Storytelling

Illustration from Duck and Fish by collage artist Megan Coyle
Megan Coyle. Illustration from Duck & Fish.

How can you write a story? There are a few building blocks that are used for all stories – setting, characters, and plot. Keep these building blocks in mind when writing your own story.

A setting is where a story takes place. In Duck & Fish there are two settings, the ocean and sky. These settings are also habitats. A habitat is the environment that an animal lives in.

The ocean is Fish’s habitat. Since Duck lives on land, the sky is only part of Duck’s habitat. What other habitats are there? Click here to read examples of habitats. Where would you like to live?

Characters are the people or animals in a story. The characters in Megan Coyle’s story are Duck and Fish.

Settings can tell you more about a character. What would you know about Fish if he lived in a fish bowl , creek , or swimming pool ? What would you know about Duck if he lived in a house , the zoo , or a cage ? In Duck & Fish, Fish lives in the ocean and Duck lives on land and in the sky, so we know that both animals are wild animals.

A plot is the series of events that make up a story. For example, the plot of Duck & Fish is:

  • Duck meets Fish.
  • Duck and Fish tell each other about their home.
  • They go their separate ways.
  • Duck wakes up the next morning and tries to swim underwater in the ocean. He discovers he can swim underwater.
  • Duck has an adventure in the ocean.
  • Fish wakes up the next morning and tries to fly in the sky. He finds that he can fly.
  • Fish has an adventure in the sky.
  • The next day, Duck and Fish meet again. They talk about how much they enjoy their own home.

Remember that actions or events are very important in storytelling. Action makes stories exciting.

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