Storytelling

Building Blocks of a Story

CHARACTER(S)

Choose one or more characters:

  • girl
  • boy
  • animal
  • man
  • woman
  • idea
  • spirit
  • machine
  • thing
  • plant, etc.

SETTING - This includes place & time.

Place/Environment - Imagine yourself in the story. Where are you? What do you see, hear, smell, feel/touch and/or taste? Be descriptive!

  • Farm
  • Village
  • Other world
  • City
  • Another country
  • Mountains
  • Forest
  • Arctic
  • Ocean
  • Desert
  • Home
  • School
  • Space
  • Make-believe location
  • Special event? Summer camp, cheerleading try-outs, class play auditions, football play-offs, during a test, race or at a dance?

Time - Tell us when your story is taking place.

  • Old or ancient times
  • Modern/Contemporary
  • Future or Futuristic
  • Or of course, Make-Believe time
  • What time is it? Morning, afternoon or night-time?
  • What day of the week is it? Monday, Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday?
  • What month is it? February, April, October or December?
  • What day of the month? 1st? 2nd, or 31st? (Yes, this info can affect your story, for example: April 1st.)
  • What season? Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter?
  • Holiday? Valentine's Day? St. Patrick's Day? Halloween?
  • Special occasion? Your birthday?

Remember, you can structure your story how you see fit. You may choose to describe:

  • Events of the past, as background information that will lead your story into the:
  • Events of the present, that will lead your story into the:
  • Events of the future, or the conclusion of your story.

Or, you can also mix up the storyline. Your characters can use flashbacks, which bring them back (a blast of the past) to a prior time and place where the reader or audience may glean greater understanding of the present-day situation.

Another choice would be for a character to narrate future events in a dreamlike or hopeful state of mind.

PROBLEM/CHALLENGE - this can include questions or difficulties that your characters face. They can include:

  • Physical Challenge: Winning a race; saving a town from a flood; performing at your recital.
  • Emotional Challenge: Overcoming stubbornness or selfishness.
  • Mental Challenge: Competing in a debate; solving the world's hunger problem; or inventing the light bulb.
  • Spiritual Challenge: Religious quest; search for answers to universal questions, such as: "Why are we here?" Or creation stories: "How was the earth created?"

Other problems:

  • In trouble
  • Caught stealing
  • Told a lie
  • Lost something
  • Saw or heard a secret
  • Been captured
  • Under a spell or curse
  • Goes to forbidden place
  • Finds forbidden object
  • Has enemy
  • Is undervalued
  • Is unrecognized
  • Causes jealousy
  • Forgets something
  • Broke something
  • Does not like something
  • Needs something
  • Needs to escape or hide
  • Needs to rescue someone
  • Needs to rescue something
  • Needs to prove worth

Inner Character Traits

Inner Traits That Cause Original Trouble:

  • Is greedy
  • Dangerously curious
  • Doesn't follow advice
  • Is lazy
  • Is pessimistic
  • Is blindly in love
  • Is enraged & seeks revenge
  • Is naive & trusting
  • Is clumsy
  • Is untrained
  • Lacks confidence
  • Is foolish

Inner Traits That Aid Solution:

  • Is courageous
  • Is resourceful
  • Is imaginative
  • Is kind
  • Is generous
  • Is clever
  • Is loyal
  • Is strong
  • Is optimistic

PLOT/EVENTS - Describe what is happening in your story. This will occur naturally when you tell us about your character(s); define what his/her personality traits are; describe his/her problems, challenges, difficulties or weaknesses; and finally share with us (the reader or listener), how they overcame their challenges and reached the finish line or succeeded.

SOLUTION

  • Has helper
  • Magical
  • Non-magical
  • Is rescued
  • Is transformed
  • Discovers skill
  • Finds magic
  • Helps self:
  • Exercises cleverness
  • Uses inner traits
  • Journey undertaken to obtain solution

CONCLUSION

  • Returns to original setting new in some way:
  • Is rewarded
  • Is wiser
  • Is transformed
  • Comes with gift or treasure

END

  • Lives well
  • Passes luck or reward on to others
  • Has positive impact on the world
  • Offers wisdom