I have to write a story for my eighth grade English class, does someone have a good idea?
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Pick something that was significant in your life. For many 8th graders, this may be something that happened in a sporting event (either write about when you did something that changed the outcome of a game for your team, or make us something that you would have liked to happen even though it didn't). It may also be something that happened on a camping trip (ever get lost and separated from the group for a while --- you could blow this up into a lost.overnight story), or an activity you participated at in school ... just about anything that was part of YOUR life.
The best part is that it doesn't have to be YOU in the story, or even limited to the things that actually happened. Add, subtract, change ... but start with something that you know well from you own experience. Then let your imagination run wild!
You could also do a step by step (process) essay on something you accomplished, or created. It could be anything from completing a hard assignment, to finding help on Enotes to do homework, to wining a trophy, or making a friend. Just make sure it is something relevant to you, and something that will get your attention straight for you to build something out of.
My favorite essays to assign are "what if" essays: Ex: What would a day of your life be like if you were, for example, a millionaire, or a famous sport star.
Hope our ideas help! Good luck!
I think of a story as being something that has an element of "fear" or adventure in it. If you read very much, you will note that the best loved stories have a problem that has to be solved or a challenge that must be overcome.
You might take a familiar story like the 3 little pigs and write from the wolf's perspective (a children's book in most elementary school libraries) Mary's lamb, The troll who lived under the bridge, the spider who sat down beside little Miss Muffet.
Your story really might be personal. Be careful though because you don't want to give your classmates ammunition to pick at you about something "really personal". If in doubt, ask your teacher if your topic is too personal.
What obstacles or challenges have you faced and overcome? What did that feel like to you? What were the reactions of your friends and family to your overcoming your challenge?
Try to add as much emotion and detail as you can in your story. That will make it "real" to your audience.
My daughter, also in 8th grade, wrote about her dad's liver transplant when she was in 5th grade. I couldn't believe that his health and return to health had such a HUGE impact on her.
My writing teacher in college had a theory he'd picked up somewhere about stories. He said, "There are really only two kinds of stories, 'Cinderella' and 'Jack and the Beanstalk'." In other words, love stories and adventure stories. Start with something that happened to you and once you are thinking of that situation as if you were observing it, imagine how it could have unfolded into something completely different. Follow your characters where they go- let the story tell you what happens.
First of all, you should select a topic that is really interesting to you. It can be a personal experience you've had, something you've observed, or it might be an imagining of an event you'd like to see. For example, you might decide to write about your dream car. (I'm not sure if you're a guy or a girl.) Middle school girls often like to write about their dream wedding. These types of topics give you the opportunity to go into a lot of detail. However, be careful not to let your story turn into a basic descriptive essay.
The key to an effective story is the characterization and/or the plot. Decide what kind of reaction you want for your reader to have (e.g., suspense, laughter) and then write your story according to that effect. When you have a rough draft, go back and proofread and ask yourself, for each sentence, "Does this sentence lead to the effect I am hoping to have on my reader?"
Good luck with your project!
Well, if you really want a great story for your eighth grade English class put yourself at the beginning of it. For example, 'One day as you walked along the beach you spotted a bottle floating close to the shore and soon got stuck in the sand'. You notice a piece of paper inside the bottle and your curiousity forces you to see if it says anything. You open the bottle and pull out the paper and read.....'
Now this is your chance to let your imagination wonder....sit quietly and think about it. Maybe the paper was a treasure map...and you try to find the treasure. Perhaps it is a message to someone however it is dated 1925 so you decide to search for their relatives. These are just examples of how to get your mind thinking, the story is what you do after you find and read the paper. If you begin your story with you in it, add some mystery, use descriptive adjectives to describe the quest you take and be sure to include descriptions of the weather...wind, cold, foggy, that always adds to any story. I hope this helps you. Remember ask yourself how you would feel if that really happened to you, because if you do that your story will start to develop faster than ever. Good Luck !!!
A good place to start when writing to story is to ask yourself "What if?" What if...I had the babysitting job from hell where the kid tied me up and tried to burn the house down? What if...I discovered a secret door at the bottom of a wishing well that led to a land populated by talking grasshoppers? What if...my dad won the lottery? Then just let your imagination go and see where it takes you. That's the great thing about "What if?" Anything is possible.
I never wanted to go sailing on a whaling ship, I was only supposed to go down to the harbor to buy some fish at the market for my mother. But while I was walking down the little alley between the fish warehouses, three big men grabbed me and stuffed me into a sack. When they let me out again, the shore was fading into the distance and I was the new kitchen-help on The Pride of New Haven, a whaler with a crew of 23, heading for a three month whaling trip to Greenland...
Sometimes photographs are good inspiration for a creative writing piece. Maybe it's a picture of a place, and you could create a whole scenario around what the place is, who would go there, what you would find there, and what kind of experiences one would have. You could also look at pictures of people you don't know. Who are they, what are they like, what did they do, what is their problem, and etc.
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