In this lesson, we're going to talk about adding problems to your story to make the plot exciting.

Remember that the plot of your story is what your characters do. We said that to decide what your characters do, you should think first about what they want.

If your characters get what they want really easily, it won't be a very good story. If you want a glass a milk and just go the refrigerator and get it, that isn't much of a plot! There need to be some problems along the way to make the story interesting.

In Night of the Ninjas, Jack and Annie want to go back to the tree house after they've met with the Ninja Master. But they have problems:

First, they don't know which direction to go in,

Then, they have to escape from a Samurai warrior,

Finally, they have to cross a freezing cold stream.

How they solve all these problems is what makes the plot interesting and exciting!

In the last lesson, you imagined that Jack and Annie found a note from Morgan asking for their help. Your mission was to decide where Morgan was, what sort of trouble she was in, and some things Jack and Annie might do to help her.

Now:

• Pick one of the things Jack and Annie could do to help Morgan
• Make a list of all the problems they might have along the way

The problems in a story don't always have to be big things, like running into a Samurai warrior. Lots of little things can get in the way of getting what you want—and make your plot exciting.

It's fun to use your imagination to turn little problems into big problems. If your shoe comes untied while you're walking to school, that's a little problem. But if your shoe comes untied while you're running away from a Tyrannosaurus Rex—that's a really big problem!

Making Little Problems BIG!

Try this game:

• Get several sheets of paper
• At the top of each sheet write: Little Problem
• Leave a blank space, then write: Big Problem

On each sheet, write down one of these little problems:

• Lost my notebook
• Spilled milk
• Light bulb in my room has burned out
• My bicycle has a flat tire
• Forgot my lunch

Then use your imagination to turn the little problems into big problems!

For example:

Little Problem:

I lost my notebook!

Big Problem:

That's a Big Problem because inside my notebook is the secret code that opens the magic door in the backyard that leads to the secret world where I'm supposed to meet my brother at 2 o'clock and fly to the time of dinosaurs!

History is full of people who became famous by solving problems. It's interesting to learn about these people and all the things they did to solve the problems in their lives.

In the last lesson you did research on one of the people on this list to find out what he or she wanted:

• Harriet Tubman
• Dr. Jonas Salk
• Neil Armstrong
• Admiral Perry
• Susan B. Anthony

Pick another person on the list. Go to the library. Take your notebook. Ask your librarian to help you find information about the person you've chosen.

Make a list of problems that person faced in his or her life. Write down what they did to solve their problems.