LET ME
TELL YOU A
STORY
North Junior High School
8th Grade ELA
The Writing
Process
The series of overlapping
steps that most writers
follow in composing texts.
Planning/Prewriting
THINK
• Decide on a topic to write about
• Consider who will read or
listen to your written work.
• Brainstorm ideas about your
subject
• List places where you can
get information
DRAFT
WRITE
• Put the information into your own words.
• Write sentences and paragraphs
even if they are not perfect.
• Read what you have written
and judge if it says what you
mean.
• Show it to others and ask for
suggestions.
REVISE
MAKE IT BETTER
• Read what you have written again.
• Think about what others said about it.
• Rearrange words or sentences.
• Take out or add parts.
• Replace overused or unclear
words.
• Read your writing aloud to be
sure it flows smoothly.
EDIT
MAKE IT CORRECT
• Be sure all sentences are complete.
• Correct spelling, capitalization,
and punctuation.
• Change words that are not used
correctly.
• Have someone check your work.
• Recopy or type it correctly and
neatly
PUBLISH
SHARE THE FINISHED PRODUCT
• Read your writing aloud to a group.
• Create a book of your work.
• Send a copy to a friend or relative.
• Put your writing on display.
• Illustrate, perform, or set your
creation to music.
• Congratulate yourself on a job
well done!
Mini-lesson –
How to write a multi-paragraph
NARRATIVE essay
•
Rewrite The Adventure of the Speckled
Band from another character’s POINT of
VIEW
• How will the characters change?
• How will the story & the outcome change?
NARRATIVE ESSAY PLAN
The Adventures of the Speckled Band
From Dr. Grimsby Rowlett’s Point of View
(Paragraph 1) - Introduction
LEAD-IN: How would the mysterious story of The
Adventures of the Speckled Band change if Dr. Grimsby
Roylott was the narrator?
SUPPORT TO THE LEAD-IN: There would still be a
mysterious death, but would the events leading up to
solving the crime be the same?
SUPPORT: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson may have
had a more difficult time unraveling the clues. A
story told from a different character’s point of view
can change everything, or can it?
(Paragraph 2)
TOPIC SENTENCE: I was a loving man who only wanted
the best for my two step-daughters, Julia and Helen
Stoner.
SUPPORTING DETAIL: I married their mother while
becoming a doctor.
SUPPORTING DETAL: After their mother died I
brought them to live at my home, Stoke Moran, in
England.
SUPPORTING DETAIL: There I provided for them
generously, giving them everything they wanted or
needed.
The topic sentence and supporting details can now be
written in paragraph form using strategies to add detail
and interest.
(Paragraph 3)
Topic Sentence: Unexpectedly, Julia died from
unknown causes, and I was looked at as a suspect.
Supporting Detail:I found this hard to believe because
there was no real evidence that I had anything to do
with this crime.
Supporting Detail: Just because my pets were a cheetah and
a baboon, and gypsies, who I was friends with, lived on my
property did not mean that I was involved in Julia’s
death.
Supporting Detail:Also, my money running low, was
not reliable evidence that I would harm someone
before they were to be married.
(Paragraph 4)
TOPIC SENTENCE: After extensive investigation, it was
determined that a poisonous snake was to blame for
Julia’s untimely death.
SUPPORTING DETAIL: I had no way of knowing that
my snake, with the speckled band, was escaping its
cage at night and going into Julia’s room.
SUPPORTING DETAIL: I believed the snake was in
safe-keeping and could not harm anyone,
especially one of my dear step-daughters.
SUPPORTING DETAIL: I do not believe that I should
be blamed for such a horrible accident.
Again, here is where you might need more supporting
details or even an additional paragraph to complete this
part of the narrative.
(Paragraph 5) CONCLUSION – state your introduction
TOPIC SENTENCE: A story told from a different point
of view can be a dramatically different story all
together.
SUPPORTING DETAIL: There still was the tragic
death of young Julia Stoner.
SUPPORTING DETAIL: As the audience can see, I was
innocent of any wrong doing.
SUPPORTING DETAIL: The mystery remains, who is
the guilty party and will someone else have to die?
Now you have what you need to write this in paragraph
form, revise, edit, and publish.