hand-outs
Here's where you'll find hand-outs to accompany each video. These may contain basic instructions to remind students of the tasks as well as templates for the task itself. They are simple enough to either print out OR replicate with pen and paper.
Create A Character
Building your character from the inside to the outside.
To Do list:
1. 5 fears + 5 wants
2. Spider chart for your main character
3. The outer layer
4. (extension) Repeat this for several more supporting characters
To Do list:
1. 5 fears + 5 wants
2. Spider chart for your main character
3. The outer layer
4. (extension) Repeat this for several more supporting characters
| createacharactertemplate.pdf |
What's Your genre?
Make notes on setting, character, story and drive for your chosen genre. And, for a bit of fun, make your own "Genre Juice".
To Do list:
1. Keeping in mind your character from lesson 1, complete the genre grid
2. (optional) Make your own genre juice (real or imaginary!)
To Do list:
1. Keeping in mind your character from lesson 1, complete the genre grid
2. (optional) Make your own genre juice (real or imaginary!)
| genregrid.pdf |
| genrejuice.pdf |
Choosing Your Own Adventure
Get started on a simple Choose Your Own story - expand this decision tree for longer and more complex stories.
To Do list:
1. Fill out a basic C.Y.O. decision tree
2. Extend the tree with even more choices
3. (extension) Try to write a C.Y.O. story using your character from lesson 1
To Do list:
1. Fill out a basic C.Y.O. decision tree
2. Extend the tree with even more choices
3. (extension) Try to write a C.Y.O. story using your character from lesson 1
| chooseyourowndecisiontreebasic.pdf |
IDEAS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
Generate ideas from a completely blank page (Inside Ideas Grid) or explore the whole wide world of ideas (Outside Ideas Grid).
To Do list:
1. Fill out an Inside Ideas grid by choosing 3 emotions from the list (or substitute your own)
2. Using the character and genre from lessons 1 & 3, fill in at least one square on the Outside Ideas Grid
3. (extension) Complete the Outside Ideas Grid
To Do list:
1. Fill out an Inside Ideas grid by choosing 3 emotions from the list (or substitute your own)
2. Using the character and genre from lessons 1 & 3, fill in at least one square on the Outside Ideas Grid
3. (extension) Complete the Outside Ideas Grid
| insideideasgrid.pdf |
| outsideideasgrid.pdf |
Who, When, & HOW (point-of-view, tense, & voice)
Experiment before you begin writing your story: try first, second & third person, past and present tense.
To Do list:
1. Use the P.O.V. chart to make some important decisions for the story you are developing
2. Write the opening paragraph (or a paragraph from a key scene you've been thinking about) in three P.O.V.s to see which suits your story
To Do list:
1. Use the P.O.V. chart to make some important decisions for the story you are developing
2. Write the opening paragraph (or a paragraph from a key scene you've been thinking about) in three P.O.V.s to see which suits your story
| pov_tense.pdf |
| povflowchart.jpg |
how to build a world
Build your world with big decisions and small details. Think about how we created our characters in the first video: treat your fictional world like a character.
To Do list:
1. Draw a map
2. Collect images
3. Ask yourself those key questions from the last part of the video
To Do list:
1. Draw a map
2. Collect images
3. Ask yourself those key questions from the last part of the video
| howtobuildaworld.pdf |
structure: mountain or bridge?
Plot out five major parts of your story from start to finish.
To Do list:
1. Choose the story mountain or the story bridge
2. Make decisions and write notes for each of the five plot points. Refer to all the other work you have done to help you.
To Do list:
1. Choose the story mountain or the story bridge
2. Make decisions and write notes for each of the five plot points. Refer to all the other work you have done to help you.
| storymountain.pdf |
| storybridge.pdf |
the do's and don'ts of dialogue
Think about the way your favourite book characters talk. Learn some of the pitfalls of creating dialogue.
To Do list:
1. Write dialogue notes for at least one character in your story.
2. (extension) Repeat this for all of your characters.
To Do list:
1. Write dialogue notes for at least one character in your story.
2. (extension) Repeat this for all of your characters.
| dialoguenotes.pdf |
show me a story
Look out for more examples of "showing" and "telling" in the books you read.
To Do list:
1. Try to turn some of the "telling" sentences on the hand-out into "showing".
2. Write a paragraph of "showing" (the walk home at night) using all your senses, and then edit out a few so it is not overloaded.
3. (extension) Observing your structure mountain or bridge, note down the crucial times for "showing" and some examples of when "telling" would work to move the story forward.
To Do list:
1. Try to turn some of the "telling" sentences on the hand-out into "showing".
2. Write a paragraph of "showing" (the walk home at night) using all your senses, and then edit out a few so it is not overloaded.
3. (extension) Observing your structure mountain or bridge, note down the crucial times for "showing" and some examples of when "telling" would work to move the story forward.
| showmeastory.pdf |
Why read? why write? why edit?
This is the "after" video - the one to watch when you've finished a first draft of your story using all the advice from the other nine videos.
To Do list:
1. Read your story aloud to yourself (or a pet...) and try to identify some improvements.
2. (extension) Try the 3-step editing process.
There is no hand-out for this video as it is intended to be used once the stories are written.
To Do list:
1. Read your story aloud to yourself (or a pet...) and try to identify some improvements.
2. (extension) Try the 3-step editing process.
There is no hand-out for this video as it is intended to be used once the stories are written.
