HOW TO MAKE A TALE

WHAT IS A TALE?

DEFINITION:

Short narration, oral or written, in which a story of fiction is narrated with a reduced number of
characters, a little developed intrigue and a climax and fast final outcome..

We find two types of tales:

the popular tales: It is that story transmitted through writing, generally known who is the author,
generally the written text has a single version, without the game of variants characteristic of the
folk tale.

the literary tales: It is a traditional narration that is transmitted from person to person, or from
generation to generation in oral form, so multiple versions of it can be presented that coincide in
its central idea but change in the details.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TALE

These are the characteristics that differentiate the tale from other literary genres.

NARRATIVE: A narrative is the story of real or imaginary events that happen to some characters in
a place.

FICTION: although in some cases it can be based on real events or be a fiction of a marked realism,
a story must, to function, be cut out of reality.

ARGUMENTAL: has a structure of intertwined facts (action - consequences) in a format of:

introduction - node - outcome.

ONLY STORYLINE: unlike the novel, in the story all the facts are linked in a single sequence of
events.

A SINGLE MAIN CHARACTER: although there may be other characters, the story will speak of one
in particular, which is to whom the events occur.

BREVITY: by and to fulfill all other characteristics, the story should be short.

PROSE: the tale must be written in prose, that is, with paragraphs, indentations and a full stop.

The TALE is made up of three parts:

INTRODUCTION, BEGINNING OR APPROACH:

it is the initial part of the tale

YOU CAN USE THESE PHRASES TO STAR YOUR TALE:

✘ ONCE UPON A TIME …

✘ IN A _________ FAR FAR AWAY…

 ✘ ONE DAY …

✘ A LONG TIME AGO THERE WAS A …

DEVELOPMENT OR MEDIUM:
is the part where the conflict arises, where the story takes shape and the most important events
happen.

YOU CAN USE THESE PHRASES TO INTRODUCE THE READER:

✘ BUT, AT THAT MOMENT …

✘ SO …

✘ BUT THEN …

✘ BUT, ONE DAY …

OUTCOME OR THE END:

it is the part where the solution to the conflict of the story is given and where the narration ends.

YOU CAN USE THESE PHRASES TO FINISH YOUR TALE:

✘ AND HERE THIS TALE ENDS …

✘ AND THEY WERE HAPPY EVER AFTER …

✘ AND THIS TALE IS OVER …

Some of the most popular subgenres of the TALE are:

 FAIRY TALE
 SHORT TALE
 COMEDY TALE
 HISTORICAL TALE
 ADVENTURE TALE
 ROMANTIC TALE
 Sci-Fi TALE
 HORROR TALE

EXAMPLE:

Hansel and Gretel (in German, Hänsel und Gretel) is a German fairy tale written by the Grimm
brothers.

Three Little pigs by James Marshall