Year 10 Creative Writing

Lesson Objectives To understand the importance of character in a story. To write a paragraph about a character which you have created.

One of the reasons we read stories is to see the way characters behave. We get to know them at the start of the story and we follow their progress. The secret of showing your reader what a character is like lies in choosing your vocabulary carefully. One word can be a vital clue to what a character is thinking or feeling.

For example: The man shuffled towards the run-down house. Rita sat on the bottom step and placed her head in her hands. As he listened to the student’s story, Mr Smith’s hands tightened.

Hints! Keep your details brief and precise – not great slabs of description. Keep description visual – appearances, textures, colours, movements – to help your reader see the scene. Give specific details – ‘He ate his half-melted Kit-Kat’ is more interesting than ‘He ate his chocolate bar’.

Task Individually, think of a few details about a character. He /She needs a name and an age. Think about the type of person they are.

Write 4 objects that your character has in their bag or pocket.

For Example, Mrs Leonard is 42 years old and has a champagne cork, pink lip gloss, a train ticket to Ascot and a wedding ring in her bag. Mr Lewis may have an expensive looking leather wallet containing several credit cards and a betting slip.

Write two paragraphs about the character your partner has created, making use of some of the items. Think about:- Their family life Hobbies/Interests Appearance Where they live Job