C1.2 Unit 6: Story sketches

Stories usually have the following things:

1. An exposition (sets the scene, introduces the characters)
2. An inciting incident (something happens to get the ball rolling)
3. A development (things get more complicated)
4. A secondary plot line or a new character who comes into the story.
5. A climax (a dramatic scene where some of the problems are reverse or resolved)
6. A resolution (some other things get resolved to wind the story down - there might be a twist here)
7. An ending (it could have twist too)

A story needs to hold something back from the reader. For example there might be a vital piece of information the reader or view doesn't find out until later.

Read these story sketches and think about how they could be developed or rewritten.


The Campfire

Long ago in a run-down cave, two cavemen, Uu and Aa, were sitting next to a campfire to hide from the cold winter wind outside. Uu wasn't feeling so good as he had eaten a rotten dodo the day before. As he turned away from the campfire to get some tea he said "uuuu" and farted into the flames. There was a large explosion as the fart caught fire. Aa immediately ran out of the cave yelling "aaaa!".

Meanwhile a man dressed in a suit, the manager of a nearby theme park, was sitting in his office. At the moment of Uu's fart, he felt an earthquake and saw the park's ferris wheel wobble. Suddenly, it began to topple and then fell flat on the ground below, crushing scores of people. Immediately a fire broke out. Then Renzo woke up, glad that it was all merely a dream.


Aladdin in Ancient Egypt

Once upon a time in Ancient Egypt, Cleopatra was lying in bed, patting her cat Sir Toby. It was early in the morning. Suddenly Sir Toby began to choke. Cleopatra called her servant: "Quick! Sir Toby is dying!". However, no one came to help her. The Egyptian queen went into a panic. She didn't know what to do!

Meanwhile in another part of the city, Aladdin was smoking pot and watching morning TV - Teletubbies - as was usual for him on Tuesdays. Suddenly Cleopatra's cries for assistance came through the TV set. According to ancient historians, Cleopatra was actually quite ugly, but had a most beautiful, charming voice. And so Aladdin became enchanted and hopped straight onto his magic carpet. 


The Ballad of Juan-Carlos

It was during a long freezing winter in a bar called Seven Steps to Heaven, and it was one of those nights peaceful nights when the crowd gets wild and crazy on heavy metal. So everything was pretty mundane.

Suddenly, a big shadow appeared at the threshold of the club. No one could see who it was, but no sooner had the dark shadow stepped into the light than the entire bar was on fire: Bikini  Babes started to fly around, flowers began to sing, dolls passed out and donkeys danced the Macarena. For Juan-Carlos, the most famous teddy bear of the century had arrived. Juan-Carlos was wearing only underwear, revealing his breathtaking abs.

But while everyone was admiring him, there was one person who didn't seem impressed. It was a German radio active flower called Radio-Active Flower.

Flower approached Juan-Carlos and said: "Ich bin eine flower, ich know di bist ein porn star in the past! So pay me in alcohol recht now! Or ich will publish dis porn video of du on the 15 TV screens in dis bar!"

Juan-Carlos answered: "Fiend! I have no choice but to bow to your wicked will! Bartender! A create the your best champagne for the senorita!"

But as Radioactive Flower was a true criminal, she published the videos anyway!

Now the whole bar became a scene of diabolical destruction and mayhem. There was blood, chairs flew through the air, glasses were smashed onto heads, needs were driven into eyeballs. Juan-Carlos had his legs and arms torn off by Bikini Babes.

Suddenly a meteorite crashed into the bar, killing everyone.