We've talked about choosing characters and settings for your stories.
We've also talked about using details to make your characters and settings
seem more real. Now we're ready for some action!
Once you've decided on your characters and setting—and
made them come alive with details—your characters have
to do something! What your characters do is the plot
of your story.
To make up a good plot for your story, think first about what your
characters want.
In Mummies in the Morning, Jack and Annie want to help the Egyptian
ghost queen find the Book of the Dead. In Dolphins at Daybreak, they
want to find the answer to an ancient riddle. In Tonight on the Titanic,
they want to help two kids find their way to the lifeboats.
In all these books, Jack and Annie do lots of things
to try to get what they want. The plot is
all the things they do to get what they want.
Morgan's Mission:
Imagine Jack and Annie climb into the tree house and find a note from
Morgan. The note says Morgan is in trouble and needs their help!
Decide:
- Where Morgan is
- What sort of trouble she is in
Then:
- Write Morgan's note
- List all the things Jack and Annie might do to help her
Annie's Secret Writing Tip:
The "I Want" Game
Characters in a story can want more than one thing. Some things they want
are little things, like a peanut butter sandwich. Some are bigger, like
finding a secret something to break a magic spell.
You can have fun thinking of all the things you
might want on any given day:
- Pretend you've just woken up on a Saturday morning
- Think of all the things you might want that day, that week, that year, in your whole life
- Take a sheet of paper
- Write the date at the top
- Fill the rest of the paper with a list of things you want!
For example:
Saturday
I want scrambled eggs for breakfast
I want to play with my dog
I want to finish my homework
I want to go to the bookstore with my dad
I want to be a scientist when I grow up
I want to live on an island someday
I want to study rain forests
Jack's Research Tip: What Do Historical Characters Want?
When you put characters from history into your stories,
they want things, too. What they want—and what they
do to get it—is part of the plot.
Clara Barton was a real-life nurse during the Civil War. She wanted to help
wounded soldiers. In Civil War on Sunday, Clara Barton helps wounded soldiers
by going onto battlefields in a wagon. She gives water to the soldiers. She
bandages their wounds. She takes some of the soldiers back to her hospital.
All the things Clara Barton does are part of the plot of Civil War on Sunday.
Be a Fact Finder:
Here's a list of some real people in history.
- Harriet Tubman
- Dr. Jonas Salk
- Neil Armstrong
- Admiral Perry
- Susan B. Anthony
Pick one of these people. Go to the library. Take a notebook.
Ask your librarian to help you find out about the person you've
chosen and do research to find out what he
or she wanted.
Take notes about the person you've chosen. Write a story about the person,
and some things he or she did to get what they wanted.
Learn more about reading and writing when you check out previous lessons:
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