One of the first rules storywriters learn is this: Show, don’t tell. What does that mean? Read on to find out and to practice this important skill!
MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS Have you ever read really boring dialog in a book? You know, like this: “Jane,” said Tarzan, “have you ever noticed how much the monkeys love me?” “Yes, Tarzan, I noticed it,” said Jane. “In fact, one is climbing on you right now.” Tarzan scratched his head. “He’s pulling on my…
HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS Jules Verne, considered one of the fathers of science-fiction (sci-fi), liked to write about going places people couldn’t actually go to or had not been before. He wrote about exploring the core of the earth in Journey to the Center of the Earth. His fantastic tale 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea takes…
HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS In a story, clothing can be the author’s way of telling us what kind of character we’re reading about. What are they wearing? Judging real people by their clothing might not be too smart, but authors rely on readers to judge characters based on their characters’ clothing. For instance, someone in a black…
MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS Have you ever read any books about Amelia Bedelia, the young housemaid who takes everything literally? When Amelia Bedelia is instructed to pitch a tent, she throws the tent into the woods! When she bakes a sponge cake, she uses real sponges, according to publisher HarperCollins Children’s.
HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS You are probably very familiar with the accounts of Jesus’ birth found in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2:40. They are written in the omniscient point of view. That is, the writers tell us everything about everyone. What if you read the account from the perspective of one of the Magi? Would the…
