Elements of a story...

Before the girls did some writing, we talked about what makes stories stories. I introduced an exercise that I often do in writing workshops. I ask that students get into their minds a significant chunk of time in their lives (i.e. the year my parents got divorced, or the six months I lived in France, or in seventh grade when we moved away, or when my dad remarried. A memorable and crucial "key moment" in life. Then I ask that they write, based on that chunk of time, given each the following prompts: 1. The Setting: where does the story take place? 2. The Want: what did you want? 3. The Conflict: what stood in your way? 4. The Change: how did things change in your struggle to get what you wanted? 5. NOW: how is this chunk of time significant to your life now? Ideally, this exercise helps students plug true events into a story structure, showing that you can build a story out of your life.