Lucy Caulkins 7th Grade Narrative Writing Bend 1

1. 7th Grade Writer’s Workshop
Writing Realistic Fiction

2. Creating and Developing
Meaningful Stories and
Characters
Bend One

3. You will begin to collect ideas for
stories by paying attention to the small
moments around your own life.
Teaching Target

4. Brainstorming
Session 1 – Imagining Stories from
Everyday Moments
Where do you think authors get their ideas for books?
Examples:
John Green – Gets his ideas from people – types of people, people with a problem,
people at a certain point in their lives
JK Rowling – Was stuck on a train – when the idea for Harry Potter came to her –
so locations can inspire a story
Tim Green – Interests and personal experiences – many of his books are set
around a sporting event – he used to play football for the Atlanta Falcons so he
draws on his experiences

5. Finding Small Moments Strategies
Modeling
 A time when you had very strong
emotions
 Of a person important to you
 Of the first time you did
something
 Of the last time you did
something
 Of a time you learned a lesson
from something you did or
experienced
 Of places you have been or like
to go
 I was taking my first trip out
of the country to visit my
daughter in New Zealand.
My parents dropped me off
at the airport in Chicago. I
was so excited to use my
passport…when checking in
I put it in the wrong slot and
got it stuck…
Strategies:
Think of…
Example: Places I have been and
Strong emotions
As I remember that time I think of ways to use that story to write others…

6.  As I was working on that story, many ideas popped
into my head for fiction stories that I could write.
 Maybe I could write a whole fiction story a woman that
travels and keeps doing things backwards.
 Maybe I can write a story about a passport and all the
places it has been.
More Ideas

7.  Think of a small moment that has happened in this
classroom so far this year.
 Use the small moments strategies chart if you need it
 Now turn to a partner at your table and share your
ideas.
 Make sure to tell it with dialogue, action and thinking.
 If, as you’re telling your partner a story, you get an idea
for a possible fiction story that could be built off of it, go
ahead and share that new idea too.
Think-Pair-Share
Small Moments Strategy Handout

8.  Great fiction ideas reside in small moments from our
REAL life experiences and emotions.
Writer’s Notebook
 Spend the next few minutes, jotting down small
moments from your lives, using the handout
REMEMBER…

9.  Think about the ‘setting’ of events. Almost any location
will work to help you produce a fiction story.
 Principal’s office
 backyard
 grandmother’s kitchen
 fast-food restaurant
On your handout add these 2 strategies:
 Think about a place that matters and jot
about the small moments that occur there,
choose one, and write a story.
 Then, spend a few more minutes jotting small
moment stories in your writers notebooks.
Are you stuck?

10. Assessing our writing
 Let’s look at the Grade 6
Narrative Writing checklist
 Printable Copy
 Assess this small moments
story with me
 Printable Copy
 This often takes me more
than one look at the story to
check all the areas!
Example Story:
 “Hi! Good morning everyone,” I heard the
teachers say as we hustled through the
front doors of the school before the bell
rang. I pulled my backpack up on my
shoulder and turned left. Then, all of a
sudden I felt it. The ground was wet,
from all the snow that had melted off of
everyone’s warm winter boots. It was
enough to send me sliding down the floor
at lightning speed. Before I knew it I had
fallen, onto my butt, in a puddle of dirty
water. “Did you see that?” I heard
someone whisper. “Are you ok?”
someone else stammered. My mouth
dried up as I quickly stood and ran to my
locker.

11. Now you try
Using one of the small moment stories you have
started:
• Read the story and assess your own writing with
the check list
• Star two or three things you think you are doing
well

12.  Carl Hiassen admits that he reads newspapers to get
inspiration for his fiction stories. He looks for
interesting and quirky stories that really happened
and imagines how he might change them.
 On a separate sheet of paper, jot down as many ideas
as you can for fiction stories. Look at a blog or
newspaper for inspiration if you have time. You will
be showing me this in class tomorrow, so make sure
you do it!
Homework:

13.  Teaching Point: Today I want to teach you that writers
collect ideas for stories by both discovering tiny
details that could blossom into whole stories and by
thinking about stories that they believe should exist.
 Think “How can I write a story for people like me so I
can see myself in books?
 We like finding ourselves in the books we are reading. It
makes it more exciting to us.
 Examples: books on divorce when our parents are splitting
up, books on being selected last for a sports team, etc…
Session 2-Imagining Stories You Wish
Existed in the World

