“反转神技！15分钟写故事，如何用‘假结局’秒杀阅卷人？”

虚假解决方案（2分钟）Fake Resolution

当孩子们写故事时，他们经常会陷入让故事以不现实的美好结局收尾的陷阱。由于时间不够，于是匆忙地将所有冲突一下子解决，让角色从此幸福地生活下去。结果往往显得很生硬且无趣。
When young writers write narratives, they often fall into the trap of giving their story an unrealistic happy ending. They start to run out of time and try to wrap everything up all of a sudden so that their characters can live happily ever after. The result usually feels artificial and a bit boring.

虚假解决方案是一种技巧，它让读者以为故事要迎来一个平淡无奇、幸福美满的结局，却在最后一刻夺走这一希望，从而让故事的高潮变得更具张力。当阅卷人读到一个虚假的结局时，他们会认为这只是普通的故事，但随即被更复杂、更有趣的高潮所震撼。
A fake resolution is a technique that tricks your reader into thinking that they are going to get a boring, happy ending and then steals it away from them, making the stakes of the climax far higher. When an examiner reads a story with a fake conclusion, they think that they’re getting an average run-of-the-mill narrative. But then they are shocked by the much more complex and interesting climax.

以下是如何写出一个虚假的解决方案：

1. 设想一个虚假的解决方案

想象一下你的角色的问题如何可以突然得到解决，并让读者相信这真的会发生。确保你的虚假解决方案是现实的——你要给读者希望，而不是让他们翻白眼。当你的角色看到这个可能的解决方案时，流露出欣喜或如释重负的情绪。
Come up with a fake resolution
Think of a way that your character’s problems could suddenly be resolved, and make it seem like this is what is going to happen. Make sure your fake resolution is a realistic one. You want to give your reader hope, not make them roll their eyes. When your character is faced with this possible resolution, show how relieved or excited they are.

2.把这个解决方案夺走
就在读者认为问题已经解决时，突然夺走这个解决方案。让你的主角在以为自己获救的瞬间，再次跌入困境。
Take that resolution away from them
Just as your reader thinks that the problem has been solved, take the resolution away from them. As suddenly as your protagonist thought they were saved, put them back into the difficult situation that they were in.

3.展示问题依然严峻
在夺走虚假的解决方案后，强调局势依然紧张严峻。你的角色可能会比之前更加担心自己的困境，读者也应该有同样的感觉。
Demonstrate that things are just as serious as before
Once you have taken away the fake resolution, show that the situation is serious and tense again. Your character is probably now more worried about their problem than they were before, and so should be the reader.

示例

突然，风声之上，劳拉听到引擎的轰鸣声。她望向地平线，看到了一架小飞机在夕阳的映衬下出现。随着飞机靠近，轰鸣声越来越响。

“爸爸！”劳拉喊道，“爸爸，看！”
劳拉的父亲也看到了。
“我们得救了。”他低声说道。
他们脱下外套，挥舞着，希望能引起飞行员的注意。劳拉兴奋地跳跃，拼尽全力挥舞着双手。
“我们在这里！”他们尖叫着，“我们在这里！”

然而，飞机上的人是否看到他们，毫无迹象。飞机在他们头顶掠过，然后渐行渐远，直到消失在地平线之外，留下劳拉和她的父亲在黑暗中。夜幕降临。

Suddenly, over the sound of the wind, Laura heard the steady drone of an engine. She looked to the horizon and there it was, silhouetted by the sun: a small plane. The drone grew louder as the plane approached.

“Dad,” said Laura, “Dad, look!”
Laura’s father had seen it too.
“We’re saved,” he whispered.
They pulled off their jumpers and waved them in the air to get the pilot’s attention, Laura jumping up and down with all that was left of her energy.
“We’re here!” they screamed, “we’re here!”

But, if the people in the plane saw them, they gave no indication. The plane flew above them and then away, until it disappeared once more over the horizon, leaving Laura and her father in darkness. Night had fallen.

练习（2分钟）
使用你在第一部分所制定的计划，写出你故事中的“虚假解决方案”部分。

Using the plan that you made in part 1, write the “Fake Resolution” section of your narrative.

