More Story Planning

Storywriters provide many pieces of advice for students:

  • John Irving, author of 16 books, says this about his craft:  “ I always begin with a last sentence; then, I work my way backwards through the plot to where the story should begin.” 
  • Michael Ondaatje, author of 6 novels and 12 poetry collections, starts writing without knowing precisely where it is going. He says, “I move things around until they become sharp and clear.”

Those are both good pieces of advice, from respected authors.  Different approaches, both with excellent results. There is no one way to write a story.

How to organize and plan your story?

There are many ways to organize your writing and plan your story.  One easy way to begin planning is to think about Somebody-Wanted=But-So-Then. You may be familiar with this strategy from other LA courses.

Somebody

Wanted

But

So

Then



Describe the central character(s)
Identify the character's motivation or goal
Describe the character's main conflict or challenge
Resolution of the conflict.
Explain the character's reaction or realization or a surprising twist to the story.

Graphic Organizers

There are other ways to organize your ideas.  Here are THREE different organizers. You might want to look at all three and then decide which one is best for you.


Where you begin is up to you, but when you have finished your planning, you will need to complete all of the chart in the assignment. You might want to have another look at the Lesson 1-6 Assignment file so you remember all of the elements that are expected to be part of your plan.  Be sure you address all elements and think about the effect you are trying to achieve as you plan your details. 

   Go to Assignment 1-6 and complete it now.


When you have completed all parts of Assignment 6,

    • be sure you have renamed your file (YOURNAME) la 9-1-6
    • upload the completed assignment into the Assignment 1-6 submission box on the next page
Check back in a few days to retrieve the marked assignment and review the feedback from your teacher.