PLANNING SHEET: WRITE YOUR OWN GOTHIC STORY Name Teacher Class Date Protagonist (main character or hero; wants/needs something and faces an obstacle/conflict; usually changes or learns) Antagonist (person or thing working against the protagonist achieving what he/she wants) Should be mysterious, scary, or creepy. Point of View (1st = I, me; 3rd = he, she, and they; 3rd can be limited or omniscient) Main Conflict (the struggle between opposing forces) Pick one… Man vs. the supernatural Man vs. beast Man vs. self (insanity/mental health issue) Man vs. man Theme (central message or moral conveyed through the story) Title: Mood (feelings the story makes the reader feel) Tone (attitude conveyed by the narrator toward the subject) Change? (If the protagonist changes, how does he/she change?) Learned? (If he/she learned something, what was it?) Author: Genre: Somebody (the protagonist): Wanted (what’s his her goal/need?): But (what’s getting in the way?): So (how’s everything turn out?):

Characters: insane, damsel in distress, zombies, CLIMAX: the moment of highest tension. The turning point. Here, decisions are made, and there’s “no going back.” Must be horrifying and intense. RISING ACTION: conflicts or struggles building toward the climax. Must contain 1) supernatural elements that cannot be explained by science, 2) unease, & 3) terror. In this part, decisions made in the climax are worked out. All events occurring after the climax are called the FALLING ACTION SETTING: the time and place in which the story takes place. Must be creepy, isolated, or remote… Characters: insane, damsel in distress, zombies, creepy or mysterious stranger, ghosts, living dolls/toys, monsters, mummies, vampires, werewolves… How are things at the end? Mysteries are cleared up and conflicts are resolved. This is the RESOLUTION. It must heavy-handedly lay out the theme message of the story. How are things at the beginning? Introduce the setting, characters, and their relationships in the EXPOSITION