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Class 02 The Elements of Story

Lesson Introduction and Overview (1 of 14)
Lesson Introduction and Overview

The Elements of Story

Class 02 Lesson Overview

For writers, the first idea for a story often begins with a thread of an idea.

Perhaps a writer wishes to explore a theme, an intriguing setting, a character who has taken up lodging in his or her imagination, or an event or incident.

The American-born author Henry James called these beginnings the “germ of the story.”

During this week’s class, you'll work on exercises that will help you discover and uncover your own story germs. We’ll also discuss in broad terms the basic elements that comprise a story.

Road Map (2 of 14)
Road Map

Road Map

Reading Assignments

Check out the list in the Syllabus.

Writing Assignments

Check out the list in the Syllabus.

Freewriting- check for instructions in the Syllabus.

Objectives

At the completion of Class 02, you will have

I Remember, Part 1 (3 of 14)
I Remember, Part 1

I Remember, Part 1

This exercise is designed to help you exercise your memory and troll for story germs.

Each of us has memories that we return to again and again. Some memories are happy. Others are haunting. Some are confusing. Some are like photographs -- images that we can't shake, for better or worse.

Reach back into your early memories. What images do you see?

Make a list of at least ten specific memories. Begin each line of your list with the words, "I remember."

Your list can be in chronological order, starting with your earliest memory, or it can be random, or out of order. It can be a long-term memory from any part of your growing-up years or about any person whom you knew. It can be about a particular event or experience from your childhood.

As you create your list, try to:

Two Rules:

Set your timer. Give yourself 15 minutes or more to complete your list. After your timer goes off, take a break before you turn to Part 2 of this exercise. Go read or take a walk or fold some laundry or raid the refrigerator.

I Remember, Part 2 (4 of 14)
I Remember, Part 2

I Remember, Part 2

Break’s over!

Take out the list you created for I Remember, Part 1. Arrange the lines in some sort of order.

(What is an arc? Simply put, an arc is a change or transformation. Typically, in a story, a character undergoes a change or transformation, moving from one state to another. Perhaps there's a reversal in fortune. A character goes from weakness to strength or from a low point to a high point. These things also hold true on many poems.)

Does your list build to a high point? Or drop to a low point? Is there a change or transformation? If so, you have an arc.

Is there a line that catches you? That swells the heart or makes it turn over? Is there a line that draws you in?

Is there a place you'd like to explore further? (If so, pull that line out now and explore it with another "I remember" list.)

If not, revise or recast those lines. Our greatest writers are effective because they use words that refer to specific objects or events that are available to the senses. For example, the word "love" is not concrete; it's abstract. But the word "moon" is specific and refers to an object that can be seen.

Here's a simple test: can you draw the object or event? If you can, it's concrete. (Some of you may argue that you can draw "love," but meaning of love changes with time and circumstances, whereas a moon does not. Get it?) Test the lines of your poem by asking yourself if you can draw a definite and specific picture for the line.

Admittedly, this is a difficult craft technique to understand, but wait until you see the difference it makes in your writing! Whether you write poetry or prose, the best writing is concrete.

Experiment

Are your memories in the best possible order? Do they build to a moment? (Think arc, as described above. Think rising-and-falling action.) If you need to reorder your lines, do so now. Try writing the lines, with the last line first, and so on. Trying using the same line as the opening and closing line of your poem.

Take a break

Read:

Consider and reflect upon this picture book as an "I remember" prose poem. (Does it inspire you develop your own "I remember" list further? If so, go for it!)

Take Another break

Read:

Break's Over

Post 2.1 Writing Journal

Post your revised "I remember" poem to your Writing Journal.

The Work of Spiders (and a Pep Talk) (5 of 14)
The Work of Spiders (and a Pep Talk)

The Work of Spiders and a Pep Talk

Yes, it's only the second week of class, but it's never too soon for a pep talk.

In Class 1, we warned you that you might feel anxious and full of self doubt as you posted your first workshop piece. We encouraged you to fire the critic that tries to convince you that you have noting important to say or no good stories to tell or that only geniuses write stories.

You've heard the old saying: genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.

One percent inspiration.

Now think about this: Who doesn’t have that one percent?

The difference between those people who say they want to write and those who do write is this: the ability to work up a sweat. Or, as Jane Yolen, author of over three hundred published books says, butt time. It’s putting your butt in a chair and working. (We writers call it BIC -- butt in chair.)

The difference is the willingness to develop and hone your craft.

Many of you have been told that writing is a gift.  We hear about gifted writers all the time. You hear people say, oh, she’s so creative, as if that's all it takes to write a book.

Being creative is more than inspiration and good ideas.

In order to be creative, you have to create something. Publishing doesn't make you a writer; writing makes you a writer.

Newbery-winning author Katherine Paterson says that the two creatures to be most pitied are the spider and the novelist because both of their lives hang by a thread spun out of their own guts.

