Assignment #1 (required) – Choosing Your Story
Worth 30 House Points
Due September 30
Turn in completed work HERE or email to owl@sollarna.com (Important: Emailed assignments must include your HOL name and house, and the subject line should state the assignment number.)
- Using any combination of the methods listed in Lesson 1, work out three possible story ideas. Choose one idea from the three to use as your class project. Ask yourself which you’re most comfortable discussing and writing. If you are new to noveling, then try not to choose a concept that would feel unnatural or difficult to write. Which story did you choose, and why did you choose it? Please provide a brief summary of your idea. Try to keep your answer between 100 and 300 words. (10 points)
- Who do you imagine your audience will be? On other words, who do you imagine reading your story? What is their age(s) and interests? (6 points)
- How will you tell your story? Is it a full-length novel, short story, children’s book, poem, comic book, or some other format? (2 points)
- From what perspective do you plan to write your story? These are explained in Lesson 1 under Resources. (2 points)
- What is your writing goal for this term? How long do you want your story to be? For this assignment you have two options. Option 1) You may complete this step with me. Email me or post in the forum if you’d like me to help calculate your Project Goal. Option 2) You may calculate your goal alone by estimating: how many days per week you can write, how long you can write each day, and your writing pace (Example: Can you write 300 words per hour? 500 words per hour?). If you can write 300 words per day, then multiply 300 by the number of days you hope to write. The product of these two numbers is your goal. If you are creating a graphic novel, you will need to devise a daily or weekly illustration goal as well. (10 points)
You may change your goal by adding or subtracting from it at any time, so long as your overall effort isn’t sacrificed. Please contact me should you change your goal.
Extra Credit #1 – Planning Ahead
Worth 30 House Points
Due December 31
Turn in completed work HERE (preferred) or email to owl@sollarna.com (Important: Emailed assignments must include your HOL name and house, and the subject line should state the assignment number.)
- Identify and describe three characters in 150 words, total (75 words minimum per character). These may be main and/or minor characters. You do not need to name them yet. Some authors write their first draft without naming a single character! (15 points)
- Provide a brief summary for the other two story ideas your crafted in Assignment 1. In your summaries, identify each idea’s the source of inspiration (dream, story dice, epiphany, etc.). Each summary needs to be a minimum of 75 words (please try not to exceed 150 words). (15 points)
(These story ideas might develop into full novels in the future. Or, they might provide inspiration for a sub-plot in other story. I recommend collecting these valuable ideas and hold onto them.)