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Consider these things when writing a story.
Introduction:
•
Is the title interesting? Does it make me want to read this story?
•
Does the fi rst sentence get my attention?
•
Does the fi rst sentence begin with strong word choice?
•
Is the problem / conflict interesting, realistic, important?
•
Does the fi rst paragraph make me want to keep reading?
•
Does the fi rst paragraph display a clear and consistent point of view?
Character
•
Is a character introduced in the fi rst 100 words?
•
Are characters / setting realistic and consistent?
•
Are characters revealed through dialogue, action and thoughts?
•
Are descriptions interesting and relevant to the story?
•
Are the characters interesting, unique, rounded?
•
Does the protagonist have flaws and challenges?
•
Is the protagonist partly to blame for the problem?
•
Does the protagonist try to solve the problem?
•
Do we care about what happens to the protagonist?
•
Does the protagonist change, learn or decide something?
GRANT SCHOOL
1425 Washington Place, San Diego, CA 92103-1792
Offi ce
: 619
-860
-
5500 Fax: 619-297-8404
Dave P. Martocchio
InstructorDave@me.com
InstructorDave.org
Mobile: 858-354-9417
Setting
•
Is setting defi ned in the fi rst 100 words?
•
Is the setting described where necessary for understanding or plot development?
Narrative
•
Is there a clear and consistent point of view?
•
If there are multiple viewpoints, are there clear breaks or transitions between
point of
views
?
•
Is there a clear and unique narrative voice?
•
Is the verb tense consistent?
•
Are there scenes (dialogue and action)?
•
Are sentence structure and length varied?
•
Are many sentences passive?
•
Are transitions smooth?
Plot
•
Are all events clearly related to the conflict?
•
Does the initial conflict build through complications?
•
Are the complications structured into the plot?
•
Does the story stay focused on one conflict?
•
Is backstory worked into the plot?
•
Does suspense build up until the climax?
•
Is there a turning point?
•
Is the resolution the right length?
•
Is the resolution convincing and satisfying?
Dialogue
•
Is there dialogue?
•
Is dialogue realistic sounding?
•
Does dialogue contribute to forward momentum?
•
Are dialogue tags nearly invisible and only used where needed for clarity?
For
example
: said, replied, asked.
•
Are action tags used to make dialogue more meaningful and move the story along?
Mechanics
•
Is paragraphing used to emphasize and clarify what happens?
•
Does each line of dialogue begin a new paragraph?
•
Is dialogue correctly punctuated? (quotation marks, commas, end punctuation)
•
Are exclamation points avoided, except in dialogue?
•
Has it been proofread and edited?
Formatting a Play
•
Student names in
Blue Bold
.
•
Directions for stage crew in
Bold Underlined Red
.
•
Non-spoken stage directions in
Orange Bold
.
•
Names of characters in
Green
.
•
Spoken parts in Black.
•
Each direction or spoken part is on a new line.
•
See the example below.
Scene 2
Asher,
Lila,
Burkelee, Everett, Scarlett, Uma
:
Open Front Curtain
Eden
Teacher
:
In
classroom
.
Eden
Teacher
:
F. Another F. Oh, big F for this one
!
This is such a disgrace. I don’t
know why I became a teacher!
School bell rings.
Students
:
Start
to come in and take a seat
while talking loudly.
Eden
Teacher
:
Claps
seven
times to get
student’s
attention
.
Students
:
Become silent.
Scarlett
Savanah
:
and
Uma
Sienna
:
Still
talking, not aware that everyone else is
silent
.
Uma
Sienna
:
I know... like OMG
!
Scarlett
Savanah
: OMG for real like
. . .
