Writing Realistic Fiction Seventh-Grade. Imagining Stories from Everyday Moments Writers get their ideas for fiction by paying close attention to the

Writing Realistic Fiction

Seventh-Grade

Imagining Stories from Everyday Moments

Writers get their ideas for fiction by paying close attention to the small moments in their own lives.


Ever heard of The Outsiders? The author got the idea to write this story when she was fifteen years old; one of her friends got called a ‘greaser’ and was beaten up while walking home from school. She was so angry that she wrote about it later that day.


Ever heard of The Fault in Our Stars? John Green got the idea for his story from a friend of his who was sick.


Fiction writers pay close attention to their lives. You can find significant stories in the most ordinary moments of everyday life—these are called Small Moment stories.


- concussion - Great Dane bite - “Go break a leg” and it happens!-Horse with colic-Slipping off a cliff

Small Moment Stories

Think about the strategies you learned in sixth-grade about writing small—use those strategies, plus include times in your life when you were feeling strong emotions.


Emotions:Anxiety Fear sadness/sorrow

disgustAnger hate love

excitement guiltJoy happiness pain/betrayalannoyed


Practice:1. Start with action2.Show background 3.Return to the action


Seventh-grade memories: moving to another city 500 miles away; leaving all my friends; had to wait one month before our house was ready, so we weren’t near my school.


Think of your own memories of sixth-grade, or even this year. Jot down several ideas.

Essential Question

How can we create impressive fictional stories from small moments in our lives?

Goal: We can all write stories based on the “small” moments that occur in our lives.

Strategies for Topics

Think of a person who matters to you, list small moment stories, choose one, and write the whole story.

Think of first times or last times you did something, list small moment stories, choose one, write the whole story.

Think of moments that really mattered because you realized or learned something, list those moments, choose one, and write the whole story.

Share your Topics

Share your small moment stories with a partner.

Share any fiction story ideas that you have.

Remember, fiction writers find story ideas in the small moments of their lives!

HomeworkRecord as many ideas for fiction stories as possible, writing them in your reading/writing notebook.

Imagining Stories You Wish Existed in the World

Fiction writers also create stories they wish existed in the world.


As you know, we don’t live in a perfect world. Being a problem-solver is very important. For example, if you don’t have friends, you should work to make them. If you aren’t happy with your grades, work to improve them.


So, then, if you want to read about a person like yourself, write that story!

For example, do you play a sport? Or are you terrible at sports? You could write a story about that!


Consider the things that matter most to you that should be written into a story that others your age would want to read.

Consider places where stories could take place.

Imagining Stories You Wish Existed in the WorldPay attention to small moments in your life that could become stories.

Consider places where stories could take place.

Read about current events in magazines.

Think about an issue that is important to you, and create a character who struggles with it.

Imagining Stories You Wish Existed in the WorldAdd ideas to the page where you began recording ideas for stories.

If you have an idea that you want to begin writing about, go for it!

Share togetherShare a short synopsis of just one of your story ideas with the class.

HomeworkChoose the story idea that you would like to write, perhaps the one that is most meaningful to you, or the story idea you like best. Choose the one that you can write about best.

Developing Believable CharactersJust like your parents

test-drive a car before buying it, you are going to take your character from a possible story out for a test scene. Place your character in an everyday scene to see how s/he moves, thinks, and acts.

ScenesAre small moments or mini-stories.

Include a clear setting that is woven throughout the moment.

Have characters who are thinking, talking, acting, or perhaps doing all of these.

Contain a character motivation and obstacle of some sort.

Demonstrate choosing TraitsParents are old-

fashioned.Name: ElizabethStrangeWants friends and is friendly

Tries too hard and comes off weird.

Now you try it!Choose traits for your character.

Then we’ll try our characters in an everyday scene.

An Everyday SceneElizabeth having

lunch at school.Elizabeth walked into the lunch room, holding her lunch bag in her hands. Even though everyone else in the school, it felt like, bought school lunch, Elizabeth brought her own, as she was a picky eater.

An Everyday SceneThird person; what about

trying first person?I stood in the doorway of the lunchroom, half hiding behind the vending machines, clutching my lunchbag. There were a few kids who also brought their lunch from home, but almost everybody else bought from the cafeteria. I waited for Catherine to come through the kitchen doors. Then I waved to her as she headed to our table, the one closest to the janitor’s closet.

Now you try it!Write your character into an everyday scene.

Include dialogue, if you like.

Describe what the character is feeling, but don’t tell, show us!

More Tips to Develop a CharacterShow the setting.

Describe what the character is thinking right now.

Make sure someone says something.

Show character’s actions, big or small.

Have your character make a decision.

How To Write Compelling Fiction Brainstorm a great story idea (small moments,

places, events, issues, struggles, stories you wish existed).

Make your characters come alive. Generate traits. Reveal wants and challenges. Consider character’s attitudes toward self. Explore character’s relationships with others. Describe character’s movements, facial expressions, style,

quirks.

Test-drive your characters in scenes.• Make sure character does things, big or small.• Show feelings.• Include dialogue.• Develop the setting.• Try different points of view (first and third person).

Giving Characters Struggles and

Motivations that Mirror Real LifeOften, we don’t want our

main character to have any flaws; however, real life is different.

Think of struggles that your character could experience and how s/he will react to those situations.

Think about what motivates your main character; jot down some ideas to help you guide your character through situations that will cause them to grow.

Giving Character Struggles and

Motivations that Mirror Real LifeUse a T-chart to show how

your character reacts:Internal External

Nervous Clutches lunch

bagHappy Waves to

CatherineAnxious Half-hides

behind vending machines

“Thirteen and a Half”

Read “Thirteen and a Half” together as a class.

