Transcript Structures of Writing

Structures of Writing
Structures of Writing
There are four basic structures of writing:
1. Description
2. Action
3. Introspection
4. Dialogue
Description
• Show don’t tell!
• Allow readers to create sensory images that
put them in the moment with the characters.
• What do readers:
• Hear?
• See?
• Taste?
• Smell?
• Feel?
Description
When you are revising your draft, you need to
add great descriptions and vivid words to
increase the quality of your story and help it
grow.
Brilliant word choice
Great Descriptions
Precise details
Figurative language
Active verbs
Effective dialogue
Description
We can see how author Nikki Singer does a great
job of nurturing her novel Feather Boy with
description and detail.
On page 20, Singer discusses the appearance of
an older woman. She could’ve just said, “the
woman is old,” but instead, she added
description, figurative language, and detail so
we can really imagine what the woman looks
like.
Description
“Mavis is a chicken in a dress. At once bony and
fleshy, her plucked yellow skin springs with
coarse hair. At some stage, her neck must have
been chopped out, and her head stuck straight
back onto her shoulders.”
+
= Mavis
Description
Can you see the brilliant word choice, figurative
language, effective dialogue, precise details,
great descriptions, and active verbs?
“Mavis is a chicken in a dress. At once
bony and fleshy, her plucked yellow
skin springs with coarse hair. At some
stage, her neck must have been
chopped out, and her head stuck
straight back onto her shoulders.”
Description
Now let’s practice using description in your
story. How do you do it? Where do you start?
1. Choose an image in your draft that could be
enhanced with detail, description, and word
choice.
2. Brainstorm some great adjectives and
figurative language to envision the image as
you are imagining it in your head.
3. Play with the language! We will share our
nurtured images later on in class.
Action
• Action is what happens in the text.
• How do characters move? Interact? Respond?
• This is the basic plot of a story as depicted on
Freytag’s plot diagram.
Action
When you are writing action, it is helpful not to get
carried away by including too much in your story!
Let’s look at this passage which is full of action:
Simon raced to the bus stop. He jumped on
the bus. He rode to work, then got on the
elevator. He ran down the hallway, then into his
office. He left the office to get a latte and go buy
his lunch. He worked at his desk until 5pm and
then went home.
What do you think about this paragraph?
Action
Too much of one thing?
You are right! There is just too much action in
the story.
IT IS BORING!
How can we improve it?
Introspection
• Characters think about the situations in which
they find themselves.
• Readers can listen to the thoughts in a
character’s brain through introspection.
Introspection
Let’s try to add some introspection to “the mix” to help
make our story more interesting:
Simon raced to the bus stop. Oh no, he thought. I
can’t be late again. It’s my third time. Upon arriving
at work, he snuck into his office, checking the clock
as he slipped past. My boss is going to be so angry
that I am late! I didn’t even have a chance for my
latte today and my stomach is rumbling! He
searched through his briefcase to try and find a
granola bar.
What are your reactions to the paragraph now?
Our story is starting to become more interesting!
The reader begins to wonder what will happen
next!
Just the Right Amounts…
Action:
Gives us information about what characters
do
Is an important part of narrative writing; it
supports the structure
Should not be overused when writing short
stories
Shows the writer’s skill
Helps make great stories great! After reading
the new version, a certain teacher wants a
granola bar too!
Dialogue
• When characters speak to one another aloud,
readers see these words in quotation marks in
the text.
Dialogue
Why do we need dialogue?
We need dialogue because it is a window into a
character’s thoughts, feelings, or beliefs
Bringing in Dialogue…
Let’s look at our developing story and mix in a touch of dialogue:
Simon raced to the bus stop like an Olympic sprinter. Oh no, he thought. I can’t be late
again. It’s my third time! Unfortunately, he had gotten dressed in such a hurry that
he hadn’t realized that his tie had a big blotchy stain on it that resembled a map of
Boracay!
“Here’s my money!” Simon barked at the bus driver, while trying to shove his shirttail
into his pants.
“Ain’t got no change yet at this time of the mornin,” drawled the conductor, as he
continued to look straight ahead.
“That is just great!” Simon droned sarcastically, as he stomped down the aisle.
Upon arriving at the Milky Way Building, he snuck into his office, checking the clock
as he slipped past. The clock face seemed to scowl back at him. My boss is going to
be so angry that I am late! I didn’t even have a chance for my latte today and my
stomach is rumbling! It felt like there was an alien doing cartwheels and somersaults
in his belly. When he reached down to rub it, he winced as he glimpsed the blob on
his tie. He ratted through his briefcase to try and find a granola bar, but had no luck.
He slumped back into his industrial gray chair.
“Please let me just get through this day,” Simon mumbled to himself, with a
defeated expression.
Purpose of Dialogue…
• What do you learn about the characters
from what they say?
• What do you learn about the characters
from the way they talk?
• What do you notice about the descriptions
outside of the actual dialogue?
• What kinds of grammatical structures do
you see to help you know this is dialogue?
• What is one adjective you could use to
describe each character involved in this
dialogue?