How to Summarize a Story

Summarizing a Story

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to summarize a story by providing summarizing strategies:

Step 1: Read the story thoroughly

• The first step to summary writing a story is to read it carefully and thoroughly as reading strategies.
• Take your time and make sure you understand the plot, characters, setting, conflict, and resolution.
• If necessary, make re-reading.

Step 2: Identify the main points

After reading the story,

• Identify the main points or events that drive the plot forward.
• These should be the key elements that you want to include in your summary.

Step 3: Determine the purpose of the summary

Before summarizing the story,

• Determine the purpose of the summary.
• Is it to provide a brief overview of the story, highlight the main plot points, or condense an analysis of the theme?
• Knowing the purpose will help you focus on the relevant information to include in your summary.

Step 4: Write a brief introduction

• Start your summary with a brief introduction that includes the title of the story, the author, and the main characters.
• This will give readers context and help them understand the summary.

Step 5: Summarize the plot

In the body of the summary,

• Summarize the plot of the story in a clear and concise manner.
• Focus on the main events and avoid unnecessary details without inserting a personal opinion.
• Use transition words to connect the different plot points and ensure a smooth flow.

Step 6: Highlight the key themes

• If the purpose of your summary is to highlight the key points and important details of the story, include a section that summarizes these themes.
• This should be a brief analysis that explores the deeper meaning of the central idea and how it relates to the real world.

Step 7: Conclude the summary

When it comes to the conclusion part,

• End the summary with a brief conclusion that ties together the main plot points and themes.
• You can also include your own thoughts or opinions on the story, but make sure they are relevant and add value to the summary.

Step 8: Edit and revise

Once you have written the summary,

• Reread it and make sure it is clear, concise, and accurate.
• Edit and revise as necessary, and ensure the summary is free of spelling and grammar errors.

P.S.: Do not forget that summarizing is like retelling based on your writing skills.

How to improve the quality of your Summary?

If you want to write a good summary of a story, it’s important to keep it concise, use your own words, focus on the main characters and relevant information, be objective, use transition words, and revise and edit. Here are some tips:

1. Keep it concise: A good summary should be brief and to the point. Avoid unnecessary details and focus on the main plot points and themes.
2. Use your own words: While summarizing a story, use your own words to convey the plot and key events. Avoid copying and pasting text from the original story, as this can lead to plagiarism.
3. Focus on the main characters: The main characters are usually the driving force behind the plot, so make sure to highlight their actions and motivations in your summary.
4. Include only relevant information: When summarizing fiction, include only information that is relevant to the plot and themes. Avoid including minor details that do not add value to the summary.
5. Be objective: When writing a summary, it’s important to be objective and avoid inserting your own opinions or biases. Stick to the facts and let the reader draw their own conclusions.
6. Use transition words: Use transition words like “first”, “next”, “then”, and “finally” to help connect the different plot points and ensure a smooth flow.
7. Revise and edit: Once you’ve written your summary, read it over and make sure it’s clear, concise, and accurate.

What are the Story Elements?

The elements of a story are the essential components that make up a narrative. These include:

1. Characters

• The people, animals, or beings that inhabit the story drive the plot forward.
• They have specific traits, personalities, motivations, and relationships with other characters.

2. Setting

• The time, place, and atmosphere in which the story takes place.
• This can include physical locations, historical periods, cultural contexts, and other details that create a sense of time and place.

3. Plot

• The sequence of events that make up the story and create the main idea.
• This includes the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
• The plot usually involves some form of conflict or problem that the characters must overcome.

4. Conflict

• The main problem or obstacle that the characters face in the story.
• This can be an internal or external conflict, such as a personal struggle, societal issue, or antagonist.

5. Theme

• The underlying message or meaning of the story.
• This is often a universal or abstract idea that the story explores, such as love, loss, identity, or power.

6. Point of View

• The perspective from which the story is told.
• This can be the first-person, second-person, or third-person point of view, and it can affect the reader’s understanding of the characters, plot, and theme.

Frequently Asked Questions