five minutes and I’ll call you back, okay?” “Aspyn, no you can’t--” She frantically scampered inside, sprinted to her room and slammed the door shut. She rushed to her closet, reached for her cobalt blue dress and laid it on the bed.

The search then began for her hair curler.