Worksheets. Full name of character. Age, gender. Ethnicity. Religious orientation. Sexual orientation. Marital status

Transcription

1 Worksheets C H A R AC T E R DATA S H E E T Full name of character Age, gender Ethnicity Religious orientation Sexual orientation Marital status Physical description Facial details _ a. Height, weight _ Body type _ Behavioral characteristics General temperament (moody, easygoing, neurotic, other)

2 b. Noticeable eccentricities, tics Type of voice (screechy, whining, gruff, sonorous, other) Speech habits (e.g., stutters, says uhm or you know a lot) Education Occupation(s) Ambition(s), dreams Favorite foods, drinks Favorite clothes 2

3 Biggest accomplishments Most serious flaws, fears, or phobias Most serious mistakes Role in the story (novel, memoir) being planned: Goal in the story c. Underlying motive(s) d. Obstacles he or she faces e. Tentative plans for overcoming the obstacles 3

4 Outline template Story Title (tentative): Story Premise (one sentence): Segment I: Conflict situation (protagonist s goal vs. antagonist s goal): Segment II: Backstory; underlying problem leading up to the present situation: Segment III: Unfolding of the present circumstance leading to climax (showdown; revelation): Segment IV: Resolution, consequences of the final showdown or revelation: 4

5 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES PROMPT SHEET CHAPTER TARGET DATE FOR COMPLETION What is taking place in this chapter The principal actors in this chapter and what each intends to do and/or tries to do and/or actually accomplishes or fails to accomplish Ideas, themes, conveyed either directly or indirectly in this chapter The setting(s) for this chapter (interior, exterior) 5

6 Plot progression: advance(s), setback(s), new complication(s) in this chapter _ Teaser ending/transition to next chapter 6

7 FIRST DRAFT CRITIQUE SHEET Working title: Name of reader: Overall strengths of the draft: Basic problem(s) with the draft: [Specific suggestions for improvement] Opening segment (snags interest? conflict situation clearly established?) 7

8 Characters (fully delineated? behavioral and physical characteristics described in sufficient detail?) Setting, internal and external (realistically and vividly depicted?) Goal (urgent? vital? challenging?) Conflict situation (sufficiently developed? reader interest sustained?) 8

9 Concluding segment (conflict satisfyingly resolved? loose ends tied?) Mood, tone (lighthearted? serious? satirical? consistent tone throughout?) Theme ( so what question answered?) Style (sentence structure, word choice, paragraphing) Other comments: 9

10 MYTH-TO-STORY WORKSHEET I. Summarize the original myth in one paragraph: II. Explain what intrigues you most about the myth: III. In a separate paragraph transpose the myth into the modern world. What will change? What will stay the same? IV. Profile each of the principal characters in your story (you may want to prepare separate worksheets for this). Consider including comparisons between each character and his or her mythological counterpart. V. State the premise of your myth-inspired story in a single sentence. VI. What lasting theme do you want your story to convey? Is it the same as that of the original myth? Is it different? 10

11 DRAFT MANAGEMENT WORKSHEET I. Title of the story: II. What the story is about (one sentence): III. Summary of the story (one paragraph): IV. Outline of the story (opening middle/complication ending/resolution) _ V. Character cast list, their physical and behavioral attributes: 1. _

12 MEMORABILIA PROMPT SHEET (Separate sheet for each object) Your age: Type of object: Description of the object: How obtained: Gift/Award/Heirloom/Found object/something I created If a gift, who gave it to you? If an heirloom, from whom did you inherit it? 12

13 Significance that the object has for you: 13

14 NOVEL DRAFT MANAGEMENT WORKSHEET I. Working title for the novel: II. What the novel is about (one sentence): III. Summary of the novel (one paragraph): IV. Central symbol(s) if any: V. Chapter-by-chapter summaries: Chapter 1: Chapter 2: Chapter 3: 14

15 Chapter 4: Chapter 5: Chapter 6: Chapter 7: Chapter 8: Chapter 9: Chapter 10: 15

16 [etc.] VI. Character cast list, with physical and behavioral attributes (brief sketches here; more elaborate profiles on separate worksheets)

17 A Checklist for Generating and Developing Your Ideas Have I taken a mental inventory of the subjects that interest me and probed them for possible story ideas? Have I asked probing questions about the objects, events, and phenomena I encounter? Do I routinely peruse newspapers, magazines, dictionaries of quotations, and the Internet for story ideas? Did I free-associate enough to generate ideas within an idea (ideas about characters, incidents, and settings [historical, geographical, cultural])? In developing my idea, have I gathered enough background information about the subject? Have I considered more than one way of transforming each of my ideas into stories? Have I reflected on the thematic implications of my idea? Did I develop my preliminary idea through listing, mapping, and outlining? Have I worked out a satisfying plot based on my idea? Did I storyboard a sequence of events based on my story outline? Did I write a chapter-by-chapter synopsis for my novel? Do my characters come across realistically? Are their physical and behavior characteristics fully delineated? Is my narrative voice engaging, distinctive? 17