FICTION: PLOT

Creative Writing

Look familiar?

“A plot is a series of events deliberately arranged so as to reveal their dramatic, thematic, and emotional significance.”

-Janet BurrowayTo summarize: Series of events Deliberately arranged Significant!

MACRO LEVEL

The Big Ideas: Plot Structure

Show Off What you know:

What did you notice about what’s required before you begin any story?

Must Haves For a Start

Character(s) Basic plot idea (beginning, middle, and

end), including a conflict

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Common Story Structures

Brainstorm Plot Ideas

See Classic Plot Structures worksheet.

Three Sentence Plot

Break your story idea down into three sentences of three words each.

That will give you a beginning, middle, and end to help you understand the foundation of your story.

By having to choose three verbs, you’ll be forcing yourself to consider three important parts of the action.

What You end up with: Three By Three

We all know classic story descriptions in this form.

Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy gets girl.

Stories have a beginning, middle, and

end. Cinderella can’t go. She goes anyway.

Cinderella gets Prince.

Get Inspired

See unique plot ideas worksheet.

STILL STUCK?

Story Machine Cards

You have ten index cards in front of you.

On the first five, list labels associated with what they do (jobs, activities, etc.)

On the second five cards, list a mildly strange or unusual behavior. These do not have to be associated with the labels on the other cards. In fact, it would be better if they were not.

Shuffle the Story Machine

Shuffle each pack of cards SEPERATELY. Now, ask “Why did Card A do Card B?” “Why did the fashion model pick up the paper

on the driveway?” Continue to flip cards until you find a question

that’s worth answering. There are many possible pairings. Reshuffle if necessary.

The event suggested by the machine may work best at the beginning of the story, but think of what would happen if you placed it at the end or in the middle.

Homework: Beginnings

See handout.