Cartoon by Grant Howett
Every year, the college where I teach offers a workshop for young writers. This year, I'm conducting a session for 6-8th graders, and this year I created a story-generating exercise called The Incredible Story-Making Machine. I've posted it here in case any of you would like to use it in any classes or workshops that you teach, free of charge. Feel free to adapt it to your own needs as well. If you do use it, I'd appreciate hearing how it worked for you.
THE INCREDIBLE STORY-MAKING MACHINE
Input data into this "machine" to help you generate a story!
1) Create a CHARACTER.
Name:
1
Psychological Strength:
1
Psychological Weakness:
2) Give your character three
BACKGROUND details. Try to use these details in your story.
Detail
One:
Detail
Two:
Detail
Three:
3) Give your character a GOAL (what
the character wants to achieve in the story).
Character’s
Goal:
4) Create a SETTING for your story.
Where
and when does the story take place?
5) Create an ANTAGONIST for your
character. (This antagonist can be a person, a force of nature, a situation,
etc.)
Antagonist:
6) Create three OBSTACLES that the
character will have to overcome in order to obtain his or her goal. (The
obstacles should involve the antagonist as well as the character’s
psychological strength and weakness.)
Obstacle
One:
Obstacle
Two:
Obstacle
Three:
7) Create a PLOT TWIST for your
story, an unexpected turn of events that will surprise your readers.
Plot
Twist:
8) Create an interesting and
exciting CLIMAX for your story.
How
does the story end?
Does
the character obtain his or her goal?
How
is the character changed by the events of the story?
9) Using the information you
generated with this template, WRITE YOUR STORY!
10) When you’re
finished, share your story with others!