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Use to write fiction.
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CHARACTER DATA SHEET
Full name of character ____________________________________________________
Age, gender _______________________________________________________________
Ethnicity __________________________________________________________________
Religious orientation _____________________________________________________
Sexual orientation ________________________________________________________
Marital status _____________________________________________________________
Physical descriptionFacial details _______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
a. Height, weight ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________Body type __________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
Behavioral characteristicsGeneral temperament (moody, easygoing, neurotic, other) ________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
2Where Do You Get Your IDeas?
b. Noticeable eccentricities, tics _____________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
Type of voice (screechy, whining, gruff, sonorous, other) ___________
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____________________________________________________________________Speech habits (e.g., stutters, says uhm or you know a lot) ______ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
Education ________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
Occupation(s) ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
Ambition(s), dreams ______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
Favorite foods, drinks ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
Favorite clothes __________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
3Where Do You Get Your IDeas?
Biggest accomplishments _________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Most serious flaws, fears, or phobias _____________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
Most serious mistakes ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
Role in the story (novel, memoir) being planned:Goal in the story ___________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
c. Underlying motive(s) ______________________________________________
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d. Obstacles he or she faces __________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________e. Tentative plans for overcoming the obstacles ______________________ ____________________________________________________________________
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4Where Do You Get Your IDeas?
OuTlinE TEmplATE
Story Title (tentative): ____________________________________________________
Story Premise (one sentence): ____________________________________________
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Segment I: Conflict situation (protagonists goal vs. antagonists goal): ____
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Segment II: Backstory; underlying problem leading up to the present
situation: _________________________________________________________________
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Segment III: Unfolding of the present circumstance leading to climax (show-
down; revelation): ________________________________________________________
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Segment IV: Resolution, consequences of the final showdown or revelation:
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5Where Do You Get Your IDeas?
CHApTER OBJECTiVES pROmpT SHEET
CHAPTER _______________________________________________________________
TARGET DATE FOR COMPLETION _____________________________________
What is taking place in this chapter ________________________________________
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The principal actors in this chapter and what each intends to do and/or tries
to do and/or actually accomplishes or fails to accomplish _________________
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Ideas, themes, conveyed either directly or indirectly in this chapter ________
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___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________
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The setting(s) for this chapter (interior, exterior) __________________________
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6Where Do You Get Your IDeas?
Plot progression: advance(s), setback(s), new complication(s) in this chapter
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Teaser ending/transition to next chapter __________________________________
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7Where Do You Get Your IDeas?
FiRST DRAFT CRiTiQuE SHEET
Working title: ____________________________________________________________
Name of reader: __________________________________________________________
Overall strengths of the draft: _____________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________
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Basic problem(s) with the draft: ___________________________________________
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[Specific suggestions for improvement]
Opening segment (snags interest? conflict situation clearly established?)
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8Where Do You Get Your IDeas?
Characters (fully delineated? behavioral and physical characteristics de-
scribed in sufficient detail?)
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Setting, internal and external (realistically and vividly depicted?)
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Goal (urgent? vital? challenging?)
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Conflict situation (sufficiently developed? reader interest sustained?)
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9Where Do You Get Your IDeas?
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Concluding segment (conflict satisfyingly resolved? loose ends tied?)
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Mood, tone (lighthearted? serious? satirical? consistent tone throughout?)
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Theme (so what question answered?)
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Style (sentence structure, word choice, paragraphing)
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Other comments:
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Where Do You Get Your IDeas?
mYTH-TO-STORY WORKSHEET
I. Summarize the original myth in one paragraph: _________________________
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II. Explain what intrigues you most about the myth: _______________________
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III. In a separate paragraph transpose the myth into the modern world. What
will change? What will stay the same? _____________________________________
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IV. Profile each of the principal characters in your story (you may want to pre-
pare separate worksheets for this). Consider including comparisons between
each character and his or her mythological counterpart.___________________
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V. State the premise of your myth-inspired story in a single sentence. ______
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VI. What lasting theme do you want your story to convey? Is it the same as
that of the original myth? Is it different? __________________________________
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Where Do You Get Your IDeas?
DRAFT mAnAGEmEnT WORKSHEET
I. Title of the story: ________________________________________________________
II. What the story is about (one sentence): ________________________________
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III. Summary of the story (one paragraph): ________________________________
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IV. Outline of the story (openingmiddle/complicationending/resolution)
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V. Character cast list, their physical and behavioral attributes:
1. ____________________________________________________________________
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2. ___________________________________________________________________
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3. ___________________________________________________________________
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4. ____________________________________________________________________
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5. ___________________________________________________________________
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Where Do You Get Your IDeas?
mEmORABiliA pROmpT SHEET
(Separate sheet for each object)
Your age: _________________________________________________________________
Type of object: ____________________________________________________________
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Description of the object: _________________________________________________
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How obtained: Gift/Award/Heirloom/Found object/Something I created __
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If a gift, who gave it to you? _______________________________________________
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If an heirloom, from whom did you inherit it? _____________________________
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Where Do You Get Your IDeas?
Significance that the object has for you: ___________________________________
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Where Do You Get Your IDeas?
nOVEl DRAFT mAnAGEmEnT WORKSHEET
I. Working title for the novel: ______________________________________________
II. What the novel is about (one sentence): ________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________
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III. Summary of the novel (one paragraph): ________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________
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IV. Central symbol(s) if any: _______________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________
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V. Chapter-by-chapter summaries:
Chapter 1: _________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
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Chapter 2: _________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
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Chapter 3: _________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
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Where Do You Get Your IDeas?
Chapter 4: ________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
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Chapter 5: _________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
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Chapter 6: ________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
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Chapter 7: _________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
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Chapter 8: ________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
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Chapter 9: ________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
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Chapter 10: ________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
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Where Do You Get Your IDeas?
[etc.] ______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
VI. Character cast list, with physical and behavioral attributes (brief sketches
here; more elaborate profiles on separate worksheets)
1. __________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
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3. __________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
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4. __________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________
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5. __________________________________________________________________
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Where Do You Get Your IDeas?
A CHECKliST FOR GEnERATinG AnD DEVElOpinG YOuR iDEAS
Have I taken a mental inventory of the subjects that interest me and probed them for possible story ideas?
Have I asked probing questions about the objects, events, and phenomena I encounter?
Do I routinely peruse newspapers, magazines, dictionaries of quotations, and the Internet for story ideas?
Did I free-associate enough to generate ideas within an idea (ideas about characters, incidents, and settings [historical, geographical, cultural])?
In developing my idea, have I gathered enough background information about the subject?
Have I considered more than one way of transforming each of my ideas into stories?
Have I reflected on the thematic implications of my idea?
Did I develop my preliminary idea through listing, mapping, and outlining?
Have I worked out a satisfying plot based on my idea?
Did I storyboard a sequence of events based on my story outline?
Did I write a chapter-by-chapter synopsis for my novel?
Do my characters come across realistically? Are their physi-cal and behavior characteristics fully delineated?
Is my narrative voice engaging, distinctive?
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