SPECULATIVE WRITING:
HOW TO WRITE
YOUR BEST STORY!
BY K.J. STANCZAK
Get to the point!
Write from your heart!
Speculative Writing - Narratives
Playing Make-Believe
• Think back to your childhood…
Speculative Writing - Narratives
Did YOU Know?
• SPECULATIVE WRITING is a fancy
term for NARRATIVE WRITING.
• NARRATIVES are FUN to write
• When writing a NARRATIVE, it is
best to use your IMAGINATION and
BE CREATIVE.
• A NARRATIVE tells a STORY and
includes ALL story elements.
Speculative Writing - Narratives
TURN TO SOMEONE NEAR YOU AND
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION.
What are the six elements of a story?
DID YOU ANSWER CORRECTLY?
Character
Setting
Plot (including Climax and Resolution)
Conflict
Theme
Point of View
Speculative Writing - Narratives
Did YOU Know?
• NARRATIVE writing can be based on
make-believe people, places, events,
and situations.
• It is important to use dazzling WORD
CHOICE when creating your STORY.
• A great way to help you with vivid
WORD CHOICE is to remember your
five senses.
•What are your five senses?
INCLUDING VIVID and DAZZLING
LANGUAGE MEANS TO REMEMBER:
•SIMILES
•METAPHORS
•PERSONIFICATION
•ALLITERATION
•and ALL OTHER TYPES OF
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Speculative Writing - Narratives
Did YOU Know?
• The way you ORGANIZE the
NARRATIVE will allow your AUDIENCE
to understand and follow along with
the story.
• NARRATIVE WRITING gives the author
POWER to CONNECT with his/her
readers.
• You will have 30 MINUTES to
complete the speculative prompt on
the NJASK.
Speculative Writing - Narratives
The Main Ingredients
–CHARACTER
1.MAIN CHARACTER
2.PROTAGONIST (hero or the good
guy -- PRO!)
3.ANTAGONIST (the bad guy –
ANTI!)
4.SUPPORTING CHARACTERS
Speculative Writing - Narratives
The Main Ingredients
–POINT OF VIEW
1. The point of view is told by the
narrator of the story (YOU).
2. The narrator may be a FIRST-PERSON
character who tells the story from an
“insider” perspective.
3. Another choice is for the narrator to
tell the story from an outside
perspective called the THIRD-PERSON
point of view.
Speculative Writing - Narratives
The Main Ingredients
–SETTING
1.Time and place! It could include: weather
conditions, social conditions, historical
time period, and/or the mood you create.
2.Create a mental picture for the reader
using your five senses.
3.Make the setting come to LIFE using lots
of details and strong word choices!
Some
ideas for
setting!
Speculative Writing - Narratives
The Main Ingredients
–PLOT
1.The Story Steps: What happens first,
next, after that, then, and last. This is
known as the RISING and FALLING
ACTION of the story
2.Every story has a problem, situation, or
CONFLICT that is clearly introduced
early in the story (the opening).
3.The story builds towards (build-up)
solving the problem (climax).
4.At the end of the story, the problem is
resolved (resolution).
A STORY MOUNTAIN
Problem
Developed
Problem intro?
Speculative Writing - Narratives
The Main Ingredients
–ORGANIZATION
1. It is BEST to tell your story in the order or
sequence in which the events happen –
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
2. Try using some of these organizational
techniques in your narrative.
• Flashback
• Foreshadowing
• Time lapse
Speculative Writing - Narratives
The Main Ingredients
–THEME
1.The theme is the controlling idea or
central insight.
2.It is the author's underlying meaning
or main idea being conveyed.
3.The theme may be the author's
thoughts about a topic or view of
human nature.
4.What is the author’s message(s) in
the story?
Speculative Writing - Narratives
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?
 TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO GATHER YOUR
THOUGHTS.
 USE THE PROVIDED AREA IN THE NJASK
BOOKLET TO BRAINSTORM YOUR IDEAS.
 REMEMBER CHARACTERS, SETTING, PLOT
and THEME.
 CONSIDER YOUR ENDING FIRST. THIS
STRATEGY WILL GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO
WORK TOWARDS.
 INCLUDE A COUPLE OF LINES OF DIALOGUE!
 WRITE THREE to FIVE PARAGRAPHS.
Speculative Writing - Narratives
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?
• Be sure to INCLUDE:
Introduction -- The beginning of the story is
where the characters and the setting are
explained. Grab reader’s interest quickly. Draw
the reader in.
Rising Action – The events in the story become
complicated and the conflict in the story is
revealed.
Climactic Moment – The highest point of interest
and the turning point of the story are brought to
the forefront of the story. The reader wonders
what will happen next. Will the conflict be
resolved or not?
Speculative Writing - Narratives
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?
• Be sure to INCLUDE:
Falling Action – The events and complications
begin to resolve themselves. The reader knows
what has happened next and if the conflict was
resolved or not.
Denouement – The final outcome or untangling
of events in the story are revealed. Close with a
moral or lesson learned.
DO YOUR
BEST!
GOOD LUCK!
IMAGES FROM:
www.instantdisplay.co.uk
www.primaryresources.co.uk
http://www.tts-group.co.uk