The Teachers' Animation Toolkit

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The Teachers’ Animation Toolkit
WORKSHEET: STORY WRITING
Teachers’ note:
This is a simple and effective exercise to demonstrate how easy it is 
to construct a short story with a classic narrative structure.
Give each student pen and paper.
Ask them to write down the name of a character. Ask:
Who is this character?
Is s/he human, animal, alien, imaginary or a sentient object?
Now think of a friend or enemy for this character. Again, what 
kind of life form is it?
Think of a place where these two characters meet. It could 
be somewhere domestic and mundane, or exotic and 
imaginary. The choice is yours.
Now, think of a problem, confl ict or challenge that the two 
face together.
Finally, describe how they overcome or resolve it.
At this stage the students should have a set of headings written 
down. Now invite them to fl esh out their headings into one-page 
stories. They might consider which character is the hero and which 
the villain. What will we learn about each character through their 
actions? What happens as the two characters sort out the problem 
facing them? Characters express emotions through actions and 
words. The more they 
do
rather than 
say
the better.
The fi nished stories should include a beginning (which sets the 
stage, establishes the key characters and confl ict). They should 
have a middle (in which the confl ict or problem builds to a climax) 
and an ending (when the problem is resolved).
2.4 STORYTELLING

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Cineliteracy
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Many stories often have a black moment. This usually coincides with 
the climax, when almost everything seems lost and the hero seems 
to be doomed to failure.
Ask the students to read out their fi nished stories. Analyse the 
results and discuss if and how they conform to the classical 
storytelling form.
A good story should:
have a clearly defi ned, single theme
contain a well-developed plot
have style: vivid word pictures, pleasing sounds and rhythm
be driven by strong characters which come alive to the 
reader
have dramatic appeal
be appropriate to, and interest its intended audience
This is an excellent exercise for generating a script for a short 
animation. It works for any length of story, even a 60-word one 
suitable for a 20-second animation. If students are working in small 
teams, it can be a good idea to ask all the members of the team to 
write their own story, then build a hybrid version, incorporating the 
best ideas and characters.