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What a Character!
Create a character, either out of your experience or your imagination. Use this format as a guide:
Name
Age
Family (Who are they? Where are they now? Are they involved in your character's life? Why or why not?)
Friends (Tell the main ones and details to help us understand how they are important to the character.)
Home (Where is it? What is it like? Be as specific as you can.)
Wishes (Everyone has dreams. Some folks say that dreams make the man. What are your character's wishes?)
Physical appearance (Describe your character well enough that the reader has a good mental image of what he/she looks like.)
Favorite clothes (Have you heard the expression "Clothes make the man"? How does your character dress? What makes your character choose to dress as he/she does?)
Personality traits (How does your character act? Is your character honest/dishonest? Loyal? Sneaky? Lazy? Industrious? Cheerful? Violent? Loving? Friendly? etc.)
Typical behaviors (If you were to describe a friend or family member, you might say that he always does a certain thing at a certain time. What characteristic behaviors does your character have?)
Favorite places (Where would your character most likely be found? In his tree house? In the basement? In the garage? At the computer?)
Special qualities or talents (Is your character smart? a good singer? a great skateboarder? a computer genius? an excellent friend?)
Looking for Trouble
Now that you have a character (or several characters), you need to put them into motion. On the computer, we animate graphics. When we write a story, we have to decide what the characters will be doing. To do this, the main character needs to have a problem to resolve. The problems can be anything-- from getting the right person to go to the dance, to getting the hand out of the cookie jar, to finding the thief, to making an important decision. The problem will help determine whether you will be writing a love story, an adventure story, a murder/mystery story, or a story with a moral. Think of several possibilities. Then choose the one which is most interesting to YOU, the author!
Pot o' Plots
There are four elements in a plot:
1. the problem or conflict
2. a series of events that the problem sets in motion
3. a climax when the problem is settled
4. an outcome that shows how things work out afterward
