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: 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
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Analyze Linear Plot Developments in Literary Texts/fiction
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] In this lesson, you will learn how to recognize conflict, analyze linear plot, and determine how the conflict is resolved.
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.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Analyze the Central Characters in Literary Text/fiction
In this lesson, you will discover some ways that writers reveal the complexity of their characters. By closely analyzing one author's characters, you'll come to see how their words, actions, and interactions with one another can shape a...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Isolated Scenes and Plot Support
Plots have momentum or a forward motion. In this lesson, we will isolate and discuss specific plot scenes from several works of fiction. You will learn how each scene moves the plot forward toward the resolution.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Development of Characters Through Literary Devices
This lesson focuses on how writers develop characters through a variety of techniques: narration, dialogue, interaction with other characters, interaction with setting, and character's thoughts.
Other
Fiction Factor: The Importance of Setting
An interesting article concerning the importance of setting to any piece of fiction. Gives good information about how setting affects characters and "world-building."
Other
Short Story Elements
Geared toward high school students, this site contains many notes and links on the aspects of short story, figurative language, and figures of speech.
Ted Nellen
Cyber English (By Ted Nellen): Bildungsroman
This is a glossary entry for the term "Bildungsroman" referring to characteristics of a "Coming Of Age" type story. A link to more information is provided.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Serendipitous Personification for Stories and Descriptions
Students will use this writing prompt generator to create a personification story or description.
Other
How the Language Works: Fiction
This article discusses the characteristics of fiction and the expectations that readers have.
Other
How the Language Really Works: Novels and Stories
This brief article explains perspective, types of narrators, and the elements of fiction.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Back Story
This lesson introduces the back story in fiction writing. W.11-12.3c Narrative Org
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Characters and Setting
This lesson introduces the connection between characters and setting in fiction writing.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Plot and the Most Dangerous Game
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart teaches students about plot and gives examples from short story and also highlights vocabulary.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Story Elements
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart defines the elements of a story: character, setting, theme, and conflict.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Literature: Constructing Plot
This site has an explanation of the elements of a plot with clear examples. Click on "What goes into plot" for more information.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Setting and Conflict
This lesson explains the relationship between setting and conflict in fiction writing.
Other
Robert J. Sawyer: Writing Workshops
This site features a list of columns written by Robert Sawyer. They include: Great Beginnings, Point of View, Constructing Characters, Show, Don't Tell, Description, Research, and more. W.9-10.3, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3e Narratives, W.11-12.3, 3a,...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Characters and Plot
This lesson introduces the connection between characters and plot in fiction writing.
Other
Essays on the Craft of Dramatic Writing
This site, by the author of a workbook on the craft of writing, is filled with essays about many elements of dramatic writing, from the principles of storytelling, to plot development, to character development. There are also numerous...
Caro Clarke
Caro Clarke: Writing Advice: Beginner's Four Faults
This site is a personal site from Caro Clarke. The third installment in this series looks at the four major mistakes made by beginning authors. The main idea of this article is that the author needs to be able to combine dialogue with...