Monday, July 18, 2011

Discover How YOU Can Write a Story, Part 1



Have you always wanted to write a story?  Have you wanted to teach your child how to write a story?  Over the next few blog posts, I will give you basic instructions to get your story going.  Happy Writing!
Part One: Ideas
 
People often wonder where writers get their ideas for stories. It takes so many ideas to make a story or a novel! Here's a secret: writers don't think of all those ideas. They steal them! Not really, but they find ideas from many sources and combine them to make an original story.
  • Look for ideas in real life, such as funny quotes, interesting people, or occurrences at school.
  • Consider your favorite stories. You can use elements of them to make a new story.
  • Brainstorm! Combine several ideas to form the basis of a new story. 
  • Go on a nature walk.  Find interesting rocks, sticks, flowers, grasses or bugs.  Maybe the rock you find reminds your of a diamond.  A stick could look like a snake.  A  leaf might resemble a floppy elephant ear. 



Part Two: Sketch the "basics" of your story
These are the basics of all stories:
1. Sympathetic character
2. Who faces a problem
3. Character solves problem
Don't get into details, but have an idea of your main character and the conflict.


Part Three: Fill in the details: Character and Conflict
Character
First, build your main character. Here are important traits of a main character:
  • Has a problem or need.
  • Has the ability to solve the problem, whether or not he knows it (there's usually more suspense if he doesn't).
  • Often has a flaw to overcome to solve the problem or win the reward.
Then, think about your secondary characters: the main character's friends and enemies. To get you started, I've listed some types of secondary characters, along with famous examples of each.

Conflict -- what makes your story exciting
  • The stronger the story problem, the stronger the story.
  • Don't be nice to your character! Create obstacles to the goal. The story is more exciting that way, the character learns more, and the reward is more valuable since the character worked so hard for it.
  • Think about the worst thing that could happen to your character 
 Use the questions below to get started writing your story:


Sketch out your story:


Who is your main character?

What problem does he get into?

How does he solve the problem?

Character:

What do they look like? 

What do they like to do? 

How old are they? 

What he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams

What he/she does or does not do

What others say about him/her and how others react to him/her
________________________________________________________________________
Conflict:

Think about the worst thing that could happen to your character

 


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great tips, Pam.
Aday

BarbaraB said...

I agree with J. Aday--great tips.

Mom Does Reviews said...

Thanks ladies. It was a fun workshop...low attendance, but fun anyway.

Marty BoneIdol said...

Great tips here. I find good stories usually have a hidden message, even if it is not intended. The achievement of a character going through some sort of journey that reaches an outcome, whatever that may be also provides interest. Thank you. I've tried writing fiction before and kind of got lost along the way. Maybe I'll try it again some time.

Mom Does Reviews said...

Thanks Marty. Stories tend to be boring without a torturing the main character.
Give writing a try again. It is very rewarding. Stay tuned for the next part...

Little Lilly Polka Dot Bedtime Blog said...

Hi Pam:

THANKS so much for visiting my blog!! I appreciate it! Love your blog and am now following!!

Wendy :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...