Examining Character, Setting, and Plot

Narrative Writing Class Lesson 6 Here is what you will learn in this lesson: I. Examining Character, Setting, and Plot. II. Writing a Story Summary, Step by Step. III. Writing from a Different Point of View. Examining Character, Setting, and Plot There are three main parts of a story: character, setting, and plot. These three elements work together to hold the readers interest. So, if all stories have these three elements, what makes one story better than another story? You can probably guess that it is the writer. Successful writers use their talents to develop unforgettable characters, the perfect setting, and a fascinating plot, all of which keep the reader captivated throughout the book. In Lesson 2, we talked a little bit about starting your story by describing the main character, the setting, and the first incidents or events that happen in the story. In this lesson, you will learn more about examining a story s main character, the setting, and the plot so that you will be able to write a story summary on the book you have been keeping a journal on throughout the session. Character Character is the who in the story. There are usually many characters in a story, but typically only one or two main characters. The main character can be a person, animal, or imaginary creature, and is typically someone the reader can feel something in common with or care about. The main character should be believable by having flaws or weaknesses, just as everyone does. As the story unfolds, the main characters go through a conflict or difficulty, which changes them in some way. These changes may be good or bad, but a good author helps us see the changes. Quite often, the main characters end up learning something as they try to resolve the conflict. 1 of 9

Setting The setting of a book is the where and when of the story the time and place. The setting should be interesting or familiar, and should include the broad setting down to the very smallest detail. A good author establishes setting by helping the readers use their senses to see and feel the setting. Without the setting in a story, placing the characters or the plot is difficult. Plot The plot is what happens in the story. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Plot is made up of the action and events of the story, told in a logical order. A good plot draws the readers into the story and helps the readers understand the choices the characters make. The plot is typically about a conflict or difficulty that the main characters go through. The conflict can be external, such as with another character, or it can be internal, such as within a character dealing with needs or feelings. The plot should grow more intense as the story unfolds, reaching its climax (high point) near the end of the story. Afterward, the action should ease off as the conflict or difficulty reaches a resolution. Writing a Story Summary, Step by Step I hope you enjoyed the book you have been reading and keeping a journal on throughout the session! Now that you have finished your book, you will learn how to write a story summary. A story summary is just that a summary and is a wonderful way to share information with others about a book you have recently read. A good story summary will share just enough information about the story to help others decide if they would like to read the story. You will share only the most important details of the story, such as the name of the book and the author, the main character(s), the setting, and, of course, the plot. You also will share your opinion of the book and whether or not you would recommend it to others. 2 of 9

How to Write a Story Summary As you write your summary, pretend you are writing to a friend. What will you want your friend to know about this book? Before writing the actual summary, you will want to review the book and your journal entries. You will also want to take notes on what you will be writing. Here is a list of possible questions that you will want to answer for yourself before beginning your story summary: 1. What is the title of the book and who is the author? 2. What is your personal opinion of the book? 3. What is the story about? Answer this question using just a few words. 4. What is the main setting (or settings)? Write down details about the setting, such as the name of the town and the year the story takes place, and any other details that describe the setting. 5. Who are the main characters? Write down any details about them. Make sure to include details on what their names are, how old they are, their personalities, what others think of them or what they think of themselves, and what (if anything) they learn in the story. 6. What is the plot of the story? You will want to tell what the story is mostly about, being careful not to re-tell the whole story in detail. Write down only the main events, and state them in the order they happen. Make sure to address the main conflict or problem, as well as what happens that causes this conflict or problem. What happens as a result? How does the story end? 7. Would you recommend this book to others to read? Why or why not? Begin Writing Your Story Summary Step 1: Writing your topic sentence Begin your story summary with a topic sentence that mentions the title of the book (underlined or italicized), the author s full name, your personal opinion of the book, and a very brief description of what the story is about. A Hive for the Honeybee, by Soinghe Lally, is a great book about how the simple lives of hive bees can be extraordinary. Steps 2, 3 and 4: Writing your detail sentences Step 2: Write at least three sentences that briefly describe the setting. Describe the place and time where the story takes place. If there are any major changes in the setting, you will also describe them. Make sure to include details that tell anything else important about the setting. 3 of 9