14.  First, A new student thought about the books they wanted to
read. Wished there was more books about people like her who
were new to school and the area. Maybe about a girl that wants
to be more popular than she is.
 Her story plan: A girl who is new to the area lives with both her
parents but she thinks her father works too much. She wishes
her father were around more because when he’s around she
feels less lonely. But his job keeps him far away and the little girl
tries to put on a brave face so her parents don’t worry about
her.
 Can you see how when she wrote she jotted a few sentences like
how she might actually write the story? She didn’t just tell what
her story idea was.
 Here’s an idea you should hold onto: when you are collecting
ideas for stories in your writer’s notebook, you get ideas not only
from rereading old entries, but from thinking about books you
wish existed in the world!
Demonstration-Past Student

15.  So let’s try it with this example, “I wish there were
books about kids who aren’t that good at sports.”
 Remember that to make that wish into a story idea,
you need to invent some details.
 You can do so by asking questions of your story idea.
Why isn’t the kid in the story good at sports?
 Which sports?
 What has happened lately that shows these
struggles?
Your Turn…

16.  Tell your partner how you could turn this into a story
idea. Remember to think about the character, his or
her traits, and their struggle. Think about the
characters wants and what he or she does.
 Who would like to share their detailed story idea with
the class?
Turn and Talk-

17.  Think about an issue that is important to you, and create a
character who struggles with that issue.
 Examples:
Maybe honesty is important to you, so you write the topic at
the top of the page and then you brainstorm all the
stories that could stem from honesty.
You could write about a character who lies and gets caught
or about a parent who insists on honesty, except one
time the kid caught their parents lying.
Another method to creating
stories…

18.  Using the ideas list you have generated or one of the
ideas from today…begin a small moment story.
 Write the first paragraph that introduces the story
and characters
 If you like it keep going, if you don’t try another idea!
Write

19.  You can use any of the strategies we’ve learned or
others that you invent. Add the following to your
notebook!
 Add these to your strategy handout!
1. Read about current events and be inspired by true
events that could be fictionalized.
2. Ask, “What stories do I wish existed in the world?”
Let this question lead you to invent a character with
traits, struggles and actions.
Continue collecting story ideas!

20. Rules for Symphony Sharing:
1. No commenting. Just listen to the story ideas!
 I want to give you a chance to share your ideas, quickly,
before writing time is over. When I point to you, give a
short synopsis of just one of your story ideas. Tell us:
1. The name of your character
2. What his or her struggle or longing is
3. The circumstances he or she is in that swings the story into
action.
Time to Share!
Symphony Sharing

21. Complete the handout for one of the following:
 From your list - Choose a meaningful story idea!
 Think about which story idea you like best.
 Which of these stories feels the most meaningful to you?
 Or you might consider, which one does the world need
you to write?
 Don’t write the story itself for homework! Just
complete the handout provided!
Homework:

22.  Get our your homework from yesterday!
 Teaching Point: Today I want to teach you that, just as
people take a car for a test-drive before buying it,
writers take their characters from a possible story out
for a test scene. They place their characters in
everyday scenes, outside of the storylines, and then
see how their characters think, move and act.
Session 3- Developing Believable
Characters through Scene Boot Camp

23.  A few years ago, I was working on a book, a fiction story, and I was
just at the beginning. I wasn’t exactly sure how my story would go
or what my character was really like. But then my writing teacher
made a suggestion. She said I should take out my notebook, set
aside the story I was thinking about, and just place my main
character in an everyday scene. You know, like washing dishes, or
getting up in the morning, or having dinner. Something the
character does almost every day, as a way to get to know who the
character really is, what the character thought about, wanted. So I
tried it. I actually tried just getting my character ready for bed. But,
as I wrote the scene, something really interesting started to
happen-not only did I get to know the character better, but it
almost felt like the character was coming to life, almost as if she
was writing the story.
Writing Advice

24.  Are small moments or mini-stories
 Include a clear setting that is woven throughout the
moment
 Have characters who are thinking, talking, acting, or
perhaps doing all those things
 Contain a character motivation and obstacle of some
sort
What is a scene composed of???

