A good school story should have all the essential elements of a good short story. That means you need a motivating headline, an engaging and exciting opening paragraph, a developing conflict between at least two contrasting agents, a climax to the action, and finally, a solution to the problem (which isn’t always a happy ending!) .

It also seems natural to represent the characters, place, and time with just a few words, so that the story has its own unique setting. But you should not be satisfied with such a formal list of criteria. The real value, the literary quality of a school story, depends on the mixture. The characters, the plot, the setting, the conflict and the ending should be logical parts of a story in which all these elements coincide. If they don’t, the story won’t find many readers and won’t be very believable or convincing.

Where can you get help? The first step for someone who wants to write a special type of text is to read the great authors. Famous short story writers have once considered these aspects and have created masterful combinations of these elements. So let me try to use one of the best stories I know, ‘The Cat in the Rain’ by Hemingway.

This story is only four pages long, but it has all the parts named. There is a very precise setting, two characters have a conflict and the ending offers a solution that can be positive; at least there is a sense of a way out of hope and change: the young woman’s wishes may finally come true.

All this sounds simple and even banal. But this very short story is a masterpiece, because it brings together all its parts and qualities in a flow of action and dialogue that makes it unique. The question is, how do you get the ability to write such a flow of words that makes it a proper piece of art, or at least a logical construction to some extent?

My answer is, not just because of talent. You can learn how to write a short story, and of course a school story too, if you consider some of these basic rules and ideas. Try to come up with a crude structure for your story, perhaps starting with a single event from your own school life. Write it down and think about the reasons, conditions, consequences and problems related to this same event. Find the two or three people who had to do with it, and take the second step to write the complete story. Use your fantasy as well as your memory.

You should never forget the dialogue. A story is a living piece of literature with a lot of direct communication. By using dialogue, you make it not only readable but also exciting. Get people talking and your story will speak to your readers!