Narrator: Mrs. BoothAshley: Main character: Ashley’s mother: Main character’s mother:

Plotting With Tools• Once fiction writers have

brought their character to life, they use an understanding of the characters’ wants and struggles to develop a possible plotline.

• Author, Kurt Vonnegut, once shared five common story arcs that stories follow. One is called “Man in Hole” that is used over and over again.

• Try to figure out the next one.

Story Arcs• Story Arcs can help you

figure out the rises and falls of your own plot because they remind you that it’s not just one event after another.

• Rather, it’s like each scene in the arc is a whole new movement for your character; that’s what makes readers want to keep reading, to find out how the character will get to the other side of the arc.

Story ArcsNow, work with your task group to create a plotline for the class story about Elizabeth. She is now walking to catch the bus at the end of the school day and hears everyone talking about a big party that she would like to attend. She would like to be invited, but doesn’t know how to go about doing that. Continue with three or four segments of an arc to create a story for Elizabeth.

Story ArcsRemember that conflicts need to get worse before they get better.

Think of your own story, now. Explore ideas and build multiple story arcs before choosing one that you will keep as your most compelling story.

Push yourself to create two or three different arcs, each one an improvement over the one before it.

Narrative Writing ChecklistNow, you will receive the

seventh-grade writing checklist for narrative writing.

The seventh-grade checklist asks you to do some things a bit differently than you did last year.

Set goals for yourselves based on the checklist.

Good writers can describe a story in one sentence; create a one-sentence summary of your story.

From 2-D to 3-DCongratulations! You have summarized your story into one sentence and will now bring those stories to life!

Bring your story to life by showing rather than telling and including evidence in your story’s events.For example, there is a big difference between a summary and a scene.

From 2-D to 3-DSummary: On Friday afternoon, Miss Rowland’s snake escaped from the tank in the science lab.

From 2-D to 3-DScene: The breeze rattled the shades as it blew into our classroom windows. There was soft music playing in the background. The classroom was still except for the occasional turning of a page. Everyone was engrossed in reading. Suddenly, the door to the classroom swung open with a bang. Miss Rowland stood in the doorway, her forehead beaded in sweat, “The snake has escaped!”

From 2-D to 3-DThe first, a summary,

simply tells a lot of information really quickly, in a few words; it sums up the action.

The second version is storytelling; it’s written in

scene. It shows what is happening, bit by bit. Storytelling is what you want to make sure you do.

From 2-D to 3-DAdditionally, as an author, you need to leave evidence everywhere of the story you are writing. Going back to our story about Elizabeth, she is listening to Susie and Becca saying mean things about Cheryl.

From 2-D to 3-DAs the two girls talked, I felt uncomfortable. I didn’t know what to do. This is a fine start; we are allowing the reader to see into Elizabeth’s thoughts. But to make her state of mind bounce off the page—to make it 3-D—I must ask myself, “Where’s the evidence?” I need to write in clues, leaving evidence that what I am telling the reader is true. So this is what I will add, I want to show how Elizabeth is uncomfortable.

From 2-D to 3-DWhen I or others feel

uncomfortable, we may fidget or our clothes suddenly don’t feel right.

The room felt really hot all of a sudden. I was beginning to wish I had worn a lighter shirt. This one was making me sweat.

That works for the uncomfortable part; let’s add something that shows her not knowing what to do.

From 2-D to 3-DAs the two girls talked, I felt uncomfortable. I didn’t know what to do. The room felt really hot all of a sudden. I was beginning to wish I had worn a lighter shirt. This one was making me sweat. I looked down at my phone, checking for text messages that weren’t there. Then I noticed how dirty it was and made myself concentrate on slowly cleaning the screen with the bottom of my shirt.

From 2-D to 3-DThis scene doesn’t just summarize; rather, by asking “Where’s the evidence?” and adding in that evidence, story-telling is created!

Make your scenes come alive by including evidence and showing, not telling.Look for a scene in your story; summarize it into one sentence and share it with the person beside you.

From 2-D to 3-DShare several summaries in class.Now, choosing a summary, let’s discuss adding evidence and creating a scene that shows rather than tells us what happened.

From 2-D to 3-DRemember, place your characters into action to show a scene rather than tell it.Begin going through the scenes that you’ve already created. You don’t have to go back to the beginning of your story; rather, choose a scene and rewrite it, continuing in this way for your entire story.

From 2-D to 3-DBuild tension in your story:• Increase the obstacles (or the difficulty of the obstacles).•Make it challenging for the character to act.• Create a time crunch.• Raise the character’s motivation.• Add danger.

From 2-D to 3-DKnow when to use summary in your stories and when to create drawn-out scenes. Sometimes you need short one-sentence summaries in your stories, to move a character across space or time quickly.

From 2-D to 3-DBuild tension in your story:• Increase the obstacles (or the difficulty of the obstacles).•Make it challenging for the character to act.• Create a time crunch.• Raise the character’s motivation.• Add danger.

Stepping into the Drama The way an author

brings a character to life is to lose him or herself in the story.

Become the character, experience the drama occurring, as if it is happening to you.

Look in the story we read last week, “Thirteen and a Half” for specific places where you felt the character’s feelings.

Paragraphing to Structure FictionNotice how you divide your scenes.

Make sure that dialogue from another character begins on a new line. See “Thirteen and a Half.”

Use your paragraphs for organization, letting them help you separate some things and connect others.

Studying Published Texts to Write Leads

First, your lead, the beginning of your story, needs two main ideas: do you remember what those are?

A good hook (action)

Setting It is much easier to revise the lead rather than the rest of your story, especially if you have several pages.

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Writing Realistic Fiction Seventh-Grade. Imagining Stories from Everyday Moments Writers get their ideas for fiction by paying close attention to the