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Writing a Profile

Writing a Profile. Karamu High School. Introduction . What makes a good story? “Every good story contains a moment after which things can never be the same again.” ( Rust Hills ). Three elements of a story:. Every story is about people, even when at first it doesn’t seem to be.

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Writing a Profile

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  1. Writing a Profile Karamu High School

  2. Introduction • What makes a good story? • “Every good story contains a moment after which things can never be the same again.” (Rust Hills)

  3. Three elements of a story: • Every story is about people, even when at first it doesn’t seem to be. • A seemingly boring set of facts, pursued far enough and with enough imagination, may yield a fascinating story. • The value of a story is likely to be directly proportional to its consequences – for both the actors in the story and the reader. Ask yourself – what’s at stake? Who is risking what? What can they gain?

  4. How does the writer make a story meaningful and important for readers? Through the use of • a structure, or frame • scene • techniques to make the characters come alive • the effective presentation of a point of view

  5. A. A structure, or frame (1) orders or controls the narrative in a way that is: • interesting • orderly • interlacing “The secret of narrative lies in deciding what to tell first, what to tell second and so on, right up to the ending.” (Phillip Gerard)

  6. Structure (2)Important elements • Opening gives the reader something to grab on to – it catches the reader’s interest. • Plot -in a profile, this is the arrangement of all the parts (scenes) of your story to demonstrate coherence and meaning. • Conflict – the opposition of forces that lends tension to the story. • Tension – the combination of conflict and delay.

  7. B. The use of scene • action • intimate and specific detail – (the kind of detail the reader won’t easily imagine). • dialogue

  8. C. Characterisation techniques (1) • physical description • names and nicknames • the physical context of the person (what they own, lifestyle, characteristic props) • dialogue (good dialogue lends texture to a story) • the person’s statements

  9. C. Characterisation techniques (2) • the person’s written words • actions and gestures • things they have made/created (a car they’ve worked on, a song they’ve written, their homework diary…) • what the person doesn’t do or say that might be expected of them. • background and personal history • what other people say about the person

  10. C. Characterisation techniques (3) • what other people say to the person • how others react to the person • anecdotes (little stories) that illustrate personality traits • juxtaposition • paradox/contradiction • metaphor and figurative language

  11. D. Point of view. • your attitude • your perspective • what you do to the story • your kind of sensitivity/anger/passion will make the story “fall or fly”. (Simon Armitage)

  12. Summary A good profile will use some of the same techniques as fictional writing: • a frame (with conflict and tension) • scene • characterisation • point of view

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