| When you have finished writing your rising action, it is time to write the climax! The climax of the story is the turning point of the story; the moment when the ultimate suspense reaches its peak. Many believe that the climax is the most intense or most interesting part of the story. This is not usually true because after the climax, there is no more story to tell other than the conclusion. Sometimes, the story may seem over after the climax, but another turning point is awaiting, so one should never conclude that there is only one climax in a story! (Source) Climax: the critical point at which the central character is about to win or lose all. When the probable outcome of the main conflict is finally revealed (i.e. the turning point), the story has reached its climax. The climax does not mark the end of conflict; it only determines how the conflict will be decided. The climax usually occurs anywhere from 50% to 90% of the completed story. (Source) Let's identify the climax in a popular fairy tale... Now, it's your turn. Write your climax in a way that draws it out. Make this the "epic battle scene" in sci-fi movies. Make it the sad (but happy) part in the movie where Nemo is finally reunited with his family! Make it enjoyable, emotional, and exciting if possible! | Objective: Students will "expand the moment" when they get to their climax. They will make it last longer than any other part of their story in order to make it more dramatic. |
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Brainstorm a list of mundane situations, extraordinary situations, and in-between situations in a 3-Column Chart in your WEX spirals or on your ePortfolios. You will not be using any of these situations in your actual story. Instead, we will be using these to write a sample piece for practice.
Choose one of the mundane situations from your list to develop your character further. Find out how they behave in that situation. Write a full page focusing on that moment in time. Show us something new about your character.
Can Your Character Pass the "Mundane Test"???
If not, you need to develop your character further in your mind. This character needs to be an ordinary person who leads an ordinary life. (Later on, they can do extraordinary things, but not yet!) When you are able to imagine their actions AND thoughts, feelings, and emotions in this mundane setting, it's time to try out another! But this time, I need to know what NEW personality trait or behavior we can learn about your character with this new setting! Each new mundane situation should allow to learn something new about your character. Here is an example (How Claire behaves when trying to study for a math test): Claire sat down to study her math, but immediately got up to get a drink. Once her thirst was quenched, she sat back down but could not find a pencil! She walked over to her friend Jessica's table and borrowed one, then returned to her seat. Two minutes later, she got up to go to the bathroom. Claire certainly was having trouble focusing on her math! In this mundane situation, I learned that
Skill Drill:
Pause the slide show when you see a character in a photograph that you would like to focus your fictional character on. It must be a human (not an animal) and should be one of the main characters in the photo (not a background character). Ask the Class:
Make a T-Chart in your WEX Spirals that looks like this:
Whole Class Discussion: Which actions on the left might have made me come up with the thoughts, feelings, and emotions on the right? Explain. Now, you get to do the same with your character from one of the pictures above. Complete your T-Chart just like I did mine:
Skill Drill:
Sharing:
Closing:
Raise your hand if... (page 21) |
Fictional Narratives
Throughout this writing unit, students will learn how to write creatively, with description and voice. By the end of the study, students will have one completed piece that they should be proud of. ArchivesCategories |
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