Creative Writing
Mini-Unit Booklet
Name:______________________________
2.
Set your story during a realistic apocalypse or during a realistic post-apocalyptic time. The apocalypse should be based on real concerns such as the loss of fuel, food, or other resources. Explore the cause and the effects of the apocalypse. Reflect on how the apocalypse might have been avoided. (Do not write a zombie apocalypse unless you can provide research and an explanation about how it is a real concern. Do not write about the Mayan apocalypse. If you are reading this, obviously, that apocalypse did not happen and is not a real concern.)
Name:______________________________
Research
Chosen Option: What setting have you chosen to write in? What details about the setting do you want to explore? List what you think your research needs to include.
Research your setting. Write your notes here. Include sources as you go. If you need more space, feel free to write on another page. Lots of research is encouraged.
Name:______________________________
Purpose
Stories are everywhere. Every time you tell a friend about something funny that happened over the weekend, you are telling a story. Stories are in books, in movies, and in the news, sending messages to different people and even reaching across space and time. Before you begin building your story, think about what you want the story to say, and to whom.
To whom are you writing this story? Who is your audience? How will your story appeal to your audience?
What is the purpose of this story? How is it important (to yourself and to the reader)?
Name:______________________________
World Building
Your story takes place in the real world, but the world is a big place, so please explain the setting below:
SETTING
Time: You do not need to give an exact time, but around when does the story take place?
Location: Exactly where does your story take place? Describe the physical environment.
Mood/Atmosphere: What is the mood of the world your story takes place in? Are people happy, sad, excited, hopeful, oppressed, or something else? Why does such a mood exist?
Social Conditions: What is life like for the characters? What is the social structure like? What are their daily routines?
Name:______________________________
Character Building
Remember that a well written character is complex, having both good and bad qualities. All characters can be built through four attributes: o o o o Thoughts, feelings, dreams, goals Behaviour Relationships (How others relate to the character. What they say about the character.) Physical appearance
In the boxes below, please build your characters using the four attributes. Protagonist This is the main character.
Antagonist This is the main characters opposition. There is not always a single antagonist; it may be a group of people or an organization, but for the purpose of this assignment, describe only one antagonist.
Name:______________________________
Plot Building
Things happen in stories because of conflict. There are two types of conflict: o o External Conflict: The struggle with a force outside of the protagonist. You may want to identify an issue discussed last term. Internal Conflict: The protagonists struggles within their self to make some decision or overcome some obstacle. You may want to identify a social issue, moral issue, or a life lesson that the protagonist personally struggles with. (Ex. Discrimination, ethics, self-acceptance).
Conflict: Every story is driven by conflict. What is the central external conflict in your story? What is the central internal conflict?
Theme: This is the main idea that a story tries to convey. What theme does your story have? How will your story demonstrate this theme?
Name:______________________________
Plot Outline
This is where you put together the world, characters, and ideas youve built. Focus on explaining the events that take place in the story. Do not repeat everything you have already written in the World Building, Character Building, or Plot Building worksheets. This is where you explain how all of what you have written in those worksheets makes an appearance in the story.
PLOT OUTLINE
Exposition: Introduce the setting and the characters that are needed to understand the rest of the story. Include the inciting incident which introduces the conflict that drives the story.
Name:______________________________ Rising Action: This is where the characters are developed by a journey or a series of challenges that bring them closer to the climax.
Climax: This is where the protagonist meets their deciding moment, the turning point, where all the conflict ignites the most exciting part of the story.
Resolution: The story wraps up. It doesnt have to be a neat ending, but the protagonist and the reader should feel satisfied.