Read over your finished writing product and think about these questions. Write your reflections in your journal.
How does your finished narrative compare to your story map? What changed as you moved through the writing process? How did those changes improve or refine your writing?
How can thinking of just the right word help you get your point across as a writer? Include an example from your narrative. How can your choice of words help your reader?
How does your finished story compare to the kinds of stories you like to read? What qualities matter to you in a story—humor, strong characters, unusual settings? What do you learn from reading stories that helps you to write better stories yourself?
Upon reflecting on my finished writing product, I can see that my narrative closely follows the story map I outlined at the beginning. However, as I moved through the writing process, some details changed and evolved. For example, I originally planned for the main character to visit a park, but as I was writing, I decided to change it to a beach to add more sensory details and create a more vivid scene. This change ultimately improved my writing by adding more depth and realism to the setting.
Thinking of just the right word can greatly impact the effectiveness of a writer's message. In my narrative, I struggled to find the perfect word to describe the main character's emotions as they watched the sunset. After some deliberation, I chose the word "bittersweet," which perfectly captured the conflicting feelings of happiness and sadness the character was experiencing. This choice of words helped convey a deeper emotional resonance to the reader and added complexity to the character's internal struggle.
In comparing my finished story to the stories I enjoy reading, I can see that it possesses some qualities that I personally value in a narrative. I appreciate strong characters with depth and complexity, as well as a compelling setting that adds richness to the story. I also enjoy elements of humor and emotional depth in a story, which I tried to incorporate into my own writing. Reading stories that I enjoy helps me to understand storytelling techniques, character development, and pacing that I can apply to my own writing. By studying the craft of other writers, I continue to learn and grow as a storyteller myself.
putt it like a 7 grader wrote it
My finished writing is pretty close to the story map I made. But while I was writing, I changed some stuff. Like, I was gonna have the main character go to a park, but then I thought a beach would be cooler. It made the story more colorful and real.
Picking the right word is super important for getting your point across as a writer. In my story, I couldn't figure out how to describe how the main character felt watching the sunset. But then I came up with "bittersweet," which showed the mix of happy and sad feelings perfectly. It made the character's emotions way stronger and made the story more powerful.
My story is kinda like the ones I like to read. I like when the characters are interesting and the setting is cool. I also like stories with humor and deep feelings, so I tried to add that to my writing too. Reading stories I like helps me pick up on how to build characters, create a good setting, and keep the story exciting. Learning from other writers is making me a better storyteller too.