This story takes place in a beehive, which hangs high above the ground in a willow tree. The willow tree is nestled in a large field full of wild flowers. As the days grow short and summer draws to a close, the bees work busily to collect pollen and nectar so they can make honey to feed the hive. Step 3: Write at least three sentences that briefly describe the main characters. You might want to include some of the following details about the main characters: their names, how old they are (e.g. teenagers), their personalities, what others think of them or what they think of themselves, and what (if anything) they learn in the story. Thora is a soft-spoken, conforming worker bee who learns that friendship can give a reason to live. Three of Thora s friends are instrumental in bringing her to this realization. An older bee with a single-minded work for the hive attitude, Belle has an intense disgust for the drone bees. Alfred, the oldest of the friends, is a misunderstood poet who looks at things in a unique, brilliant way. Last, there is Mo, a deep thinker who finds the answer to why? In the end, Thora, Belle, Alfred, and Mo learn that friendship is the strongest bond for a bee. Step 4: Write at least three sentences that briefly describe the plot. State the main events in the order that they happen. Make sure to address the main conflict or problem and what happens that causes this conflict or problem. What happens as a result? How does the story end? Make sure not to re-tell the whole story in detail. When the tale opens, the hive is overcrowded and the queen must leave. Thora is one of the bees left behind to fan the honey. In the beginning, Thora feels her job is the most important thing in life and that she must perform her job with absolute perfection. However, as the story progresses, Thora changes her attitude toward her role as a worker bee and realizes that there are other things in life besides working, such as friends. Although bees naturally follow the order of things, Thora realizes she must learn when to let go. The four friends deepen their relationship by working together to overcome obstacles within the hive and outside the hive. Their journey helps them to understand, accept, and appreciate one another s uniqueness. In the end, Thora and her friends learn that friendship is very powerful, and that remembering those close friends, even after they are gone, can make the end more pleasant and easier to accept. Step 5: Writing your closing sentence. Write a sentence that states what you thought of the book and whether you would recommend it to others to read. I would highly recommend A Hive for the Honeybee because it does a great job of showing how friendships can affect not only one s life but also one s death, making the end more calm and peaceful. 4 of 9

Greenhalge 1 Juli Greenhalge Ms. Jones Narrative Writing 6A August 15, 2014 A Hive for the Honeybee A Hive for the Honeybee, by Soinghe Lally, is a great book about how the simple lives of hive bees can be extraordinary. This story takes place in a beehive, which hangs high above the ground in a willow tree. The willow tree is nestled in a large field full of wild flowers. As the days grow shorter and summer draws to a close, the bees work busily to collect pollen and nectar so they can make honey to feed the hive. Thora is a softspoken, conforming worker bee who learns that friendship can give a reason to live. Three of Thora s friends are instrumental in bringing her to this realization. An older bee with a single-minded work for the hive attitude, Belle has an intense disgust for the drone bees. Alfred, the oldest of the friends, is a misunderstood poet who looks at things in a unique, brilliant way. Last, there is Mo, a deep thinker who finds the answer to why? In the end, Thora, Belle, Alfred, and Mo learn friendship is the strongest bond for a bee. When the tale opens, the hive is overcrowded, and the queen must leave. Thora is one of the bees left behind to fan the honey. In the beginning, Thora feels her job is the most important thing in life and that she must perform her job with absolute perfection. However, as the story progresses, Thora changes her attitude toward her role as a worker bee and realizes that there are other things in life besides working, such as friends. Although bees naturally follow the order of things, Thora realizes she must learn when to let go. The four friends deepen their relationship by working together to overcome obstacles within the hive and outside the hive. Their journey helps them to understand, accept, and appreciate one another s uniqueness. In the end, Thora and her friends learn that friendship is very powerful, and that remembering those close friends, even after they are gone, can make the end more pleasant and easier to accept. I would highly recommend A Hive for the Honeybee because it does a great job of showing how friendships can affect not only one s life but also one s death, making the end more calm and peaceful. 5 of 9

Writing from a Different Point of View When writing a narrative, you must decide if you will tell the story from the first-person point of view or the third-person point of view. Once you have made your decision, it is important that you keep the point of view consistent throughout the story. First-Person Point of View First-person narratives show that either the author is the narrator, as in an autobiographical narrative, or a character in the story is the narrator. Don t confuse the author with the narrator. The author is the person who writes the story, but the narrator is the person (or thing) telling the story. A first-person narrative uses the pronouns I, me, my, mine, we, our, and ours to show that the author is telling the story or that a character in the book is telling the story. First-person point of view is commonly used when writing about personal experiences or when expressing one s own opinion. First-person is used frequently in fiction stories as well. First-Person Point of View Example: I can t believe the dreadful way our day started. My husband s and my crazy day started at 6:00 a.m. with the alarm blaring. Who would have ever thought that our two-year-old son could set an alarm clock? Deciding to go ahead and get up, I stumbled down the stairs to make coffee. Unfortunately, I lost my footing and slipped painfully down to the bottom. Hearing the thuds, my husband quickly came to rescue me, but in his haste, he slipped too and landed right on top of me! We gave each other a thoughtful glance and a deep sigh, and decided that we didn t need coffee; we needed to go back to bed. Chuckling, we carefully climbed back up the stairs and crawled safely back into bed. I think tomorrow I ll put that alarm clock out of reach, just in case. Third-person Point of View Third-person narratives are stories that are told by someone who is not in the story. The author uses the pronouns she, he, her, him, hers, his, it, its, they, them, and theirs to show that an outside observer is telling the story. Third-person point of view is used in more formal writing or when the writer prefers to tell a story from an outside observer s point of view. 6 of 9

