This will be a two day lesson. You will have two days to complete this assignment.
You have learned about retelling a story from a different point of view.
Today, we will start the second teaching point.
How to write a story, not from scratch, but instead how to extend the plot of the story.
Extend the Plot - This means to recall the original plot, characters, and point of view. Using this information you infer/predict how this "new" part of the story would go.
Remember:
Use your imagination to write about an event that was NOT part of the original story.
Have the character(s) behave as expected.
Do NOT change the point of view.
The prompt for retelling and extending differ. Make sure to read carefully, so you can identify what you are being asked to do.
Example:
Prompt A: Retell the story, There's Plenty of Fish, from the wife's point of view.
Prompt B: Write a story about what happens when Ivan and his wife get home from the master's house.
Let's read the story, The Youngest Girl in Fifth
The actions and dialogue tend to reveal a character's motivations, which will be helpful to plan the extended story
Infer what the character is like from their actions, dialogue, thoughts, and descriptions.
What does the character think
What does their actions tell you
What does their words tell you
Understanding the character helps us build an idea about what could happen in the story, so that it fits with who the character is as a person.
Let's complete the DDAT organizer. Analyzing Gwen based on her description, dialogue, actions, and thoughts to help us decide what we can infer about her. I completed the actions part to use as an example.
So, In order to extend a story, you need to recall the original plot, and you need to have a deep understanding of the character. You infer what the character is like and how he or she thinks. THEN you can predict how he or she might behave which gives you a good idea for how to extend the story.
Guiding Questions:
What will Gwen most likely do next?
Why will Gwen act this way?
Extending the story the Youngest Girl in Fifth. Go beyond the original story. Remember, importance of using the characters thoughts, feelings and actions to "keep the character in character" as she moves through the newly created action in the plot.
When you are finished with the assignment, here is what you can do:
Just keep writing.
Keep adding seeds.
Add to a already started seed.
Decide to take a seed through the writer’s process.
Reread your writing.
Edit your writing.
Work with a writing partner (with permission).
NEVER say "I am finished"
You need to be writing for a minimum of 30 minutes.