That’s what writers do: we spin a story out of our guts. 

This is not a career for the gutless.

Why Write (6 of 14)
Why Write

Why Write

You know there are many other things that are easier to do and that mean a lot less rejection than writing.

You may also experience days when you’d rather do long division by hand than write.

At least with long division, you can see the progress you’re making as you work down the page. With long division, there’s only one right answer.  And you can check your work when you're done. 

Or pull out a calculator.

Writing isn’t like long division. Writing is filled with choices and options. There’s no calculator or formula to check your work.

So why do you write?  Why do you have this burning desire to tell stories?

Because you have to. Because you are hopeful. Because you have an indomitable spirit.

Because you see story everywhere, and there’s nothing you crave more than a good story -- or you wouldn’t watch movies. You wouldn’t read. You wouldn’t gossip with friends.

And you wouldn’t be taking this class.

Here's a guarantee: Yes, you will feel frustrated. Yes, your reach will exceed your grasp. Yes, your aspirations will outreach your skill level.

But you will get better.

And stronger.

And reach further.

Why do you crave stories so much? 

In his craft book, Story, Robert McKee tells us that stories make meaning out of chaos and a chaotic world. This desire for meaning, says McKee, is as old as time. It’s universal: it spans all cultures, all places, all times. 

That's why you have no choice, but to tell a story through words or pictures, spun from your insides.

Writing is for the courageous and the daring. Sure, it's frustrating. Sure, it's hard.

But the more you study your craft, the more you read and write, the more you hang out with daring and courageous writers, the more courageous and daring and stronger you will become in your craft.

Listen to Newbery-honor winning author Gail Carson Levine tell your inner critic to shut up.

Guest Speaker Series: Gail Carson Levine (about 7 minutes)

Gail Carson Levine has written nineteen books for children. Her best-known is Ella Enchanted, which won a Newbery honor in 1998 and was made into a motion picture in 2004. Most of her books are middle-grade/YA fantasy novels, but she has two picture books plus a middle-grade historical novel, Dave at Night, and the middle-grade nonfiction Writing Magic. She and her husband David and their Airedale Reggie live in Brewster, New York.

You can check out Gail's web site and Gail's blog.

Story Germs and Aristotle (7 of 14)
Story Germs and Aristotle

Story Germs and Aristotle

We story lovers recognize a story when we see it, hear it, or read it. But what is a story, exactly?

The simplest definition is this: an account of incidents or events.

Doesn't a story feel like much more than an accounting of incidents or events?  Perhaps this is a stronger definition: a story is a series of dramatized scenes or incidents (plot) that establish time and place (setting) and that move a main character through events. 

Still a little weak?

Most stories feel far richer and more complex than any single definition.

For that reason, it’s easier to discuss the elements that make a story.

More than 2,000 years ago, the philosopher Aristotle wrote On the Art of Poetry. In this work, he identified six elements that each story should have. (Specifically, Aristotle was talking about tragedy.)

Here’s a short video that explains Aristotle's Six Elements. (In upcoming classes, we'll focus on each of these elements.)

Today, we tend to identify the story elements as the following seven:

Let's get something straight: in literature classes, students are often asked, "What is the author's intent?" as if they can read the author's mind. The truth is that no one can ever know the author's true purpose or intent -- unless the author tells us. Readers can only know and understand their own response and their own reaction to a story, based on the evidence at hand.

Throughout this course, you are asked to read as a writer, not as a reader. There is a difference. Writers don't read to guess another writer's purpose or intent. Writers read to figure out how a writer accomplished what he or she accomplished. What tricks did the writer use? How did the writer organize the events of the plot? How did she develop a particular character? How did she evoke atmosphere? Describe the setting so effectively? Accomplish the story's voice? How is the theme played out? What language helps to develop or underscore the theme?

As you move through this course, try to read like a writer.

Advice for Writers (8 of 14)
Advice for Writers

Advice to Writers

In the following video, author Kurt Vonnegut gives succinct advice to writers.

Kurt Vonnegut is 20th century American writer who blended satire, gallows humor, and science fiction into many of short stories and novels for adult readers. Vonnegut's work includes Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Breakfast of Champions. 

(Click the video below or use this direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyQ1wEBx1V0&feature=related.)

 

Length: 1:28 Kurt Vonnegut: Writing Advice for Short Stories

Although Vonnegut wrote for an adult audience, his advice holds true for children's writers, whether you are writing picture books, short stories, or novels.

 

 

Your Story Germs (9 of 14)
Your Story Germs

Your Story Germs

What are your story germs? Do you have characters and plots swimming in your head? A setting? Snatches of dialogue?

If so, that's great.

If not, don't worry. You'll catch some germs from the upcoming exercises. In the meantime, listen to Sneed B. Collard III explain how he find local subjects to write about.

