Writing your rough draft – version 2
1. Introduction (This paragraph is only for introduction.
No action needs to take place yet. The purpose here is to paint a picture of
a scene and draw the reader into that scene. It is our entrance into the world
of the story.)
Introduce your characters and setting.
a) Introduce your Main Character
b) Tell who the Main character lived with. (Friend Character)
c) Tell where they lived. Describe the place, the type of house, size, color,
what it’s made of, what it’s near or surrounded by, how comfortable
it is or isn’t. Try to use your words to make the reader imagine it exactly
the way you do.
d) Give the Main Character some special ability or trait, something that can
help solve a problem later in the story. (For example, very good at singing
or dancing or coloring, or very strong or clever.) Imagine how the MC might
creatively use this ability to solve problems. See if you can come up with something
original and unique to this story.
2. Departure (This paragraph creates the impetus for the journey
around which our story centers. Here we go from an ordinary day to finding out
that this day is extraordinary. Here the story takes off.)
Give the Main Character a reason to go out on the adventure.
a) Something happens to make this errand necessary. Tell what happened on this
certain day that made them realize it was necessary for one of them to go on
an important journey. It should start out like an ordinary day. Then that ordinary
day is interrupted by some unexpected occurrence, something of vital importance.
b) Create a new character that the Main Character is going to see. We’ll
call this the Destination Character.
c) Your Friend Character will send your Main Character on this special errand
someplace far away. Why did the Main Character have to go? Why couldn’t
the Friend go?
d) Tell where your Main character has to go and why. How will this solve whatever
problem has happened or is about to happen because of the unexpected occurrence?
Make it clear that it has to happen that day.
e) What does the friend tell the Main character not to do on the way? It is
better not to tell why. Let the reader anticipate what might happen.
3. Travel (This may take several paragraphs and will carry
us all the way from the preparation for the journey to reaching the forbidden
place. The trick here is to not make it obvious that the MC has reached the
forbidden place until the last moment. So when the MC stops for whatever reason,
we know that it happens to be right near that place, but the reader doesn’t
know yet until something makes the MC run into that place.)
Describe the Main Character getting ready and leaving. What makes the Main Character
do the thing he or she is not supposed to do.
a) Describe what the Main Character wears.
b) Describe what if anything, the Main Character will bring for supplies.
c) Make sure that the Main Character says goodbye to the friend.
d) Describe the travel. Is the Main Character walking, running, flying, slithering,
hopping or swimming?
e) Your Main Character will reach a place along the way where there will be
some troublemaker. This person will play some trick to get your Main Character
to do what he or she is not supposed to do. Describe the place where they meet
and what the troublemaker does.
f) Why does the Main Character fall for the trick?
4. Problem (Here, the Main Character gets into trouble. We
are not going to solve the problem yet, but just give the reader a sense that
the Main Character is really in serious trouble. We introduce the Trouble-maker
of the story and tell what this character intends to do to the Main Character
The Trouble-maker doesn’t actually do it though).
Describe the trouble your Main Character gets into.
a) Remember that our stories are Non-violent and Original. Something scary might
happen, but we won’t have our characters hurting each other. It is the
anticipation of danger that makes it exciting not the gratuitous violence. That
just makes it gory.
b) Remember that we want the Main Character to be able to use his or her special
skill to get out of trouble, so make sure that the problem doesn’t take
that away. (For example, if the Main Character’s skill is singing, you
wouldn’t make him lose his voice because then he couldn’t sing to
get out of trouble. Or if the Trouble-maker knows about the Main Character’s
special ability and has purposely done something to hinder that, then you must
figure out a way for the Main Character to get it back just in time. Maybe with
help from another victim of the trouble maker. This kind of thing must be well
planned out ahead of time to work well in your story.)
c) Does the Main Character get caught in a trap? Does a monster come? Maybe
the Main Character gets turned into something.
5. Solution (Now the Main Character must figure out a way
to use that special ability. If something is preventing the Main Character from
using the special skill, then help may be required to free that up. The thing
to remember here is that the Main Character must be smarter than the Trouble-maker.
It may help to brainstorm a list of ways that a special skill might be used
to solve a problem)
Describe how the Main Character solves the problem.
a) Remember that we don’t use violence or weapons to solve problems.
b) Describe how the Main Character uses the special skill to solve the problem
or to get out of trouble.
1. Maybe the Main Character uses that special skill to call for help.
2. The Main Character uses the skill to create a way out.
3. Using the special skill makes the Monster or troublemaker become friendly
or sleepy.
4. Maybe the special skill solves a problem that the Trouble-maker has, therefore
making the Trouble-maker have a change or heart.
5. The Trouble-maker may think he or she has better skill and one will challenge
the other to a contest.
6. The special skill might frighten, confuse or annoy the Trouble-maker.
7. The Main Character may trick the Trouble-maker into thinking that the special
skill can solve a problem or gain him or her some kind of wealth or power. This
could create an opportunity to get away.
c) Remember, the Main Character is only trying to get away from the Trouble-maker
in order to finish the errand. It is not necessary to defeat the Trouble-maker.
6. Safe (At last, we are ready to close the story. The Main
Character must finish the errand and return home safely. Don’t try to
create another adventure for the trip home. Just get the Main Character home
as quickly as possible.)
Describe the Main Character finally reaching the destination safely.
a) Here you can close the story. Tell how the Main Character felt when he or
she finally reached the destination.
b) What was the Destination Character doing when the Main Character arrived?
c) Does the Destination Character help the Main Character gets home quickly?
d) When the Main Character gets home, does he pr she tell the Friend the story
of what happened on the way?
e) Does the Friend suspect and figure it out?
f) What lesson did the Main Character learn?