Writing Creatively Installment 3
Planning Your Story
Professional writers plan their stories before they actually begin drafting. This is part of the prewriting stage of the writing process. Of course, writers still make changes along the way. Planning your story sounds boring, but it will make the drafting much easier.
Imagining Characters
If you want readers to pay attention to your story, your characters should seem alive. The best way to create alive characters is to describe them with sharp, specific details.
You can make up details: a lavender kitten with one orange eye and one purple eye. Or you can borrow details from real people: a Civil War general who has your grandfather's twinkling green eyes. The following questions will help you imagine your characters and make them more solid.
What does your character look like?
What is your character's name?
How would you describe the character's personality?
What does the character love and hate?
What does the character sound like?
One way to make notes on your character is to keep the questions in mind and then free write a description.
"The boy in this story is not a big handsome hero or something. He's still just a kid, maybe eleven or so. He lives with his mother in a neighborhood in the suburbs. What is his name? Sal Paglia. He's Italian. He has three or four best friends that he hangs out with. He's not a really popular guy. He likes to play practical jokes on his friends, and they like to play jokes on him. One of his best friends is a tomboy named Bobbie."
Describing Setting
The setting is where and when the story takes place. The setting can be the corner of a room at night or a giant football stadium on a Sunday afternoon. It can be in the present or in the age of the dinosaurs.
The setting can give information about the characters. A clean room, for example, shows that a character likes order and neatness. The setting can also create a mood. An abandoned house and a howling wind will make sure that a scary story is scary.
Sometimes, the setting will create the conflict. If you set your story in Alaska during a blizzard, your character might be trapped in the snow.
Here are some questions to help you plan your setting:
When and where will my story take place?
What places, weather, things, or time of day will be important in my story?
What sensory details can I use to describe these important parts of setting?
Writing Assignment
Planning Characters and Setting
To get a clearer picture of your characters and setting, use the above questions. You can jot down your responses, free write, or even use clustering. Write freely and let your ideas flow.
Planning Your Plot
Suppose you have an interesting character, a girl named Tuyet Nguyen, and a good solid setting for her, an old two-story house in Myer's Cove, where she lives with her parents and grandmother. Now you need a plot, or series of events, for the story. While a plot is "what happens," it has these special parts:
A conflict: As you have already learned, the main character must face some problem. Tuyet wants piano lessons, but her family can't afford to pay for them.
A series of events: Your story must have action. The events must move forward as the characters work on the conflict. Tuyet may run errands to earn money, count her earnings daily, and dream of the lessons.
A high point: Your story also needs a moment, the high point, when the problem is going to be settled--one way or another. Readers' curiosity or suspense is at a high point. Perhaps Tuyet's grandmother gets very sick. Will Tuyet have to sacrifice her piano lessons for her grandmother's medicine?
An outcome: The outcome shows how the problem is solved and what happens when it is. Tuyet gives her savings to her parents and says she will forget the lessons. Her grandmother sees how much music means to her and promises to help Tuyet earn money when she is better.
Creating a Story Map
When you plan your plot, you can put it into a story map that outlines your character, setting, and plot all at once. The following example shows how a writer mapped her story about Sal Paglia and his friends.
Characters:
Sal Paglia, his friends (Chief, Corky, and Duane), Mrs. Paglia
Setting:
Woods, neighborhood, and yard--summertime
Plot:
Conflict: Sal vs. friends planning to scare him
Events:
1. Cheif tells Corky and Duane about his plan to hide and surprise Sal.
2. The neighborhood goes to the picnic
High Point:
3. The boys sneak back to Sal's house.
4. They are soaked because Sal has turned the sprinklers around.
Outcome:
5. Mrs. Paglia thinks the boys watered her roses and gives them flowers.
Writing Assignment:
Creating a Story Map
Now it is time for the last stage of your planning. Exactly what will happen in your story? Remember that your plot needs certain elements: conflict, events, high point, and outcome. When you decide on the parts, put them into a story map. Don't forget to include characters and settings.
What sensory details can I use to describe these important parts of setting?
Writing Assignment
Planning Characters and Setting
To get a clearer picture of your characters and setting, use the above questions. You can jot down your responses, free write, or even use clustering. Write freely and let your ideas flow.
Planning Your Plot
Suppose you have an interesting character, a girl named Tuyet Nguyen, and a good solid setting for her, an old two-story house in Myer's Cove, where she lives with her parents and grandmother. Now you need a plot, or series of events, for the story. While a plot is "what happens," it has these special parts:
A conflict: As you have already learned, the main character must face some problem. Tuyet wants piano lessons, but her family can't afford to pay for them.
A series of events: Your story must have action. The events must move forward as the characters work on the conflict. Tuyet may run errands to earn money, count her earnings daily, and dream of the lessons.
A high point: Your story also needs a moment, the high point, when the problem is going to be settled--one way or another. Readers' curiosity or suspense is at a high point. Perhaps Tuyet's grandmother gets very sick. Will Tuyet have to sacrifice her piano lessons for her grandmother's medicine?
An outcome: The outcome shows how the problem is solved and what happens when it is. Tuyet gives her savings to her parents and says she will forget the lessons. Her grandmother sees how much music means to her and promises to help Tuyet earn money when she is better.
Creating a Story Map
When you plan your plot, you can put it into a story map that outlines your character, setting, and plot all at once. The following example shows how a writer mapped her story about Sal Paglia and his friends.
Characters:
Sal Paglia, his friends (Chief, Corky, and Duane), Mrs. Paglia
Setting:
Woods, neighborhood, and yard--summertime
Plot:
Conflict: Sal vs. friends planning to scare him
Events:
1. Cheif tells Corky and Duane about his plan to hide and surprise Sal.
2. The neighborhood goes to the picnic
High Point:
3. The boys sneak back to Sal's house.
4. They are soaked because Sal has turned the sprinklers around.
Outcome:
5. Mrs. Paglia thinks the boys watered her roses and gives them flowers.
Writing Assignment:
Creating a Story Map
Now it is time for the last stage of your planning. Exactly what will happen in your story? Remember that your plot needs certain elements: conflict, events, high point, and outcome. When you decide on the parts, put them into a story map. Don't forget to include characters and settings.
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