1. American Literature 11 (With excerpts from John Truby’s text: The Anatomy of a Story)

3.  Setting is revealed through details that describe scenery customs transportation dialect weather time of day time of the year

5.  Silence of the Lambs  How is the setting revealed? Scenery Dialect Weather Time of day Time of the year

6.  For each of the moods listed below, write some details about a setting that would be appropriate in creating that mood. Think of details about how that place looks, sounds, smells, and feels to visit. Try to write two or three sentences for each mood.

7.  Stressful  Romantic  Comfortable/Peacefu l  Fun  Lazy  Sad

8.  Is the setting Gothic? What scenery do you use? Be specific Are there customs? What type of transportation is used? What is the dialect of your characters? What is the weather like? What time of day is it? What is the time of the year? Underline the setting in your story.

9.  There are two questions: How to CREATE character? How to REVEAL character?

10.  Start with a notion that is inside yourself. In some way every character is part of the writer, but changes as the story shapes the character away from the writer.  Name your character  Voice How that character talks What language s/he uses What details s/he notices or thinks important (and which are not)

11.  How character is revealed: What the character says What the character does What other people say about the character What the author writes about the character

12.  Weaknesses Clarice is inexperienced, suffering from haunting childhood memories, and a woman in a man’s world  Need Clarice must overcome the ghosts of her past and gain respect as a professional in a man’s world Think back to the video…

13.  What the character wants in the story, his/her particular goal  NOT what he/she wants in LIFE, just in the story

14.  Not only wants to prevent the character from achieving his desire, but is competing with the character for the same goal. (Does NOT have to be human…)

15. 1. Make the opponent necessary. 1. Give him values that oppose the values of the hero. 2. Give the opponent a strong but flawed moral argument. 3. Give him certain similarities to the hero. 4. Keep him in the same place as the hero.

16.  How did you CREATE character?  How did you REVEAL character?  Put checkmarks by the characterization in your story.

17.  Organically linked to both desire and the opponent  Specifically focused to defeating the “opponent” and reaching the goal

20.  Can be words, violence, mental breakdown, etc.  With the opponent, typically

21.  Looks like a series of comic strips Individual drawings of story lines Scenes Characters Emotions  Drawings reflect the early ideas What the characters will look like Background and scenery Dialogue and emotions

22.  Now it is time to storyboard your Gothic Short Story. (See handout.)  This is an important step because it allows us a first view – albeit static – of the entire story plan.  Swap with a partner to share and discuss after completion

23. Just like a rollercoaster!

24.  Not all rollercoasters have the same track: They have different hills, drops, twists, turns, loops, and tunnels. SAME for Short Stories! This makes them interesting and exciting!  GOOD stories have: Flashbacks Flash-forwards Unexpected plot twists

25.  Using your Storyboard you created, cut the story into separate scenes.  Mix up the scenes and read your story.  Do this at least 3 different ways.

26.  Which way is the most interesting?  Staple the best order together.  Apply this to your essay – use arrows, etc in order to switch around the order of your plot.

27.  The theme of a story is its meaning. Meaning is the lesson learned, universal truth, epiphany, change in the behavior or character of the main character. Meaning is what we learn about human nature or the human condition.  The writer can EXPLICITLY write about the theme through the story idea, or the writer can IMPLICITLY suggest the theme through the setting, plot, conflict, change in the mind or actions of the main character.  The theme of a short story is important to the reader who can learn a lesson, discover something new about human nature or the human condition.  In short, the theme of a story can teach us how to live our lives.

28.  Watch the following clip in regards to theme. What do you see? What do the characters say?

30. Answer these questions on the back of your Rough Draft:  Why did you write this particular story? (And not because I told you to do it!)  What does the protagonist learn, suffer, or experience?  Examine your title. Does it offer any clue to the theme?

31.  The First Sentence: Frames what the story is about Must have dramatic power – some kind of punch Examples: The Catcher in the Rye and The Butcher Boy  The Last Sentence: Must end with a gothic twist…no resolution.

32. 1.The Hook: “I should have known Mr. Smith hated kids.” 2.Scene Setting: “The balmy night air felt reminiscent of the summer that I tried so hard to erase.” 3.Telling Detail: “There on the pavement rested a small child’s tennis shoe.” 4.Character Throwing: “Larry Pringle is the most peculiar, uneasy adolescent in Chemistry class.” 5.Dialogue: “I’m not even sure I like you.” On YOUR paper, brainstorm a new way to begin your essay based on #1-5. Draw a circle around it.

33. On YOUR paper, brainstorm a new way to end your essay. Draw a box around it.

34.  Stilted Language – does not sound like natural speech  Filler – does not further the scene and does not deepen your understanding of the characters  Exposition – has the character explain the plot or repeat information for the benefit of the audience  Naming – one character use another character’s name to establish identity. (Car salesman)  Overuse of Modifiers – too many (shouted, cried, exclaimed, etc.) can be annoying and a crutch for poor dialogue

35.  When characters speak, their exact language should be in quotes, and the reader should know who’s speaking, thus these rules:   Each speaker gets his or her own paragraph; a return and indent. This mimics real conversation, indicating pauses and so forth.  Attributions (“He said, “She said” and variations) should be used, but not too much, and varied so they’re not repetitious; they can be used at the start of quotes, in the middle, or at the end. When attributions are overused, they get in the way; the key is that the reader should always know who’s speaking.  Always use a comma after attribution (She said,) when introducing a quote.

36. When I was eight, my father dragged me into my bedroom after I lit a folded pile of his shirts on fire. I sat on the edge of the bed, not looking up, my hands folded mannerly in my lap. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked. “Nothing,” I said. “You lit my shirts on fire, boy? Where’d you learn that?” “Daycare.” “What? Daycare? You learned how to light shirts on fire at daycare?” I froze and looked up the ceiling, trying to backtrack. I actually learned how to light matches by watching him light his pipe, but I couldn’t tell him that. “A kid brought matches one day. I told him matches were bad.” “I’m calling your daycare.” “No,” I said. Okay, I screamed it, and he scowled at me. “Tell me the truth, lad.” I took a deep breath and let is slide out: “I hate your shirts, Dad.”

37.  Check the dialogue in your story for style and correct format. Change any errors. Draw a squiggle line under all dialogue.

38.  Word choice is the key component to style and setting mood. (See handout.)  Sensory details work perfect for this!  Look at your vocabulary choices. Replace any bland words with vocabulary choices that are more descriptive. (Use the handout for suggestions.) Write the “new” words on top of the “old” words.

39.  Editing is the final and most crucial step of the Workshop process. (See handout.)  Look at your essay. Fix all grammar according to the handout. Peer Review after you read it (swap).

40.  Final Paper should have a Title Page: Name of story Author (You) Course Teacher Date  2 nd - ? Page: ONLY story content with Last Name and Page # in top right corner (as a header) on all pages

41.  Complete questions on handout. Apply any necessary changes to your essay.  Submit all workshop materials with your final copy!