25.  We will be writing a scene boot camp. I’m going to lead
you through a writing exercise where you write as fast and
furiously, getting as much writing down as possible, while
you also practice your scene writing skills. I’ll give you a
little tip, then I will model it with my own writing. Then
you’ll give it a go. We will repeat the procedure a few
times.
 Just remember tat not everything I teach you will be
something you will be able to do or will work for your
scene right now. That’s ok! Just keep working on the last
thing you were working on and then catch up with me on
the next part.
Boot Camp Procedure

26.  First, I need to think about the character and story idea I chose: the girl who
knows it’s silly to feel this way, but she wants to be popular-mainly because
she has a birthday party coming up and wants people to come to it.
 Now, I have to think a bit about who she is as a person and jot a few notes.
 Parents are old fashioned
 Esmerelda-beautiful name but not usually associated with popular people
 Strange
 Wants friends and is friendly
 Tries too hard and comes off weird
Now you try it!
Demonstration

27.  Now that you’ve created a quick background for your
character, let’s try them on for size in an everyday scene.
 I’m going to start with Esmeralda having lunch at school.
 Esmeralda walked into the lunch room, holding her lunch
bag in her hands. Even though everyone else in the school,
it felt like, bought school lunch, Esmeralda was a picky
eater.
 Now you try it!
Next Step

28.  As I was writing, I learned something about
Esmeralda-that she is a picky eater. She is different
even when it comes to lunch.
 I also learned something about my writing! I wrote in
third person, but I’m wondering if it might flow better
if I wrote in first person?
 Realistic fiction allows for either.
Aha!

29.  I stood in the doorway of the lunchroom, half hiding
behind the vending machines, clutching my lunch
bag. There were a few kids who also brought their
lunch from home, but almost everybody else bought
from the cafeteria. I waited for Tilly to come through
the kitchen doors. Then waved to her as she headed
to our table, the one closest to the janitor’s closet.
 Thoughts? Which version was better?
First Person

30.  Did you see how I developed the setting a bit more
and started to work in a little bit of information about
Esmeralda as I wrote? I tried to show what she was
feeling-that she was nervous-by having her hide
behind the vending machines until she saw her friend
head for the table.
 Try your own scene writing! Be aware of the setting
and the character’s feelings!
First Person is Better…for now!

31.  Make sure your characters are doing things! Small (like
folding a piece of paper) or big (like getting into an
argument).
 Your characters might be talking or thinking.
 Make sure you show and not tell.
 Try again!
 Remember to include what the character is feeling. But don’t
tell us. Think of small actions that can show us!
 Add dialogue
 Describe what the character wants in this scene and what
obstacles are getting in their way.
Show not Tell!

32.  Show the setting. Where is the character right now?
What little detail of the setting can you mention?
 Describe what the character is thinking.
 Make sure someone says something in the scene you
are developing.
 Show your character’s actions.
 Have your character make a decision.
***After they’ve written for awhile…
Other things to think about…as you
continue to write

33.  Brainstorm a great story idea (small moments, places, events, issues,
struggles, stories you wish existed in the world).
 Make your characters come alive.
 Generate traits
 Reveal wants and challenges
 Consider character’s attitude toward self
 Explore character’s relationships with others.
 Describe character’s movements, facial expressions, tics, style, quirks, etc…
 Test-drive your character in scenes.
 Make sure your character does things, big and small.
 Show feelings
 Include dialogue
 Develop the setting
 Try different points of view (first and third person)
How to Write Compelling Fiction

34.  Work on your character
development today OR
 Finish finding the perfect story to
write about and then move onto
character development
 If you need help developing your
characters—See your teacher at the
writing table.
Options for working today…
Character Development
Internal Characteristics of your Character External Characteristics of your Character

35.  Turn to partner and share your character
development
 Class volunteers?!
Time to Share!

36.  Finish developing your character if you haven’t
already.
Homework

37.  Before we begin our lesson
for today, pull out your T-
Chart from yesterday.
 Draw a line underneath your
main characters
characteristics (Internal and
External).
 Begin the process again with
any minor characters you will
have in your story. Give them
a name and their own traits!
Session 4-Giving Characters Struggles
and Motivations that Mirror Real LifeCharacter Development
Internal Characteristics of your Character External Characteristics of your Character

