Fiction Writing Prompt for Middle School

A Creative Writing Tool - How People Move When They Talk

Sep 17, 2009

Writing good fiction is in the details. When writing a story or novella, remember to add visual clues to make characters and their actions come alive to the reader.

Utilizing literary tools is vital to writers. Teaching middle school students to use these devices in their writing will make a huge difference in the end product. This writing prompt shines a spotlight on how people move their bodies when they talk. This will make the writing more interesting to read.

Often when a class begins to study fiction writing, there will be some students who refuse to follow directions, in a hurry to get their ideas written down. Here's how to direct middle school writers toward good fiction writing with a visual approach.

Creative Writing Tools

Explain to the students that each "tool" that is added to their "tool belt" of writing skills will increase the power and depth of their writing whether it is a short story, essay or poem. Have them compare and contrast the two writing samples below. The difference between a good piece of fiction and a bad one will become evident to the students quite easily with this prompt.

Writing Fiction Without Body Language

Jeremy was getting mad. His voice rose as he shouted, "I get the next turn, give me the controller!"

"You did not. I was there and you didn't say a thing about playing Nintendo today. I got the controller and I'm gonna keep it."

Writing Fiction With Body Language

Jeremy was getting mad. His voice rose and he waved his hands in the air as he shouted, "I get the next turn, give me the controller!"

Travis said, as he looked Jeremy straight in his eyes, "I get it! I asked Mom for it yesterday."

"You did not. I was there and you didn't say a thing about playing Nintendo today." Jeremy now pointed his finger at Travis' chest and said, "I got the controller and I'm gonna keep it." He picked it up and put it squarely in his hands and lap.

Travis reached for the controller, trying to grab it out of Jeremy's hands saying, "Give it to me."

The students should now see how important it can be to let the reader see characters move. It's easier to grasp what's going on when the bodies move in conjunction with the voices.

Creative Writing Assignment

Now that the students understand this writer's tool, assign the following homework:

Observe conversations between family members or neighbors. This can be a mini-story or simply two paragraphs of conversation using body movements to clearly paint the picture of the conversation.

Good literary tools should be collected and used with care and creativity. For more ideas on writing prompts and creative writing tools, you may enjoy the following articles:

The copyright of the article Fiction Writing Prompt for Middle School in Homeschooling is owned by Vicki F. Chavis. Permission to republish Fiction Writing Prompt for Middle School in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.