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WRITING

POETRY

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READING

Personal Narrative -- Elements that are NEEDED

DIALOGUE	Dialogue helps the reader understand the characters. Use real language and make each character sound distinct. Each person's "voice" is like a fingerprint--unique. Find places in your story where you tell, instead of using dialogue, to make your characters come alive
BLOCKING	Think of blocking as "stage directions." It tells where the characters are and what they are doing while they are talking. The blocking sets the scene, creates a place for the dialogue to happen.
INTERIOR MONOLOGUE	What is the character thinking and feeling while the dialogue and action are happening? This literary device helps the reader discover more information about the character or the story.
SETTING DESCRIPTION	Describe the setting. Where is this story taking place? Make us smell the surroundings and hear the noises of this setting.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTION	Describe the characters. What do they look like? What are they wearing? What are their habits? Their background? (You may want to use some of the questions from the creative writing page)
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE	Figurative language makes the reader see everyday things and people in a new way--metaphors and similes make comparisons, sometimes between the known and the unexplored.
PERSONIFICATION	This literary device gives human qualities to non-human.
FLASHBACK	You create a flashback when the character remembers something from his/her past that helps build the story. A flashback is not essential, but it is a good tool to give background on a character.
SCENE AND SUMMARY	A summary gives the reader a quick sketch of what is happening or what has happened. Often these are places that you need to go back and fill out with more details. Scenes, on the other hand, create a mental movie for our reader--they can see, hear, sometimes even smell what you're writing about.

Definitions taken from Reading, Writing, and Rising Up
By: Linda Christensen

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