38.  Good characters in fiction have real life struggles that
they need to deal with. They also have things that
motivate them to overcome their struggles. This is
something we must put in our writing!
Today’s Teaching Point:

39.  Soul Surfer
 Pursuit of Happyness
 Forest Gump
 In your writers notebook, jot down their struggles
and motivations for each video. Label with the movie
title.
Identifying Characters Motivations
and Obstacles

40.  What Esmeralda Wants (Motivations):
 Lots of friends
 No enemies
 To be invited to lunch tables
 To make sure no one feels left out and to be friendly to
everyone
 To have a boyfriend
 What gets in the way of Esmeralda (Obstacles):
 Her shyness
 Her lack of self-esteem
 Her nerdy appearance
 Her friends who are just like her
 Former best friend befriends the school bully and picks
on her
 Your Turn! In your writers notebook (date your
entry)…explain what your character wants and what
gets in their way.
Explore Your Character’s Motivations
and Obstacles

41. Characters Struggles and Motivations
Motivations/Wants Obstacles/What Gets in the Way of those Wants

42.  Discuss your main character and any important minor
character(s)!
 Begin with a specific compliment.
 Then move onto one specific suggestion or tip.
 Question one another!
 Make necessary changes to your character!
With a partner…

43.  Finish developing your main character Use the T-Chart to
the right to help you.
 Develop any minor characters that will be a part of your
story! Use T-Chart to the right to help you.
 Use the T-Chart from today to finish giving your main
character motivations and obstacles.
 Do your minor characters need motivations and obstacles?
If so, fill out the T-Chart for them!
 Today is the last in-class day to develop your characters!
 When you are finished, study your spelling words or SSR!
For the rest of class today…

44.  Once fiction writers have brought their characters to life,
they use an understanding of characters’ wants and
struggles to develop a possible plotline.
 Teaching Point: Today I want to teach you that after
writers develop their characters, they begin drafting
possible plots for their stories. Fiction writers plan by
plotting the arc of the story-and specifically, by aiming to
intensify the problem. They do this by using what they
know about plotting and then choosing a variety of tools
to help them plan.
Session 5-Plotting with Tools

45.  Story arcs are commonly used when
planning a story.
 There are many options!
 We are going to take a look at one
author who laid out many different
story arcs:
1. Man in Hole He described it this way:
“You will see this story over and over
again. People love it and it is not
copyrighted. The story needn’t be
about a man and a hole. It’s this:
somebody gets into trouble, gets out
of it again. It isn’t accidental that the
line ends up higher than where it
began. This is encouraging to
readers.”
Kurt Vonnegut-Anecdote

46.  What does this story describe?
 It’s a famous one!
 The arc begins low and a truly
despondent girl whose mother
died and whose dad remarried a
horrible woman with two
horrible daughters who treat the
girl like a servant. Things are as
bad as they could be for this girl.
Another one…

47.  They help you to figure out the rises and the falls of
your own plot because they remind you that it isn’t
one event after another, with no real change or climb.
 They also show you that something is going to
happen, and things are getting tough. Then
something changes that solves your character’s
problem. After that, things change and your character
is different, and there isn’t a felling of anticipation
anymore.
Importance of Using Story Arcs

48.  Earlier this year, we discussed how stories usually go-that
the main character has wants, and something gets in the
way of him or her getting them. So the character
encounters a problem (or multiple), which give movement
to the story. Often, the problem intensifies before getting
resolved, with the character experiencing several
challenges along the way. Or it gets resolved a different
way than the character imagined or hoped for.
 Each scene builds on the one before it!
Typical Stories

49.  Read the story together
 Discuss: how the story went, how the events fit
together, and what its shape is.
Thirteen and a Half

50.  When the author began writing this story, she
probably didn’t know exactly which choices she
would make, so she tried out different scenarios!
Thirteen and a Half Story Arc

51.  When we plot our Esmeralda story…
 Character will struggle to achieve what she yearns for
 She will make choices
 Some choices may not work out (don’t know which ones yet)
 Something will happen though that makes a difference!
 She will find a way to resolve the struggle or she will change
her sense of what she wants
 As our story arc climbs and changes, Esmeralda will take
actions and things will happen as a result.
Esmeralda Story Arc

52.  With a partner, create a possible beginning plotline
for the shared class story on Esmeralda.
 If you finish early, try to plot how the story might end!
 Use the story arc!
Partner work

