Chapter Book Blueprint. VIP Webinar Packet

Transcription

1 Chapter Book Blueprint VIP Webinar Packet During our webinar on November 2, we gave you the Idea Catcher worksheet from Chapter Book Blueprint to start gathering your story and character ideas for your chapter book manuscript. Now, we're going to get you started working on your protagonist. If you didn't attend the November 2 webinar, just come up with an idea and create a character for the purpose of these exercises. You can always choose a different idea and character later when you do the full Chapter Book Blueprint. Please fill out the Creating Your Protagonist worksheet before the VIP Webinar on November 16. This is an excerpt from the full worksheet inside Chapter Book Blueprint. It will get you started on your main character and give you a taste of how Chapter Book Blueprint works. Then, print out the rest of this packet but don't fill it in. Have it on hand during the November 16 webinar, where Alice Kuipers will walk you through it and explain each step.

2 CHAPTER BOOK BLUEPRINT Creating Your Protagonist This is an excerpt from Unit 2 in Chapter Book Blueprint. The full form is 11 pages long, but for the purpose of our VIP Webinar we'll be looking at just a few key aspects of your Protagonist to get you started. Please fill this out before the webinar. Your Protagonist (your story's main character) is the central focus of your story. Use this form to create a character who is interesting and unique. You may not use all this information in your story, but recording as many of these details as possible will give you more options to draw from when you start developing your plot. Protagonist's name: Is this character a (check one): child ( boy girl) animal (type of animal: ) fantasy creature (describe, i.e. elf, ghost, robot: ) toy (type of toy: ) adult ( man woman) Protagonist's age: General physical description: Most likely condition of favorite clothing (i.e. wrinkled, holes in knees of pants, neatly folded in drawer, etc.)

3 What's in your Protagonist's pockets/backpack/purse, etc.? What is your Protagonist's biggest secret? What is he/she most proud of? What is his/she most afraid of? What was his/her most embarrassing moment? What is his/her best talent or skill? What makes him/her laugh?

4 List five personality traits about your main character that someone else would use to describe him/her: If your Protagonist were to describe him/herself, what words would he/she use? Does your Protagonist have a best friend? Why is your Protagonist best friends with this character? (You will have a chance to describe the best friend in Step 5, Creating Your Supporting Cast, as well as Step 5C, Creating Your Sidekick, so for now just describe their relationship briefly.) Has your Protagonist ever had a fight with his/her best friend? Give your Protagonist's version of what happened.

5 Does your protagonist have a nemesis? Why is this character a nemesis? (Note: The nemesis may or may not be the antagonist [another character who creates the main obstacle of the plot] of your story. Very often a nemesis is another character such as a sibling or classmate who just pushes your protagonist's buttons and complicates your protagonist's efforts to get what he/she wants. If you are thinking about writing a series, the nemesis will probably appear in every book, but each story will have a different antagonist/main obstacle. You don't have to give your protagonist a nemesis, but if you do, identify that character here and write a bit about their relationship. You can add more details about this character in Step 5, Creating Your Supporting Cast.) What does your Protagonist want to be when he/she grows up? Which immediate family member does your Protagonist get along best with? Are there any members with whom your protagonist does not get along? Now interview your character using the interview questions below. Try replying in the character s voice: Character Interview What s your earliest memory?

6 What s the worst thing you ve ever done? Who do you love? Describe a perfect day. In this moment, what do you most want? What did you do last time you were in trouble? When you have your own money to spend, what do you buy?

7 Please print out the rest of this packet before the webinar on November 16, but do NOT fill it out. We'll give you time during the webinar to start brainstorming these steps. CHAPTER BOOK BLUEPRINT Obstacle Matrix Unit 2 > Step 4 Let's find the best obstacle(s) to put into your protagonist's path toward getting what he/she wants. On the next page, use the Obstacle Matrix to brainstorm some obstacles based on three scenarios, and select the ones that most excite you. Then be sure to review the questions on page 3. The scenarios: Your Protagonist against others a character or characters are standing in your Protagonist's way. We mentioned an Antagonist in the last section as you crafted your Protagonist s wants. If there is one character standing in your Protagonist's way, who appears in a substantial portion of the story and creates the main obstacle, you will have a fully-developed Antagonist. But if your character is working against a group of other characters (a class, some neighbors, etc.) then simply add them to your Supporting Cast worksheet. Your protagonist against circumstance things beyond your protagonist's control (nature, weather, luck, timing, etc.) Your protagonist against him/herself your protagonist is his/her own worst enemy.

8 What if another character (or characters) is standing in your protagonist's way? Who is it? How are they foiling your character? Refer to your Antagonist notes from Step 3. What if circumstances (nature, weather, animals, bad luck, bad timing, things out of your protagonist's control) are standing in his/her way? What if your protagonist's own behavior/flaws/habits/fears/thinking is standing in his/her own way? Which obstacles excite you the most? You may find elements of two or three different obstacles that work together in your story. Write all possibilities here.

9 Obstacle Matrix, page 3 If the obstacle is coming from within your protagonist (his/her thoughts, fears, behavior), will you be able to convey it through his or her actions? We ll talk about how we can show and not tell when we re writing as we get deeper into this course. But for now, keep in mind that too much interiority is going to be hard for a young reader to read. Remember, chapter books are very plot driven and they want to see a character acting and re-acting to events, not just sitting around and thinking. Make some notes here: If you find things you like about two or three different obstacles, can these obstacles be connected in some way? One obstacle will provide the main framework for the story, but the other obstacles can add complications. For example, in Eva Sees a Ghost (Owl Diaries series by Rebecca Elliott), Eva wants to convince her classmates she saw a ghost (character vs. characters), but can't because she has no proof that the ghost exists (character vs. circumstance). One of the reasons her classmates don't believe her is that Eva has a vivid imagination and sometimes makes things up (character vs. self). All of these obstacles complicate Eva's story. Make your notes here:

10 CHAPTER BOOK BLUEPRINT Supporting Cast Unit 2 > Step 5 Let's discover more about your secondary characters. Name of Relationship Is he/she 1-2 relevant Who is he/she character to protagonist supporting the characteristics in this story? protagonist, of this What's his/her opposing or character. purpose? neutral?