 

文章的高潮（2分钟）

高潮是故事中最激动人心、最有趣或最感人的一部分。这是主角必须面对问题的时候，也是他们尝试解决故事开始时的问题的时候。通常，故事会要求你为角色解决问题，让读者清楚地知道结局。但在15分钟的短篇故事中，最好在高潮处结束，让读者不知道主角是否能解决问题。这会非常吸引人。这种方式叫作悬念，有很多方法可以创造一个引人入胜的悬念来结束故事。
The climax is the most exciting, interesting or emotional part of your narrative. This is when your main character must face the problem or attempt to answer the question that you introduced at the start of the narrative. Normally in narratives you are asked to solve the problem for your character, so that the reader is left in no doubt about how the story ends. In a 15-minute narrative, however, it is a good idea to end at the climax so that the reader doesn’t know if your character will resolve their problem or not. This can be very powerful. This is called a cliffhanger. There are a number of ways that you can create an engaging cliffhanger to end your narrative.

A.就在角色即将说些什么时结束。我从妈妈看到爸爸，知道无论我做出什么决定，都会伤害他们中的一个。“好，”我说，“我已经做出了决定。”
End just as the character is about to say something. I looked from Mum to Dad, knowing that whatever I decided, I would hurt one of them. “Ok,” I said, “I’ve made my decision.”

B.以你的主要角色做一些戏剧性的事情结束，但不让读者知道是否成功。
峡谷就在我面前，切断了我的逃生路线。军队已经到达山顶，很快就会进入射程。我能听到他们的喊声，听到他们声音中的兴奋。我知道我只有一次机会。我从峡谷退后几米。我估计到另一边有3米。“我能做到，”我自言自语。我朝峡谷跑去，跳入空中。
End with your main character doing something dramatic, without letting the reader know if it works. The canyon was in front of me, cutting off my escape. The army had reached the top of the hill and would soon be in firing range. I could hear their shouts, hear the excitement in their voices. I knew I only had one chance. I walked a few metres back from the canyon. I estimated it was 3 metres to the other side. “I can do this,” I said to myself. I ran towards the canyon and took a giant leap into open air.

C.让你的主要角色处于一个非常紧张和困难的境地，他们不太可能轻易摆脱。
我把剑扔到地上。僵尸死了。我松了一口气。但然后我注意到了那些眼睛。先是一个，然后是两个，然后是几十个，从黑暗中看着我。我慌忙捡起我的剑。它们靠近，进入光线。数百个围着我。“来抓我吧，”我说，举起我的剑。
Leave your main character in a very tense and difficult situation that they are unlikely to get out of easily. I dropped my sword to the ground. The zombie was dead. I breathed a sigh of relief. But then I noticed the eyes. First one, then two, then dozens of them, looking at me from the darkness. I scrambled to pick up my sword. They approached, moving into the light. Hundreds of them, surrounding me. “Come and get me,” I said, raising my sword.

示例:

当Laura看着她的父亲时，他异常平静。“你必须离开我在这里，”他低声说，“你不能背我走。我走不动。你必须走，找到安全的地方。”

Laura感到内心和身体都冰冷。“你不能放弃，”她恳求道，哽咽中带着抽泣，“我们需要互相照顾。”

“走！”她的父亲喊道，“求你，为了我，走！离开这里！”

空气变得越来越冷，街道也越来越暗。

“走！”他喊道，让Laura因震惊而向后跳开。她站在父亲旁边，脑海中翻腾着这个不可能的决定，而街道逐渐陷入夜晚的黑暗中。

When Laura looked at her father, he was strangely calm. “You have to leave me here,” he whispered, “you can’t carry me. I can’t walk. You have to go, find safety.”

Laura felt cold inside and out. “You can’t give up,” she pleaded, a sob catching in her throat, “We need to look after each other.”

“Go!” her father shouted, “Please, for me. Go! Get out of here!”
The air was growing colder and the street was growing darker.

“GO!” he shouted, making Laura jump back in shock. She stood beside her father, the impossible decision turning in her mind, as the street faded into the darkness of night.