Planning Fiction Assignment

Man writing in notebook Getting a short story started is often the hardest part. Once you have the basic elements down, you can continue the story just by asking yourself, "What happens next?" The difficulty of starting stories is one reason why so many authors keep notebooks with them wherever they go. They can write down anything they see or think about that could become part of a story. Then, when it's time to write, they just flip through the notebook for ideas.

If you keep a notebook or journal already, look back at it for thoughts and ideas that might make a good story. If you don't keep a notebook, think about what you like to read about, or what you like to do. What aspects of your life could make a good story--especially if you embellish the truth a bit, adding details that make the story more dramatic, exciting, or mysterious?

Today you will write down some ideas for a short story. In a later lesson, you'll develop these ideas into the draft of a story. Review the steps described in the tabs below. Then use the Planning Fiction worksheet on this page to record your ideas.

Basic Story Elements

The Protagonist

The Plot

Activity

If you don't already have an idea for your short story, focus on just one of the basic elements: characters, conflict, or setting. Click one of the elements below, and answer each of the questions in your notebook or on scrap paper. Then look back at your ideas, and decide which one would probably make the best story.

Characters	Who do you know who would make a good character in a story? What age did you particularly enjoy, and what happened then? What age did you NOT enjoy, and why? What interesting people have you seen from a distance but never gotten to know?
Conflict	In the last couple of years, what is the biggest challenge you have faced? When have you needed help solving a difficult life problem? What events or activities have taught you an important lesson about life? What situations have you observed close up, without being directly involved?
Setting	Where do you like most to be, when you get to decide? What places most fascinate, excite, or scare you? What time period would like to experience--in the past or in the future? How will life be different fifty years from now? One hundred years?

How do you make sure your story idea has all of the basic elements? Read what Darin did to arrive at his story plan.

Darin loves to go to the beach with his family. He's never seen a shark, but he has always wondered what it would be like to be face to face with one. Darin decides to set his story at the beach and to have his main character encounter a shark. He decides to make his main character about his own age, with a twelve-year-old younger brother. The boy goes swimming at night with his younger brother, and thinks he sees a shark's fin moving in the water. Then the boy's brother disappears. Darin's story will take place in a secluded area of beach that is part of a national park.

What are the basic elements of Darin's story?

characters: the twelve-year-old boy and his older brother
conflict: the boy must battle his fear and possibly a shark to find his brother
setting: a secluded area of beach in a national park

Your story's protagonist, or main character, will be your readers' connection to the heart of your story. Readers will view the story's events through that character's eyes or experience, so it's important to make the main character feel real. And the best way to do that is to make sure that you know your main character before you start writing the story.

Since your protagonist doesn't really exist until you create him or her, you should "flesh out" your main character in your mind by making up details about his or her personality, background, motivations, and other traits. Read the list of character traits that Nadia listed for her story's protagonist--before she started drafting the actual story.

Girl with notebook Kiki
age 15
lives with her grandmother
loves sports, science, and cooking
fears losing her grandmother
wants to see her dad more
misses her mom, who left when she was 5
dreams of being a scientist or a chef

Which of Kiki's character traits may help readers of Nadia's story relate to the protagonist--and care what happens to her?

When Nadia's classmates read her story, the main character's age, her fear of loss, and her desire to spend more time with a distant parent are likely to feel familiar to some of them. Her love of sports will help sports fans relate to her, and anyone who has dreams for the future may find common ground with Kiki.

You don't need to have every plot detail figured out before you begin writing your story, but you do need to have a general idea of where it might go and what will happen. Once you start writing the story, you may change your mind about how it should end, or what challenges the protagonist will face along the way. However, starting with a plan will help you build a narrative that progresses logically and doesn't leave readers behind.

Darin and Nadia each listed a sequence of events that they expected their stories to follow.

Darin's Plot Notes	Nadia's Plot Notes
1. Two brothers sneak off for a night swim.	1. Kiki's dad comes from the city for a visit.
2. The older brother tries to scare younger brother.	2. He asks Kiki to come live with him, and attend a science academy.
3. The older brother (protagonist) sees a shark fin.	3. Kiki tells him she is afraid to leave her grandmother.
4. The younger brother doesn't believe him.	4. Kiki's grandmother tells her to at least go see the school.
5. The younger brother disappears--protagonist can't find him.	5. She agrees to go with her dad to see the school.
6. The protagonist searches frantically for his little brother.	6. While Kiki is away, her grandmother suffers a fall.
7. He comes face to face with a shark. [climax]	7. Kiki returns home, distraught. [climax]
8. The protagonist, terrified, gives up and leaves the water.	8. Her grandmother urges Kiki to go to the city and study.
9. He finds his younger brother at home.	9. Kiki's dad finds a bigger house where the grandmother can also stay.
10. His younger brother had left the water and walked home.	10. Kiki realizes her dream of attending the science academy.

What might each of these writers choose as an inciting incident--the event that gets the story started and grabs readers' attention?

It's time to apply what you've learned in this lesson about starting a story! Click the Activity button below to access the Planning Fiction worksheet, which will help you generate ideas and build a tentative plot sequence for your short story. When you have completed this worksheet, submit it to your teacher, and save a copy to use later when you begin drafting your story.

Your work on this assignment will be graded according to the following rubric.

	Criteria
Basic Elements 1 point	1 Point: You listed all of the basic elements for the story you will write.
Character and Plot 2 points	1 Point: You answered all of the questions about your story’s main character.
Character and Plot 2 points	1 Point: You created a tentative plot line for your story, with all the of the parts in the table (conflict, rising action, climax, resolution).
Details 2 points	1 Point: You answered all of the questions about details.
Details 2 points	1 Point: Your sentence stating the story’s conflict is written in a way that is likely to grab a reader’s attention.

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Guided Notes

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