53. Esmeralda Story
Esmeralda walked into the lunch room, holding her lunch bag in her hands. Even though
everyone else in the school, it felt like, bough school lunch, Esmeralda was a picky eater.
I stood in the doorway of the lunchroom, half hiding behind the vending machines, clutching my
lunch bag. There were a few kids who also brought their lunch from home, but almost
everybody else bought from the cafeteria. I waited for Tilly to come through the kitchen doors.
Then waved to her as she headed to our table, the one closest to the janitor’s closet. As I walked
past Liz and Maeve’s gossip table, I overheard them. As the two girls talked, I felt
uncomfortable.
I slowed so I could get a good listen. “I know, right?!” said Liz. Maeve giggled and responded,
“Yes, Tilly’s hair today is atrocious! Who taught her to style hair?” The room felt really hot all of
a sudden. I was beginning to wish I had worn a lighter shirt. This one was making me sweat. Just
then I noticed that they knew I was listening in. I didn’t know what to do.
I looked down at my phone, checking for text messages that weren’t there. Then I noticed how
dirty it was and made myself concentrate on slowly cleaning the screen with the bottom of my
shirt before continuing my journey to the lunch table and to Tilly. After lunch the rest of the day
went fairly quickly and before I knew it I was sitting on the steps of the school waiting for my
bus to arrive when suddenly, Maeve came up and invited me to the party!

54.  Talk with your partner and think about what the first scene
in the arc should be.
 The starting scene should bring Esmeralda to life, show
what she yearns for, and show the trouble (which we
already know will be her conflicting feelings of wanting to
be popular but not wanting to change who she is go
become well liked).
 Remember, things need to escalate and become more
difficult before they change, so think about how we’ll
make Esmeralda's problem get worse.
 Turn and begin planning the start of the arc.
Partner work continued

55.  Volunteers to share their beginning of their story arc???!
 Now, close your eyes and imagine what might happen
next.
 Now talk about it! Keep in mind, you need to SHOW (not
summarize) her struggle, and the problems need to get
worse.
 Turn and plan
 As you go, draw your story arc together on a separate
sheet of paper, labeling it like you saw in the sample
Thirteen and a Half
Share with the class!

56.  Summarize what Esmeralda has done/felt so far in
your story arc.
 Remember many times we need to experiment
before we make a selection!
 Another summary???
Share with the class!

57.  Go back to your own story and begin creating
multiple story arcs for your story (draw them out like
the example if that helps you!)
 Aim for 2-3 different story arcs, each one should
naturally be better than the last one.
 Too easy/hard? Instead of an arc, try using a timeline,
storyboards, flowcharts or a list. Find a method that
works best for you!
 Remember…
Your Turn…

58.  Brainstorm a great story idea (small moments, places,
events, issues, struggles, stories you wish existed in
the world).
 Make your characters come alive.
 Test-drive your character in scenes.
 Plot several versions of your story, aiming to intensify
the problem (use arcs, timelines, storyboards, etc…)
How to Write Compelling Fiction:

59.  Don’t forget: the shape of a story, where it starts and
ends, says a lot about what matters to the author!
 If the story is about the importance of fitting in-or
how much it doesn’t really matter if you are true to
yourself-then it makes sense to have the beginning of
the story with a character struggling to fit in and the
last scene be a scene that clearly shows how the
character feels now about fitting in.
 Stop and ask yourself, what is my story really about?
Mid-Work Teaching

60.  Great job writers! You’ve grown leaps and bounds so
far!
 As I pass out these checklists, pick out a few scenes
that you want to assess.
 Assess yourself on those scenes!
 Now, set two or three goals for yourself and write
them in your writers notebooks. Add today's date and
use the grade 7 checklist to create them!
You are now ready for the grade 7
checklist!

61.  A good writer can know if they are on the right track if they can
say what their story is about in one sentence.
 Esmeralda Story: Esmeralda is a girl who likes being different but
part of her wants to be popular, so one day she goes to a party
and finds herself having to decide whether it is more important
to be popular or true to herself.
 Tonight:
1. Finish your story arcs.
2. Pick one that you think describes how your story goes and
then try your hand at writing a one sentence summary. This
might take some time!
***Tomorrow we begin drafting our stories!
Homework: