Short Story Classroom Activity

Define your main character:

           

Name:

Age:

Nationality:

Hometown:

Occupation (student, McDonald’s, etc.):

Talents:

Siblings:

Significant Other:                                                             

Build/Size:

Glasses or Contacts:

Eye Color:

Hair Color:

Skin Color:

Hobbies:

Habits (biting nails, etc):

Clothing style:

Best Quality:

Greatest Flaw:

How Does Character See Himself/Herself:

How Does Character Believe Others See Himself/Herself:

How Does your Character Deal With…

            Anger:

            Sadness:

            Conflict:

            Change:

            Loss:

What Would Most Make This Character Happy:

Is The Character Judgmental Of Others:

Is The Character Generous Or Stingy:
Is The Character Generally Polite Or Rude:

2. Plot Choice

Setting:

• Place:
• Time of Year:
• Weather:

Conflict/Problem:

• What events take place before the problem:
• What events take place after the problem

  

3. What Point of View?

Are you writing in first person or third person? (Circle one)

            First person allows the reader to see what the focus character is thinking; it also allows that character to be further developed through his own style in telling the story. It is written with the pronoun I, me, my, we, etc.

o      Ex. I watched the lady place the bread in her bag and quickly walk out of the store.

Third person tells the story from an outsiders point of view. It gives a kind of “over-the-shoulder” view. It is written with he, his, she, hers, etc.

o      Ex. Chris stared out the window for a long time before finally deciding to answer, “yes.”

4. Decribe Your First Sentence:

Where do you begin:

            Who

                        Ex. David stood tall, almost as tall as the Elm outside of the school.

            What:

                        Ex. My retriever meant everything to me.

                        Ex.  Damien’s retriever meant everything to him.

            When:

                        Ex. I looked at my watch, I had exactly twelve minutes to get to the dance.

                        Ex. Renee had exactly twelve minutes left to get to the dance.

            Where:

                        Ex. I loved the old library, the way it smelled, the quietness, even the

 mean old librarian that worked at the front counter.

                        Ex. Victoria’s Library sat at the corner of Charles and Ross. The large

                        building towered over the rest of the town.

            Why:

                        Ex. I didn’t mean to lie to Mrs. Smith, it’s just that I was tired of taking

                        the blame for my little sister.

                        Ex. Nancy didn’t like lying to Mrs. Smith, but her sister always seemed to

                        be putting her in a bad situation.