Saturday, February 2, 2013

You Can Score on Teacher Materials This Weekend

You can find my Simple Steps to Sentence Sense books and many other lessons on Two Great Web Sites. BOTH of them are having sales on Super Bowl Sunday Weekend.  Click on the links or the posters below to visit the stores and take advantage of the savings. Some of your favorite sellers have lowered their prices just for this sale.

Teachers Notebook

Here's hoping your team wins the Super Bowl and you score on some great products!

Signature and photo Charlene Tess

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Steps to Writing a Story Plan

A story plan is the first step in writing fiction.

A story plan will be a sketch and is for planning purposes. One way to get started is to think of a real incident that you or someone you know has experienced. Base your story plan on that incident, but change anything you wish if it makes your story more interesting or exciting.

Consider the following elements when you begin your story plan. You can skip around if you wish, but be sure to complete all the steps below.

Decide on the characters. Name the characters and describe their role in the story and their relationship to one another. For example: Marie Martin, heroine, secretary to the president of the bank. (If you are not ready to use names, just use descriptions: librarian, doctor, etc.)

Choose a setting. Decide when and where the events will take place. Be as specific as you can because that will help you when you begin your research. (For example: the South in the 60’s vs. Birmingham, Alabama in 1965.)

Decide on the main conflict in the story. What is the problem that your main character faces when the story begins? (For example: Marie Martin has been accused of stealing money from the bank?)

Decide on a series of events in the plot. Briefly describe what happens in a few sentences. (You can add to these, subtract from these, and rearrange these later.)

Determine the climax of the story. Describe the moment in the story after which nothing will be the same.

Determine the resolution of the story. What happens at the very end
 when the loose ends are tied up? (Some writers determine the ending first and work
 backwards from there.)

Visit my store for an exercise your students can do to create a story plan.

Creative Writing Lesson 2 by Charlene Tess

Here's hoping 2013 is off to a great start!

Signature and photo Charlene Tess