80 likes | 177 Views
Can you tell a story that would save your life?. Scheherazade told 1001 stories that saved her life. Her stories were so fascinating that the sultan forgot to execute her. Pretend that you are Scheherazade, and your instructor is the sultan. Make up a story that is so fascinating that
E N D
Can you tell a story that would save your life?
Scheherazade told 1001 stories that saved her life. Her stories were so fascinating that the sultan forgot to execute her.
Pretend that you are Scheherazade, and your instructor is the sultan. Make up a story that is so fascinating that your instructor won’t be able to stop reading it.
STEP 1: Brainstorm for the key elements of your story. • CHARACTER • Who are the people in your story? • Give them names, nicknames, or monikers. • Give them identities, personalities. • Let them speak! (dialogue) • Make them intriguing, irresistible, unforgettable! • SETTING • Where does your story take place? • Give the place a name, real or fictive. • Describe the scene as vividly as possible: Bring it to life! • PLOT • What is happening in your story? • How did the characters get here? What are they doing? • Describe the actions as vividly as possible: Bring them to life! • MOTIVATION • What are the emotions of your characters? • Explore their deepest feelings and desires.
STEP 2: Make an outline for your story. The Obama family escapes a nuclear holocaust through a tunnel to the center of the earth. Main Idea: __________________________________________ To begin, Next, Finally, Background: identify the characters, describe the setting, and explain how the characters got into this situation. Current Action: explain what the characters are doing at this moment. What is their challenge or dilemma? Explore their deepest emotions and desires. Outcome: explain what eventually happens to the characters. You can provide a dramatic resolution or create a suspenseful, “hanging” end to the story.
STEP 3: Write the topic sentence for your story: Grab the reader’s attention immediately. BASIC: BEST: BETTER: The Obama family escapes a nuclear holocaust through a tunnel to the center of the earth. As North Korea’s surprise missile detonates on Washington D.C., the Obamas make their escape to the earth’s core. As Washington, D.C. goes up in a spectacular mushroom cloud, the Obamas crawl to safety a hundred miles below the surface of the earth.
STEP 4: Add the first transitional expression and begin writing your story. As Washington, D.C. goes up in a spectacular mushroom cloud, the Obamas crawl to safety a hundred miles below the surface of the earth. To begin with, when Sasha and Malia woke up in the White House on Sunday morning…. Pay close attention to the time frame and verb tense of the different parts of your story.