Third-Person Point of View Example Juli and her husband, Paul, started their day in a dreadful way. Their crazy morning started at 6:00 a.m. with the alarm blaring. They would have never thought that their two-year-old son could set an alarm clock. Deciding to go ahead and get up, Juli stumbled down the stairs to make coffee. Unfortunately, she lost her footing and slipped painfully down to the bottom. Hearing the thuds, her husband quickly came to rescue her, but in his haste, he slipped too and landed right on top of her! They gave each other a thoughtful glance and a deep sigh, and decided that they didn t need coffee; they needed to go back to bed. Chuckling, they carefully climbed back up the stairs and crawled safely back into bed. Tomorrow they ll put that alarm clock out of reach, just in case. First Person Point of View Stories When you read a story, you are seeing the story unfold through a particular character s eyes; the story is being told from that character s point of view or perspective. The author gives details on how the main conflict or problem in the story affects this character. However, have you ever wondered how the main conflict or problem in a story affects the other characters? Sometimes it is fun to rewrite a story from another character s point of view. This has been done with many fairytales, such as The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, which is told from the Wolf s point of view. As the author, you will use your imagination to step into the other characters and see the world from their perspectives. Try to imagine how the events and other characters in the story affect them and how they resolve the conflict or problem. Example of changing from one character s point of view to another s: In Lesson 5, you observed an object or creature for three days. You then took your diary entries and wrote a narrative from your point of view. Now imagine the story from the object or creature s point of view. Write a narrative that is written from that object or creature s perspective. You will really have to use your imagination if your observation was on an object; just be creative. Perhaps it would help if you thought of it like this: If the object could talk, what would it say? Look at the paragraph on the next page to see how this can be done. 7 of 9

Remember the observation example from lesson 5? Well, here is the other side of the story, from the chair s point of view. Greenhalge 1 Juli Greenhalge Ms. Jones Narrative Writing August 25, 2014 I m Pretty Popular for a Chair On Monday, I was sitting around, as usual, uncomfortably pushed all the way into the dining doom table and itching from cracker crumbs. Then I noticed something unusual. Sitting on the floor and staring at me was a big branch, which my neighbor called a human. Her eyes were glued to my left back leg. I was a bit self-conscious that she was looking at my flaws. However, I hoped she could help me feel better; this leg had been giving me some trouble due to the large painful chip in it. She began muttering to herself about getting her dad to fix it. On Tuesday, a weightless twig climbed up on my back. Though the human weighed very little, it caused me great discomfort because of a backache I had recently. I really began to want a bath when I discovered flour on my slats and chocolate chips all over my beautiful red and yellow seat. On Wednesday, I got my wish for lovely bath. Immediately afterwards, however, I was pushed back to the table, and a twig climbed up and began dripping gooey syrup down my leg. I did not mind the syrup too much, though, because the little twig warmed me up. The big branch came in then and gave me another wonderful bath. When she sat down, however, she found the seat was warm and stomped off to go find the culprit. Oh well, I will have to try to stay warm another way. 8 of 9

Narrative Writing Lesson 6 Assignments When typing your assignments in Word, please make sure to use MLA format. Also, when you e-mail me your assignments, please make sure that the subject line on your e-mail includes your name, the class name (NW), and the assignment number or numbers. Example: Subject: BrianS NW-6A Or (if sending more than one) Subject: BrianS NW-6B and 6C (and so on) When you are sending in your revisions, make sure to include that in the subject as well (rev1 or rev2 or whichever revision number it is). Example: Subject: BrianS NW-6D rev2 NW6A: Stump the Teacher: Your assignment is to find one vocabulary word, learn its meaning, and then try to stump me with it during our class meeting. Your word can be as hard as you choose, but you MUST learn the word yourself before you try to stump me with it, and the word must be in the English language. NW6B: Writing a Story Summary Using your book journal entries, your book, and your notes from the questions on page 3, write your story summary. Use the steps on pages 3 and 4 to guide you in writing the story summary. Please name your assignment with your name and NW6B (and make sure to save it as a.doc or.docx). Remember MLA format. E-mail this assignment to me as an attachment. NW6C: Point of View Read over the section in this lesson on Point of View. Using your observation paragraph from last week (5D), rewrite it to make the narrative from the object s or creature s point of view. Be creative! Please name your assignment with your name and NW6C (and make sure to save it as a.doc or.docx). Remember MLA format. E-mail this assignment to me as an attachment. 9 of 9