Your tasks:                                Back to Young Writers On-Line home page

1. Find examples of descriptions of characters or settings in books you have read.

    What techniques has the author used to build up your picture of the character?

  • Descriptive language?

  • What the character says?

  • What the character does?

  • What the character thinks?

  • What other people in the story think of the character?

  • What other people say to the character in dialogue?

2.   Explore some of your favourite books. Make a collection of 5 of these examples of

'character development' that you really like and explain why you like them. Use this page to help you organise your selections.

 3.   Select a person that you know and write a paragraph that tells your readers about this person using one or more of the techniques listed above. Send a copy by fax or email to your writing mentor for feedback.

"What are you doing?" Chris screamed in frustration. "I showed you how to do it didn't I?"

Janie hung her head. Her small body trembled.

"I forgot how you did it," she mumbled softly. "You did it so fast."

Chris sighed and nodded. "You're right,"  she said. "I'm sorry. I'll do it with you this time."

 

What do you know about Chris from this dialogue? What do you know about Janie?

 

Ac4.   Access the website below and use the ideas there to help you develop a plot for a story (or folk tale or myth).

 

 5.   Write your folktale, myth or another story but be sure to include descriptions of your main   characters that use some of the techniques described above.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/mff/folktale_write_folktale.htm#rafe

     6. Send a draft copy to your writing mentor by fax or email for feed back and when it is finished, send a published copy to Cathy at the District Office. Remember, it doesn't have to be a long story. It may be just the part of the story that introduces characters or the setting. Your work will be published on the district web site.

Email: cathy.welsford@det.nsw.edu.au
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