Transcript Document

Developing Characters and Settings
Operating System: Windows(R) and Mac OS X
Submitted by: Yolanda Doyle
Why do you think it is important to develop your characters
and give a detailed description of the setting?
Write your thoughts in the box.
Which word best suits this sentence?
"I never want to see you again," screamed Katie.
"I never want to see you again," sang Katie.
"I never want you to see you again," muttered Katie.
"I never want to see you again," laughed Katie.
What kind of character do you think Katie is?
shy
confused
dramatic
happy-go-lucky
Where's the verb?
My sister and I ran out to play.
I walked into the classroom.
Look at your verbs - action words.
1. Replace "said" with something more
descriptive.
2. Replace 4 other "plain" verbs with something
more descriptive.
Location, location, location.
Where is your story going to be located?
In your rough draft, underline all the parts which tell about your setting.
Read the three sentences one at a time and describe
what you are imagining.
Jayne walked through the field.
Jayne walked through the golden wheat field.
Jayne walked through the golden wheat field on a beautiful
summer's evening.
Which description helped you visualize the field the best?
What time of day
is it?
What is hidden
there?
What is the
weather like?
Questions you should ask yourself
about the setting.
What has just happened or
is about to happen?
What is dangerous, looks unusua
or is out of place?
Look at your rough draft.
Find at least 3 areas where
something is described.
Rewrite or add adjectives to help
create a picture in the reader's mind.
How could we make this sentence better and more
descriptive?
When my mom called us in, we ate lunch while
watching TV.
Look at your rough draft!
Find at least 4 common nouns and make them more
specific - or even substitute a proper noun!