Plot Building

Arlene F. Marks holds degrees in Modern Languages and Education from the University of Toronto and has twenty years of experience teaching high school English, Literacy and Writer's Craft at all levels from Pre-Advanced Placement to Remedial. Arlene is the author of From First Word to Last (2013, Legacy Books Press) and the LITERACY: MADE FOR ALL series (2014, R & L Education). She welcomes visitors to her web site, www.thewritersnest.ca. Bette J. Walker holds degrees in English and Education from York University (Toronto) and has thirty years’ experience teaching in Junior (grades 3 to 6) and Intermediate (grades 7 and 8) classrooms. She also spent three years as a Language Arts Consultant with the York Region District School Board (Ontario, Canada). Bette is the author of Adolescent Literacy (York Region DSB), THE DRAMA PROCESS series (with Frank Smith, Summit Educational Services), and Teaching Excellence 101 (Edupress).

• INTRODUCTION TO LET THEM WRITEMessages from the authorsHow to implement this programThe aims and objectives of this programHow to implement Let Them ReadWriting a literary essayThe aims and objectives of Let Them ReadSetting up a writer-friendly classroomAuthors need a writing planPublishing students' workNCCS Anchors addressedSECTION 1: SUSPENSE SKILL 1: USING SETTINGS TO BUILD SUSPENSEAs students practice choosing and describing settings in ways that build suspense, they may become more observant about their own surroundings.Reproducibles/Media:PBR 1—SUSPENSEFUL SETTINGS WorksheetPBR 2—SUSPENSEFUL SETTINGS HAVE WorksheetSKILL 2: CREATING SUSPENSE WITH TIME Race Between Hero and VillainAs young authors practice describing a race between the protagonist and antagonist of a story, they may come to appreciate the suspense inherent in any kind of race.Reproducibles/Media:PBR 3—WHO WILL WIN THE RACE?PBR 4—RACE BETWEEN THE HERO AND THE VILLAINSKILL 3: CREATING SUSPENSE WITH TIME Race Against the ClockAs students practice describing a character rushing to beat a deadline, they may come to appreciate the suspense inherent in any kind of race.Reproducibles/Media:PBR 5—RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK WorksheetSKILL 4: CREATING SUSPENSE WITH TIME Near MissesYoung authors will practice using timing to create and intensify suspense in a story. In the process, they may come to understand the role played by timing in determining the course of events in real life.Reproducibles/Media:PBR 6—TIMING CREATES SUSPENSESKILL 5: MAXIMIZING SUSPENSE BY TEASINGYoung authors will practice building maximum suspense by creating a 'knowledge gap' between the reader and the main character. In the process, they will come to appreciate the story-telling skill shown by the authors they are studying in class.Reproducibles/Media:PBR 7—CREATING MAXIMUM SUSPENSEPBR 8—SUSPENSE BY TEASING WorksheetSKILL 6: MAINTAINING SUSPENSE BY KEEPING THE BALANCE OF POWERStudent authors will practice keeping the outcome of the conflict between protagonist and antagonist in doubt by ensuring that their respective strengths remain equal throughout the story. In the process, students may come to appreciate the value of qualities other than physical strength in determining a winner.Reproducibles/Media:PBR 9—MAINTAINING THE BALANCE OF POWERPBR 10—THE BALANCE OF POWERSKILL 7: DEVELOPING THE SUSPENSE IN A SITUATIONAs students practice using a variety of suspense-building techniques to make a story exciting, they may come to appreciate the potential for suspense in every situation.Reproducibles/Media:PBR 11—SUSPENSEFUL STORY SITUATIONSPBR 12—SUSPENSE BUILDING TECHNIQUESSECTION 2: DRAMATIC CONFLICT SKILL 1: UNDERSTANDING DRAMATIC CONFLICTBy learning to identify the presence of dramatic conflict in a story, student authors will be better able to know whether it is present in their own writing. Reproducibles/Media: PBR 13—DRAMATIC CONFLICT Worksheet SKILL 2: BUILDING DRAMATIC CONFLICTYoung authors practice building conflict as a first step in developing a story. In the process, they may come to understand the fundamental role played by dramatic conflict in real-life narratives as well. Reproducibles/Media:PBR 14—DRAMATIC CONFLICT B SheetSKILL 3: CREATING TEXTURE WITH THREE KINDS OF CONFLICTAs young authors practice including more than one antagonist in a story, they will become more aware of the role played by dramatic conflict in creating texture, deepening suspense, and increasing reader engagement.Reproducibles/Media: PBR 15—THREE TYPES OF CONFLICTSKILL 4: UNDERSTANDING STORY GOALS AND SCENE GOALSAs student authors practice identifying their main characters' goals, they will learn how to plan and organize a complete story with more confidence. In the process, they may come to understand how having short-term and long-term goals can help them to plan the narrative of their own lives. Reproducibles/Media: PBR 16—STORY GOAL AND SCENE GOALSPBR 17—SCENES TAKE SHAPESECTION 3: STORY STRUCTURE SKILL 1: UNDERSTANDING STORY STRUCTURE A Change StoryAs young authors practice organizing a story around a main character who must adapt to a major upheaval in his or her life, they should begin to understand that people are constantly being changed by their experiences.Reproducibles/Media:PBR 18—STORY OUTLINE WorksheetPBR 19—A CHANGE STORY Worksheet SKILL 2: UNDERSTANDING STORY STRUCTURE A Problem StoryAs student authors practice organizing a story around a character attempting to resolve a problem in his or her life, they should begin to understand that people learn and grow from the experience of problem-solving, whether or not an attempt is successful.Reproducibles/Media:PBR 20—A PROBLEM STORY WorksheetSKILL 3: UNDERSTANDING SCENE STRUCTURE A grasp of scene-building is fundamental to good story-writing. As students practice constructing and ordering scenes, they may also come to realize how powerful cause and effect are in determining the sequence of events of real life.Reproducibles/Media: PBR 21—STRUCTURE OF A SCENE Worksheet ASKILL 4: LINKING SCENESStudent authors practice creating coherence in a story by making individual scenes flow together into a seamless narrative. In the process, they may begin to appreciate the importance of this skill in making any type of writing more engaging for the reader.Reproducibles/Media: PBR 22—OUTLINE YOUR SCENES ChartSKILL 5: WRITING OPENING SCENESAs students learn about and practice writing interesting and engaging beginnings to stories, they may come to understand how important first impressions are in real life as well as in literature.Reproducibles/Media:PBR 23—SETTINGS AND PURPOSESSKILL 6: WRITING CLOSING SCENES The Climax and DenouementStudent authors will learn about and practice making the end of a story emotionally satisfying to the reader. In the process, they may come to realize how important closure is in real life as well.Reproducibles/Media:PBR 24—REAL GOALS AND STATED GOALSPBR 25—CHARACTERS AND STATED GOALS

As a writer and teacher of creative writing at a university level, I know how challenging it is to break down the elements of good prose into language that is easily understood. The first step in 'teaching' creative writing is demystifying the process, dispelling fears that 'my writing sucks', while emphasizing the importance of narrative drive. Let Them Write provides building blocks that even the most creative- writing resistant teacher can deliver to students. To all those doubting their ability to inspire young people to write, grab hold of a copy of Let Them Write, follow the carefully orchestrated guidelines, sit back and let your students amaze you.