Summer Activities 8--Story Starters

So many trees surrounded our house that no one could see it from the road. Unless you knew our house was there, you would drive right by it, seeing nothing but cherry orchards and leaves rustling in the breeze. A long dirt road lined by black walnut trees led to our invisible house. One Halloween, my brothers decided to haunt the dirt road and the trees that stood guard...

All around you are stories waiting to be told. The hard part is usually figuring out what to write about! As you play, save up ideas to write on those hot, dog days of summer. Jot down a few things, and see if you can make a story out of them.

Need a little help? Here are some basic elements your story can't live without.

Characters--If you meet any interesting people this summer, write about them. What do they look like? What is something silly they do? What kinds of things do they say? What makes them interesting to you?

Conflict--Stories are based on conflict. This doesn't mean your characters have to fight or be mean, it just means that if your character didn't have hard things to deal with, you wouldn't really be telling a story. Conflict is really all about challenging your character. How do you feel when you have to do something you've never done before? How did you feel the first time you rode your bike? Or when you learned to swim? Learning new things provides conflict, and your character either gives up or they push through the conflict and learn and grow--just like in real life! Conflict can also be provided by another person. When you're running a race, does everyone win? There is conflict between all the runners because everyone wants to win, but only one person can.

Goals--When your character has conflict, they need to set goals or have a strategy. A strategy is a plan to help your character get through the conflict they are facing. Do things always go according to plan? If your character has a plan to learn how to swim, but they find out that they are afraid of the water, they will have to create a new plan to help them get over their fear before they can learn how to swim. Step by step, your character makes plans, fails, tries again, makes a new plan, avoids, or pushes through their conflict. While your character does this, he or she shows his or her personality, and we enjoy getting to know your character. That's what makes a story interesting!

Next time it's too hot to go outside, or you're sitting in the car on a long drive, create a story in your head and write it down or type it up as soon as you can! You'll be surprised how much fun you can have!