Start thinking about the plot, the characters, the setting and the narrator.
Plot and structure
What is the story going to be about?
•What is the most important event?
•How is the plot structured? Is it linear, chronological or does it move around?
What will happen in the beginning, the middle and the end.
Characters
•Who are the main characters? Think about what they look like, their background, age, temper and relationship to each other (for example a married couple).
Try to make them believable by giving details about them and describe how the feel and act.
Setting
Where and when is the story going to take place?
Use a lot of adjectives to describe the setting.
Narrator
The narrator is the person telling the story. Is the narrator and the main character the same?
•Is the story written in the first person “I” point of view?
•Is the story written in a detached third person “he/she” point of view?
•Is there an “all-knowing” 3rd person who can reveal what all the characters are thinking and doing at all times and in all places?
First watch this video about how to write a story.
Creating a plot line
Intro
In the beginning you need to capture the reader’s interest. When you have written your intro, ask yourself:
Have I made the reader curious enough to continue reading?
Is my beginning clear enough so that the reader can get a hint of what kind of story it is?
Rising action
Here you need to create situations that will trigger the reader’s expectations. Things need to happen that will make the reader want to continue.
Ex. Make a character behave in a strange manner that makes the reader want to find out why. Let a character see something strange or mysterious that makes the reader want to find out what it is.
Climax
This is the peak of your story – the big bang!
What you have written so far is supposed to add up to this moment.
Declining action
This part is supposed to be about the consequences of your climax. What happens after the climax?
Resolution
This part contains the ending of your story.
A twist
Open ended
The truth revealed
Questions to get you going…
Where is my story going to take place?
Who are the characters in my story?
What is going to happen?
How will it end?
Think about!
Keep the same perspective
First person or third person. If you mix perspectives – do it carefully!
Be descriptive and your story comes alive
Oftentimes the story comes alive if you try to describe time, place or person instead of giving the reader facts.
Use adjectives and find proper synonyms to vary your language. Use metaphors if possible.
The priest felt sick and his face was green as a Christmas tree.
The blond hair of the sun filled up the sky.
Verbs
Be careful with which tense you use. Make sure not to switch tense if it is not necessary.
Are the verb forms correct?
Check for subject-verb agreement
Don’t make your characters speak like robots
Examples of how to make your dialogues come alive:
– I’m so in love with you, she burst out with a smile on her face.
– You are always late, her father shouted.
Grammar in general
Have you used the correct prepositions?
Have you left out the articles where they are required?
Have you written in complete sentences?
Intro
Third person perspective
Joey turned around quickly. What was that noise? He was certain of that he had heard something. Or was it his mind playing tricks on him again…
First person perspective
I turned around quickly. What was that noise? I was certain of that I had heard something. Or was it my mind playing tricks on me again…
The following three beginnings can also be written in first person perspective.
Descriptive beginning: person
The raindrops danced on the old man’s thin shoulders, just to fall and hit his ragged second hand shoes. The man was walking slowly as if he did not notice the bad weather. He almost looked like a living scarecrow with his big hat, long coat and slouching walk.
Descriptive beginning: place
The rain was pouring down, filling all the wholes in the country road. The trees planted ages ago parallel to the road almost seemed to reach for it with their long dark branches. But the road did not seem to care, just lying there, quiet, grey and never ending.
Descriptive beginning: time
It was Christmas evening and everything was peaceful. No sounds were to be heard except the ticking from the old wooden clock on the wall.
The sun had just set and the forest seemed darker than ever.
Descriptive beginning: place+time+first person
It was a hot summer day and the sun stood high in the sky. Not a single cloud was to be seen. The sun felt warm on my cheeks and I went fast with my bike. I turned and went even faster down the hill to the harbour.
Assessment matrix – Creative story
| F | E | C | A | |
| Content and
instructions |
Your story is too short to be given a grade.
You don’t follow the instructions. |
Your story has a setting and character descriptions.
You follow most of the instructions. |
You write an interesting story with developed character descriptions and setting. | You write a very interesting story with a complex plot. |
| Structure | Your story lacks a clear introduction and/or ending.
The lack of structure and/or paragraphs makes the text hard to read. |
Your text has the necessary part of a story.
|
Your story has a well-thought through structure with a good start and ending. | Your story has a very interesting start and an engaging ending. |
Describe the moral or theme of your three favorite films. Can you identify the lesson that the main character(s) learns by the end of the film?
- Who is/are the main characters, and why do we care about them?
- Where and when does the story take place?
- How do we learn what type of movie it is?
- What is the inciting incident? (how is the world disrupted?)
- What or who is the antagonist?
Mr Smedjeback's English Class 