My Example:
Thing: A Fictional Story: Young adult mystery novel (Narrative Writing)
Audience: Young adults
Writer: Me
Purpose: to entertain a reading audience
Context: I am writing the beginning to a fictional story for
my English classes using the notes I have from my brainstorm story activity.
My Story Example:
Billowy brown clouds hung low on the horizon rolling in the distance across the vast fields of wheat and soy. The only alteration on the straight line of the horizon, a grain elevator, jutting straight up over the dilapidated buildings crumbling from neglect, from time, from the ceaseless wind. Slav and Johannes, the unlikely pair, checked their map again for the fifth time."This has to be Lost Springs. I mean, seriously, the town even looks lost." Slav crumpled the paper and turned back to face the dusty glass of the car window.
Johannes countered in his usual silent stare out the windshield; hands perfectly gripped at ten and two. Lost Springs was definitely 20 miles to the west; this was it. This had to be Tampa.
"You cannot seriously believe we are going to find the owner of this phone here. I mean, Jesus Christ, Johannes, it doesn't even look like anyone lives here." slamming his fist on the dash board, Slav had reached his peak of patience.
Silence, awkward silence, breathing, tension, Johannes sighed heavily and rubbed his temples in circles hoping for a sudden moment of realization. Just then, a crack of thunder broke the heavy, humid silence and heat lightening spread across the sky creating shadows along the dusty road.
"What is it you would have us do next then, Slav? What is your brilliant idea, your ingenious solution?" even Johannes had his limits.
"Okay, let's say you're right; there is someone in this empty town. How do you think we are going to find one person here in all these empty buildings; in these broken spaces. What's your brilliant plan?" only slightly condescending in his tone, Slav......
Description of Choices:
Because I selected to write a mystery novel, I wanted to set a
mood of tension. So, I started with an ominous and isolated setting to create a
creepy, eerie mood. I picked adjectives that described an isolated, deserted,
abandoned place. Next, I needed to introduce tension and suspense in order to
engage my audience and to drive the story forward. I used an unresolved issue
that creates a conflict between two characters for two reasons. One, because I
think young adults can relate to relationship centered conflict and two the
unresolved conflict is in line with the purpose of a mystery text.
