![]() For the main plot thread we have the Major Dramatic Question (MDQ) and for the subplots we have what I like to call the Lesser Dramatic Questions (LDQ’s). Each of these plot threads is driven by what’s called the Dramatic Question. Step 2: Figure out your main story threads and the Dramatic Question related to each.Įvery novel has a main plot thread and at least one or two subplots. The why is key because if I can’t figure out what purpose a particular scene serves in the story, then it probably means that scene is dispensable and I should get rid of it. I like to use index cards for this step, where for each scene I jot down a brief description of who is in the scene, what happens and why the scene is important to the story overall. How do you put together a story map like this? Here’s a step-by-step guide. ( Note: Because this is an outline, it inevitably includes spoilers. ![]() The map shows a (very basic) outline Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. Also, it can be difficult to juggle multiple story threads at the same time so when you use this subway map technique, you can isolate the main plot or one of the subplots and look at it separate from the others.įor a downloadable version of the story map below, click here and sign up with your email address. ![]() Black dots represent local exits or subway stops (moments that apply only to that one storyline) while the white dots indicate moments where two or more plot lines intersect.īy mapping your story out in this way, you can tease apart the different plot threads in your story and make sure that each story arc makes sense in terms of build-up and tension. The dots (exits on the highways or subway stops) represent different scenes or moments in the story. Here’s how this technique works.Įach road or subway line represents a different story-thread or plot line. Plus, find out how to support storytelling skills for children in EYFS, KS1, KS2 and KS3 to get them thinking about story elements, plot and character development.One of my favorite ways to outline or plan a story is to map it out like a subway or road map. You could also try a great story-making app and get your child writing fiction on their tablet! ![]() We also recommend the free art and creative writing challenges on the Night Zookeeper website your child will be contributing to a co-created animated television show. If your child finds writing a story a little daunting, start with something small from our list of 9 fun writing projects to do with your children. They may wish to write in short chapters, use illustrations, or make their own book to write in – let them use their imagination and creativity when it comes to presentation, and make sure you show how much you value the end product by keeping it to read again with the other books in your house. They could do a draft in the first instance and then a neat, polished version later. Once they’ve got all of these ideas in place, they can start writing. This is just a little guidance on how you can support them and encourage a more structured approach to their story writing. It may very well be that your children write stories at home regardless of whether they’re required to for school, because most children have a seemingly natural urge to want to do so from time to time. During this week children would be consolidating their learning of phonics and be ‘writing for purpose’, considering carefully the aspects of story and who their audience might be. I wasn’t deviating from the curriculum – far from it. I know my author brother did too – we found some of his old stories a few years back, and I felt so pleased he’d had the time to write these endless pages of action, adventure, characterisation and twisting plotlines.Īs a primary teacher I ensured I would have a week each term when, during literacy sessions, we would focus solely on creating stories. When I was at school I adored writing stories – even stories with chapters and illustrations. While I think the more structured approach to literacy teaching we see in classrooms today makes learning more fun and accessible, my one worry is that there’s little time left for writing creatively. The way literacy is taught in primary schools has changed radically in the last couple of decades when I was at school in the 80s we copied from blackboards, had whole hours of handwriting practice and sweated over spellings without any formal teaching of phonics whatsoever.
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