Guest Speaker Series:  Sneed B. Collard III (17 minutes)

The acclaimed author of more than more than sixty picture books, novels, and nonfiction titles for young readers, Sneed lives in Missoula, Montana and was the 2006 recipient of the prestigious Washington Post—Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award for his writing achievements. His books are regular fixtures on the Junior Library Guild selection lists, the NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books lists, and many other ‘best of’ lists.

For more information, visit Sneed's Web site.

The Survey Says . . . (10 of 14)
The Survey Says . . .

The Survey Says

Read:

What type of stories  -- picture book, short story,  novel or nonfiction work  -- do you find yourself drawn to write? Whom do you wish to write for?

In order to answer that question, you'll need to think about the various audiences. What sort of stories do preschool, kindergarten, and first grade children like? What sort of stories do elementary school children like? Middle School? High school?

Do you have to be a parent in order to write for children?

No.

The one hard and fast rule about writing for children is this: in order to write for a child, you have to remember clearly what it felt like to be a child. You need to understand what it means to be a child in today's world.

You need to understand the timeless emotional needs that all children share. You need to know the hopes, fantasies, and dreams of children. You need to understand the many guises of fun. You need to know the fears that children strive to conquer.

That's how you write a story that wins the heart of a child.

Our goal as writers of stories for children? To discover the many ways to a kid's heart.

Discussion Forum (11 of 14)
Discussion Forum

Discussion Forum

Post 2.2 Choose one of the following. Post your response to the discussion forum.

(A) Choose three different audience ages to research. (The ages must be between pre-readers and young adult.)

Conduct some research to find out the needs and interests of the three age groups. What are their emotional and developmental needs? What do they like? What do they dislike?

If you're a classroom teacher, you might poll a class of students or the teachers in the faculty room. You might conduct some online research or use some other means.

Post your findings to the discussion forum.

(B) Consider Gregory Orr's poem, A Litany. Conduct some online research to understand why Orr wrote this poem. Why do you think Orr titled it "A Litany?"  From a writer's perspective, where does Orr's poem turn for you, make your heart turn over, or make you gasp out loud? Consider, too, Orr's use of concrete language. For example, it's not just soup, but alphabet soup that the brother eats at the end.

Now consider your own "I Remember" poem. Did Orr's poem help you realize anything about craft that you can take to your poem? Are there places where you can improve the pacing or improve the language?

(C) Consider Cynthia Rylant's When I Was Young in the Mountains as a prose poem. How is this story/prose poem also a litany of sorts? Choose three concrete images from to discuss. Did Rylant's poem help you to realize anything about language?

Your Turn (12 of 14)
Your Turn

Your Turn

Post 2.3 Writing Journal

Choose one of the following to post to your Writing Journal. Remember to include the post number.

A. This is a four-step exercise.

  • First, tell us: what was your favorite genre to read as a child? Humor? Mystery? Thriller? Nonfiction? Fantasy? Science fiction? Paranormal? Coming of Age? Write it down.
  • Now, what was your greatest fear or desire as a child? Do you remember? Write it out in 1-3 sentences.
  • Next, think about your favorite genre and your greatest fear or desire. Can you combine these two things into a story for young readers? Is it a possible germ for a story?
  • In no more than 250 words, write out a summary for a story that combines your favorite genre and your greatest fear or desire. Be sure to identify the form (picture book, short story, novel, etc.) and the age group for whom this story summary is geared.

B. Do you have another story germ? Is there a setting, character, event, theme, or other element of story you'd like to explore? Tell us about it in 300 words or less.

C. Make list of the things you used to believe when you were a child. Post your list to your writing journal OR write about a moment when you realized that something or someone you used to believe or believe in was no longer true.

Revision Strategies (13 of 14)
Revision Strategies

Revision Strategies

Choose a work to revise. You may choose:

Tips for Revision:

Reminder: You may not submit the same piece to workshop two weeks in a row. If you choose to submit a second piece (after the two week waiting period), it must show substantial revision. You may not submit the same piece more than twice during the semester.

Why? Because too often we tend to get stuck in one piece, trying to make it perfect. We need to get over trying to make a piece perfect and embrace the idea of making our poem or story "good."

Post 2.4 Writing Workshop

Submit your revised work to your assigned workshop group by the time and date listed on your syllabus.

Submit a peer critique to each member of your workshop by the time and date listed on your syllabus.

Refer back to the critique requirements and expectations from the syllabus.

Wrap Up (14 of 14)
Wrap Up

Wrap Up

Congratulations! You’ve reached the end of Class 02.

Take a few minutes to make sure you've completed all the work.

You should have posted the following:

You should have offered a critique to the work of others in your writing group by the time and date listed on your syllabus. Your critique should follow the guidelines stated in Class 01.

You should have commented to the Discussion Forum posts of three classmates.

You are now ready to move on to Class 03.


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