Audience Skill 1: Ways to make your story more interesting

a) SUSPENSECan you create suspense in the reader? Think of suspense as creating doubt , worry or

uncertainty

b) HUMOURCan you create humour in your writing? Humour here is in situations rather than a joke

c) FEELINGSCan you make your readers feel something?

Think about how your characters feel... remember as I read your story I want to get to know your characters

a) How can you create suspense in the reader?

Suspense will create problems, obstacles & disasters

When writing, try to leave clues

Think of painting a picture or completing a jigsaw puzzle - where you don’t see the complete picture until the end of the story.

Your turn...on the next slide will be 3 statements and 5 phrases.

In 60 seconds add one phrase to each statement to create suspense in the form of questions

Phrase 1 “It was dark.”Phrase 2 “Can’t go back.”Phrase 3 “It was getting closer.”Phrase 4 “ She ran into the house.”Phrase 5 “She paused.”

Statement 1 “She felt her heart pound.”Statement 2 “She couldn’t find her

way.”Statement 3 “She was alone.”

In 60 seconds add one phrase from the list to each statement to create suspense

Share and ListenGreat work... You have created

suspense in your audience 3 times, through combining 2 short sentences!

b) How can you create humour in the scenes in your writing?

Exaggeration, understatement, word play, substituting characters = HUMOUR!

Look at this statement and let’s try and make it funny by exaggeration:

“She is boring” to...

“She is so dull even the sun sets when she’s around!”

Ok, maybe your not laughing out loud, but you probably did smile...

Your turn...In 60 seconds try and make this funny by exaggeration...

“ There was a hole in the space time continuum.”

Share and Listen

Funny work...

You have created humour in your writing!

It’s definitely one of those skills where you need to re-read and refine...keep

thinking “funny”

c) How you can make your readers feel something?

Try using the sensessight, smell, touch, taste, hearing + selffor your characters

So rather than... “He ran as fast as he could”

try“He ran. He was clumsy and could smell the burn from he auxiliary engines. His

own heart pounded faster than the engine”

Statement 1 “He went to fight”

In 60 seconds add 3 senses to the

statement to create feelings and emotion in a character

Share and ListenWow!

What good work... You have created emotion and feelings in your audience!