HOW TO WRITE A GREAT STORY!

EXPOSITION  Authors introduce their characters and setting during the exposition. Not only do they build the brain movie of the reader through direct characterization and sensory details, but they reveal clues about why the characters might do the things they do in the story. This indirect characterization is linked to the character’s motivation.

HOOKED WITH 1 ST LINES  An author does not have the luxury of waiting for the reader to read 20 pages to become interested in the story. They need to hook the reader from the 1 st lines of the story so they head right to the check-out counter !

CAN YOU GUESS THESE 1 ST LINES?

WHAT CAN WE INFER FROM THESE LINES?  A smatter of blood hit the dirt road. With a raggedy handkerchief held against his nose, he trudged to the barn. Billy vowed to never let the yearling colt do that to him again.  The locker door was cold in her hand as she opened it to shield her sad blue eyes. “God, please let this year be different, she prayed. Please don’t let Mom and Danny move me again.” These first lines aren’t long, but they are filled will well-chosen words that give us clues about the character and setting. Which words were the most powerful?

I HAVE A 1 ST LINE- NOW WHAT?  The first few pages of a story are vital to the reader understanding and relating to the brain movie in YOUR head. Carefully examine your brain movie. What do you see? What is going on? Put those details in the story. If you think faster than you write, use the recording device on your computer or cell-phone. Record your story and then play it back a little at a time so you can write or type it without forgetting anything.

RISING ACTION  The rising action connects the beginning of the story to the climax. Sometimes it is easier to write the rising action if you think of what the climax will be and then put events in place that would logically lead up to it.  Rising action is a series of problems and outcomes that MOVE the plot. The rising action can also build suspense.  The rising action uses a lot of dialog in addition to sensory details. Don’t quit building the brain-movie of your reader!

CLIMAX  POW! WOW! MR. PIGNATI IS AT THE DOOR!  Although there might be many exciting twists and turns in your story, there is only one climax.  The climax is where the story takes a complete change in tone. It could be happy to sad like The Pigman or sad to happy like Cinderella. Happy or sad, the climax has to be a BIG event to shift the story.

GOOD VS. EVIL – SORT OF  A story's climax is the definitive confrontation which determines the winner. It's when the detective and the killer finally face off in the dark basement, and the reader knows only one is going to come out alive. It's when Bachelor Number 2 bursts into the church to stop Bachelor Number 1 from marrying the bride. The climax is the moment the reader has been waiting for. After the climax, things settle down in one direction or another, and you have the story's resolution.

HOW DOES THAT LOOK IN MY STORY?  Well, first you need to determine what the central conflict is. Is it an internal conflict (man vs. self) or external conflict (man vs. man or man vs. nature).  Most of you have an antagonist that is another character. The climax is the showdown with them.  Stories where the main character is battling nature or personal choices still has a climax where the character or nature or personal choices wins.

FALLING ACTION  Whew! Once the climax of the story has occurred a “new” version of the character emerges. Whether they are happy and triumphant or sad and dejected as the result of the climax, it impacts the tone and mood of the rest of the story. The falling action should have scenes and action that have the new, post-climax mood or tone.

CONCLUSION  Tie up loose ends or set up the potential for a sequel  Re-enforce the theme of your story  “I woke up and found it was all a dream” or “To be continued… are NOT – I repeat, NOT acceptable 7 th grade endings. Congratulations! You’re an author!