Pre-Writing Short Story

Pre-writing Short Story

Name / Class ______

As you know, you must have a strong main character in mind before you begin writing a short story. Over the next two writing classes, you will be given assignments which will aid you in developing a strong character for your story.

Part One

Answer as thoroughly as possible the following questions. Your answers will be recorded on this sheet.

What is the full name of your character?

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How old is your character?

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Where does your character live? Name the place. Tell me something about the society / neighbourhood in which he/she lives.

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Describe his / her home. In your description say one thing that applies to each of the five senses. Also state with whom your character lives.

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Who are the members of this person’s family? How does he / she feel about these members?

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What things does your character find sad? Funny? Frightening?

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What motivates your character? What is his / her greatest ambition?

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What would you like / dislike about this character

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Some weaknesses your character possesses which makes conflicts harder to settle are:

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Brainstorm at least ten (10) other facts about this character keeping them as specific as possible.

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Find / Draw one photograph or picture that you think resembles your character. Avoid pictures that do not give us a realistic impression of your character.

Part Two

This second part of your character creation assignment is to write a scene where your character is alone, but, if you wish, he / she can be alone in a public setting. An example of this may be a library, at a restaurant etc. Your character could also be at home. During this scene your character will not interact with any other characters. A lot of this writing will revolve around your characters actions and inner thoughts.

Part Three

This part of the assignment is identical to Part One, but your character will be placed in a situation where he / she will interact with other characters. Length of the assignment is the same as the previous one

Part Four

This last part of the assignment involves a situation where other characters are gathered in conversation about your character; however your character does not engage in conversation.

Part 5

Discuss the following as it may apply to your short story:

Setting might be:

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Main and minor conflict might be:

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The climax will be when:

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Strengths character possess which will help him/her solve conflicts are:

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