Initial Plan

What? How? You...

Genre Crime/Mystery

Theme What is the main message of your story?

Setting In which period and place is your story set?
What words and expressions will create mood and
atmosphere?

Characters Who will be in your story?
What will their manner, behaviour and personality
be like?
What role will they play in the unfolding action?
What happens to the characters?
How will you develop the plot and overall theme of
the story?

Plot/Action What will your story be about?
How will events take shape?
What nouns, verbs and adverbs will make your
description effective?

Conflict
(Complication)
What conflicts, problems or dilemmas will the
characters face?
Will it be a conflict between good and evil?
Will it be about a character who has a conflict of
conscience?

What is it that happens to the main characters?
Climax What is the most important or exciting part of your
story?
Where will you put the climax? (towards the end?
at the end?)

Resolution How will your story end?
will it be a sad or happy ending?
will a character change take place?
will the ending be open ended?


Narrator
(point of view)
Who will be telling the story?
will it be a third-person point of view
(omniscient) - someone who sees everything?
will it be a third-person subjective point of view?
like were looking over the characters
shoulder?
will it be first person? told from the characters
point of view?


Style What language choices will you make to tell the
story?
use of description
use of dialogue
word choice
length of sentences
length of paragraphs

Narrative techniques What techniques will you use?
metaphors
foreshadowing
flashback
irony
anticipation