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Cottesmore St Mary Storywriting Competition 2014

Prizes to be won!. Cottesmore St Mary Storywriting Competition 2014. Open to Years 4, 5 and 6. Write a story and win prizes!. This competition is open to years 4 , 5 and 6 The theme is Storms – Storms, in whatever form, should play a central part in the story

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Cottesmore St Mary Storywriting Competition 2014

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  1. Prizes to be won! Cottesmore St Mary Storywriting Competition 2014 Open to Years 4, 5 and 6

  2. Write a story and win prizes! • This competition is open to years 4, 5 and 6 • The theme is Storms– Storms, in whatever form, should play a central part in the story • Stories should be no longer than1000 words • Entries can be in your own handwriting or typed • Write on every other line (it’s easier to read) • Stories must be your own original work • Entries to be submitted by Friday June 27th2014 (give to your teacher)

  3. Storms

  4. Storms • With people having experienced frightening storms all over the country this year, there is no better time to write a story on this topic. • This means that storms, in whatever form, must play a central part in the story. For example, the story of what happened when: • …a character was struck by lightning… • …a town was flooded due to constant rain… • …buildings crumbled as gale force winds struck… • …the sea level rose and flooded theseafront…

  5. TOP TIPS FOR GOOD STORYWRITINGUse the 5 ‘W’s to set the Scene Let your reader know (through narrative or dialogue): • WHO… the characters are: (Old/young? Personal characteristics – Brave? Shy? Popular? Clumsy?) • WHEN… the story is taking place: (Long ago, present time or future? Summer/Winter/Night/ Dawn?) • WHERE… the characters are: (indoors/outdoors? City or countryside? Desert/ swamp/ jungle?) • WHAT… the character’s situation is: (the ongoing ‘background’ of their life at the outset of the story - e.g. being bullied at school/on a fishing trip with Dad…) • WHY…the story happens: reveal the event that ‘kickstarts’ the story (e.g. the finding of a treasure map)

  6. TOP TIPS FOR GOOD STORYWRITING:THE PLOT OR STORYLINE • Give your characters a tough time with a problem to solve or an obstacle to overcome. • Problems can be practical (e.g. being lost, trapped or in danger; and/or personal (e.g. character’s fear of heights, shyness or bad temper). • Make sure they work out, with difficulty, how to resolve the problem themselves. Endings are better if they have struggled to succeed! • Try to think of a reason why the main problem has to be resolved by a certain time – a deadline builds tension! • Borrow ideas or combine storylines from books, films, myths, TV dramas or newspapers. Maybe your family has a funny story that you could exaggerate or adapt in some way? • Think of a clever opening to hook your reader into the story. • Aim for a ‘satisfying’ ending - NEVER write “…and then I woke up.”

  7. TOP TIPS FOR GOOD STORYWRITING:Engagingthe reader • Keep your reader engaged or involved by keeping the story fast-moving - make the events happen over as short a period of time as possible. DON’T start at the beginning of the day or say what you had for breakfast! • Make sure your main character, despite faults, is likeable. • Show the character’s reaction to events. Remember: action ⇒ reaction. Seeing how a character reacts to an event (and wondering what we might do in that situation) is how a reader comes to sympathise with a character. • Show – don’t tell - your reader how the characterfeels(e.g. ‘His eyes blazed as he let go of the knife’ is more powerful than ‘He was angry as he let go of the knife’). This will also make your reader sympathise with the character. • Try to give your settings a mood or atmosphere. These can reflect your character’s feelings: e.g. If your character is fearful and tense, the room he is in could be dark and sinister. Themood of a scene can also be indicated by describing the weather (e.g. to show tension, you could write about heavy, dark clouds and rumbling thunder…a storm brewing… )

  8. TOP TIPS FOR GOOD STORYWRITING:EDITING • Once you have finished your first draft, leave it for a few days, then re-read it. You will spot lots of ways to improve it. • Make sure you write in paragraphs. (Remember your opening topic sentence which reveals what the paragraph is about). • Ask an adult or friend to read it. Allow them to give you some constructive criticism or advice, such as: “The ending is an anti-climax – could you make it more exciting?” or “This bit is hard to follow – does it make sense?” They must NOT, however, tell you what to write: this story must be your OWN work. • Advice may also be given regarding spelling and punctuation. • REMEMBER: A good writer will redraft their work many times before they are satisfied with it! • An excellent website with many more storywriting tips is www.coreygreen.com/storytips.html

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