Writing: Voice
Paper Doll Character
to 'Picture' Writing Style
Today's Snack:
Tear the paper off a fruit popsicle, and drink ice water from a paper cup.
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Supplies:
Scratch paper and No.
2 pencil
Drawing paper and thin
black marker, colored pencils, markers, etc.
Scissors
Lined writing paper
To help you become more aware of "voice" in your
communication style, let's create a character. It can be a person, an object, a
"thing" - let your imagination go wild and invent a character with a "voice"
that has never before been heard!
Then
you can "play" with that character's "voice" - sort of like creating a doll or
action figure just to help you improve your writing.
Here's
what to do:
1. Define what the character is like with a list on
scratch paper;
2. On nice drawing paper, draw and color a picture of
the character;
3. Cut out the character into a paper doll or action
figure;
4. Make up a story and "act it out" with your character
5. Write the story in that character's own unique
"voice."
First,
on scratch paper, list things about your character to help you define him, her
or it.
List
Facts:
name, age, appearance, diet, likes, dislikes,
where from, job or activities,
clothing or gear, home or family life
List
Traits:
serious or humorous?
calm or nervous? nice or mean?
smooth or clumsy?
List
Style:
what this character's "voice" would be like
words that this character might use
simple or complex sentences?
small or big words?
slang? special vocabulary? dialogue?
Now draw a big picture of your character, color it in, and cut it out.
Next, and this step might be the most fun if you had at least one other
student doing this with you, play-act a story with your character.
Practice how your character would speak, and what tone, mood and style
the character would use if he or she wrote a story.
Last, but not least, write a story in your character's "voice."
Now look what you created out of nothing! A whole, new, remarkable,
entertaining, loveable character out of your imagination, some scratch paper,
and a picture.
Do the same thing every time you
write, and you'll be the "picture" of writing success!
