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Introduction
Hello amazing storytellers! Today we're going to learn about how to make our characters intensely interesting and our settings out of this world (or in it, that's fine, too!).
Together we'll practice brainstorming and bringing a character to life as well as deciding what stage we want to set for them with our setting.
What Makes a Story Interesting?
Engaging Characters
Engaging Characters
If you can recall who these characters are with just a glance at their picture, you will know that the person who dreamt them up and wrote about them did a pretty amazing job.
When you come up with a character, you want to make them just as memorable!
Vivid Settings
Vivid Settings
Can you imagine yourself in Hogwarts? Or have you ever dreamt of walking down the Yellow Brick Road towards Oz? If so, you've experienced what it's like to be immersed in the setting of a story. Your goal is to create this same experiene for your readers. You want them to feel as if they've entered the world of your character, whether that is a foreign new land or a place they may recognize.
Character Brainstorm
Using the picture of shoes, brainstorm a list of all the characters you think might wear these shoes. Feel free to continue adding character ideas to the list once you get through each pair!
After make a list of possible characters, choose one to take to the next stage of development. Use these questions, taken from The Secondary English Coffee Shop, to help you with this.
What's your character's name? How old are they? Where were they born? Where do they live?
What do they look like? What is important to them in terms of their appearance?
What is their occupation? Are they married? Do they have children?
What is their favorite food? Hobby? Sports? Skills?
What is their greatest fear? Their greatest love? Biggest regret? Future dreams?
What would they change about their life if they could?
Introvert or extrovert? Pessimist or optimist?
Best quality? Worst quality? Pet peeves?
Who do they love? What is important to them?
What do other people think of them? How do they relate to others?
What are five words others would use to describe them?
Once you've answer these questions about a character, you know them pretty well and can probably write a story around them.
Setting Exploration
Go grab 5 books off your bookshelf, including a variety of genres if possible.
For each book read a short selection from the beginning of the story. Identify the setting, writing 2-3 sentences that describe it.
Hopefully this has given you a quick dive into a variety of settings. Did one stand out to you? Were you intrigued with one particular location? Could you see your character feeling at home in a setting similar to one you just encountered?
Use this exercise as a springboard to come up with your own setting. In a few lines or as much as a few paragraphs, describe your setting. Don't forget to consider the charact you are developing as you do this!
Conclusion
Great job, storytellers! Now that you've come up with an unforgettable character who will exist in your vivid setting, give your story a go! Write as much or as little of this story as you'd like. Perhaps a short story will do or maybe you'll choose to work on this particular project each day for a couple weeks. It's up to you!
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