Caro Clarke
Caro Clarke: What Is Conflict?
This is the sixth in a series of articles designed to help the new writer with their novel. This article focuses on conflict and how it effects the characters and the plot of the story. W.11-12.3a Narratives
Caro Clarke
Not Stopping the Reader: How to Avoid Stumbling Blocks
This is the eighth article in a series that focuses on helping the new novel author. This article looks at how the author can avoid creating stumbling blocks that disrupt the flow of the novel.
Caro Clarke
A, B, and C Characters
This is the ninth article in a series that focuses on helping the new novel author. This article focuses on what the author calls "A, B, and C Characters," used to describe the different levels of characters.
Caro Clarke
Explaining Too Much: Why More Is Less
This is the eleventh article in a series that is designed to help the new novel author. This article focuses on how to eliminate needless information in your novel. The key is to not explain too much about the action.
Caro Clarke
The Art of the Unspoken: Saying More by Describing Less
This is the thirteenth article in a series that was developed to help the new novel author. This article focuses on how good descriptions aren't necessarily connected with a lot of words, good descriptions are clean and to the point.
Caro Clarke
Historical Fiction: Who Rules?
This is the fifteenth article in a series designed to help the new novel author. This article focuses on the genre of historical fiction and the role of the author. Is the author a researcher or a story-teller?
Caro Clarke
Rewriting
This is the 17th article in a series that helps the new fiction author with the final step--revision.
Other
Fiction Writing Tips: Creating a Vivid Setting
Some excellent guidelines to consider when evaluating your setting in a short story or novel. Discusses the importance of setting, some examples, as well as practical advice in setting your story. W.11-12.3d Sensory/precise lang narratives
Caro Clarke
Caro Clarke: Description: What's It For?
This is the twelfth article in a series that is designed to help the new novel writer. This article focuses on how to effectively use descriptions in any writing.
Other
Elements of Fiction
Simple discussion of the elements of fiction with a specific section devoted to Freytag's Pyramid (aka "basic plot structure"). A good place to start for gathering information on the structure of narrative.
Caro Clarke
Writing Advice: Where to Start?
This writing tutorial focuses on helping the aspiring author find a good place to start on his or her fiction.
Caro Clarke
Caro Clarke: Pacing Anxiety, or How to Stop Padding and Plot!
This is the seventh installment of a series giving advice to the author who is new to writing novels. This article focuses on how to take your characters and use them and their conflicts to develop the plot of your story. W.9-10.3b...
Caro Clarke
Caroclarke: Dialogue: The Best Action
This is the fourteenth article in a series published with the goal of helping the new novel author. This article focuses on using dialogue to advance the action of the story. Links on the left offer other information about story writing.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Inventing a New Word
Inspired by the main character's actions in Frindle by Andrew Clements, students will be asked to reinvent an everyday object with a brand new word. They will need to imagine a character has reinvented their word, and then they will...
Caro Clarke
Describing Your Characters Through Their Actions
This is the tenth in a series of articles designed to help the new novel author. This article focuses on how to develop characters through their actions instead of simply relying on dialogue and description of thoughts. W.11-12.3d...
Other
Storytelling in the Classroom
There are several steps to becoming a storyteller. Find out what they are and be on your way to becoming a storyteller here! Learn how to find good stories to tell, and how to tell them to an audience effectively.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Characters and Staging in Drama
Learn how playwrights characterize their protagonists and antagonists through the dialogue and staging of their plays.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Analyze Linear Plot Developments in Literary Texts/fiction
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] You will learn how to use the elements of linear plot development to determine whether and how conflicts are resolved.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Development of Characters Through Literary Devices
Rcognize how literary devices such as character foils can create complex characters in a short story.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Writing Engaging Stories With Literary Strategies to Enhance Plot
Use various literary strategies and devices, including dialogue and suspense, to enhance the plot in a short story.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Mechanical Monsters
In this lesson plan, learners read the description of the mechanical dog from Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and then work in groups to create and write descriptions of their own futuristic pet.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Characters and Staging in Drama
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] In this lesson, you will analyze how different playwrights characterize, or develop, their protagonists and antagonists through the dialogue and staging of their plays.
Other
Writing world.com: Writing Dialogue for Children
A good site for teachers and writers looking to write for children, or teach children how to write dialogue. Includes tips and guidelines.
Other
Writing World: Four Ways to Bring Settings to Life
A great resource outlining four major ways to make settings appear more real and genuine in fiction. Deals with themes such as motion, experience, mood, and the senses. W.11-12.3d Sensory/precise lang narratives