this week's Story Prompt

 

Write a short conversation between two people who are unlikely to ever meet. What if Harry Potter were to have a conversation with your mom? Or if Oprah Winfrey were to have a discussion with Beethoven? How about a debate between Lady Gaga and your next door neighbour? What would they talk about?

Tell me more!

Sometimes, all you really need are some details to make a story more interesting. You may know certain things as the author of a story but the reader doesn't. Pepper your story with details to spice things up for the reader.

Here's a simple exercise to get you started. Answer the questions below and you'll be on your way to some spicy storytelling!

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after

But who were Jack and Jill? How did they go up the hill? Did they walk? Ride a horse? Drive a car? Why did they need the pail of water? Why didn't they just turn on the tap? What made Jack fall down? Was he pushed? How far did he fall? How serious was his injury? What made Jill tumble? Was she hurt?

Rewrite the story and fill in the details to tell the reader what really happened.

this week's Story Prompt

It was during the school holidays that the prank calls started. Mom thought it was some kids having a laugh but I knew better. I never told anyone, but one day when the phone rang, there was a pause and a voice asked, 'Did anyone ever find where you buried the body?'

Alive!

Have you ever wondered if writing could be made easy? Truth is, it can be easy. In five simple steps!

1. See
2. Hear
3. Touch
4. Smell
5. Taste

Sounds familiar? These are your five senses. Use these to make your story come alive it is absolutely possible!

Read these two sentences. Which one uses the senses and seems more interesting?

1. Max was hungry. He wanted to eat. He wanted dinner right now.

2. Max smelled ham cooking. His belly growled. He heard his mom say, "Dinner time!"

Try 5 senses description when writing about the following
1. your favorite toy
2. your pet
3. a place you always wanted to visit
4. the perfect teacher
5. your bedroom
6. a new animal

Writing CAN be easy!

do the twist!

Have you ever been so engrossed in reading a book because it's just so good? A good story will make you believe as though you're part of it right from the start! And just when you're about to get to the end, and you think you know exactly what's going to happen, there's a TWIST!

I really like surprise endings because it's so totally unexpected! When the story seems to be going in one direction, and then suddenly it veers off course and goes in a very different direction, it makes the story so much more interesting because I never thought of it!

Surprise endings aren't just for books though; your next story could have a twist at the end! Here's a really easy way to try your hand at surprise endings.

Change the Genre
A genre is a type or category of writing. It could be a mystery or an action packed tale; humorous (funny) fiction and teen stories are also different genres of stories.

A bad dude in a cowboy hat is walking into the saloon in a bad Western movie. He's looking dangerous and mad. Tell what happens, creating a happy ending.

A cowboy in a ten-gallon hat comes blasting through the saloon doors with a look on his face that says he would like to flatten someone. The bartender bravely says, 'Howdy. What can I get you?'

Begin your story with the above, and don't forget to change the genre so your reader will be surprised with the happy ending!

this week's Story Prompt

Have a look at the picture and write the story behind it. Write your ideas down on a separate piece of paper first and then write your story!

*Don't forget to add the 5 Ws (who, when, what, where + why)

Creating a Character

Every story has characters: it could be a dinosaur called Dexter or a mean girl called Jessica. Some characters are scary and you wouldn't want to be in the same room as them (ever!) and some are so cool, you'll wish you were friends!

A great way to make your story MORE interesting is to have exciting and believable characters in it! But how do you create a character that's sooooo REAL, it jumps right off the page?

1. Grab a piece of plain paper. (make sure it's big enough for ALL of your creative ideas)
and in the centre of the paper, draw a square (this is where you'll be drawing a picture of your character so make sure it's not too small).

2. Draw a line from the square outwards. On the end of the line, write something about the character: the way they look or something they do or something they like to say (what do they do? what kind of person are they? what's their hobby?). It should start to look like there is a square sun on your paper.

3. Under the word(s) you just wrote, write a description of this thing that your character does. Try to write three sentences. One of the sentences should try to explain your character's actions (why does he do something? Why doesn't he do something?) Another sentence could be what your character thinks of this action.
Here's an example.
Member of the School Library Club - never shows up for meetings because he thinks they are BORING. Wishes he was in the Photography Club instead but can't join because there are too many members.

Once you've filled your page, read through all the things you've put down about your character. Give your character a name and draw a picture of him / her.
Stuck for ideas? Do the same exercise with YOU as the character! Or use your favourite character (from a book or a cartoon or a movie or a TV show) to practise. Once you get the hang of it, get a fresh piece of paper and try your hand at a totally made up character!