week of 4/2/13

4/4/13

Goal: We've got a character. Now, let's develop some plot.


First Step:

1. Review the character you've been developing for two or three classes now.
2. On a note card, come up with one adjective to describe your overall impression of the character. Use your phones for a thesaurus if you need to.


HW: Come in with two possible plans for a plot. Include the following in two brief outlines:

1. Character/s
2. Setting (Think about last class and be true about detail)
3. Goal, conflict or problem (inciting incident and/or trigger
4. Major events (4 or 5--rising action, climax, falling action)
5. Ending/Resolution/Denouement
6. Theme (What would an English teacher say about what your story means)


Tim O'Brien and Character/Setting Interaction

20 Plots:

Tobias, Ronald B. 20 Master Plots. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 1993. (ISBN 0-89879-595-8)
This book proposes twenty basic plots:

1. Quest
2. Adventure
3. Pursuit
4. Rescue
5. Escape
6. Revenge
7. The Riddle
8. Rivalry
9. Underdog
10. Temptation
11. Metamorphosis
12. Transformation
13. Maturation
14. Love
15. Forbidden Love
16. Sacrifice
17. Discovery
18. Wretched Excess
19. Ascension
20. Descension.

_____________________________________

Tuesday:

Goal: Begin to flesh out characters. Consider setting. 

HW: Finish the Character Map (see below)

First Step: Sherman Alexie! Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Review the characters you developed in the weeks before spring break. Find the person I assign to you. Take out a lap top. Share something about your character from your blog with this person. (One assignment, for example)

Setting Map: 

Draw a map of on setting that your character inhabits. Really consider the space this character occupies. 

This is a map, but I care much more about the words than the drawings. Don't stress about making this look good unless you really want to. 

If you'd prefer to make a list, make sure that you are showing not telling. In other words, give the reader a hint that is based on an image or detail.

The purpose of this assignment is to get you thinking about showing details rather than telling them. 

Your map must include the following:

1. A hint as to the location (town, city, state, country, etc.)
2. A hint about the time of year (season)
3. A hint about the time of day
4. A hint about the mood (example: lighting)
5. A hint about the climate or weather
6. A hint about the time period (present, past, future)

Specifics: (Be as detailed as you can possibly be)
7. A hint about the mode of transportation that the character uses
8. A hint about some personal grooming habit that the character has
9. A hint about this character's sense of cleanliness or lack thereof
10. A hint about a relationship this character has with a family member, romantic interest, co-worker, or someone else
11. A hint about an inner conflict this character has.
12. A hint about something that makes this character happy.
13. A hint at some "dark" element of your character
14. A hint about something this character believes in deeply.