Author’s Note

Author’s Note Title: What is the title of your story?: The title that I will use for my short story will be: Before/After. Why did you choose this title?: I decided to use this title because I feel like this title is a good representation of what my main character overcomes. Before/After sounds sort of like a transformation and in my story my character transforms and changes over time as the character experiences hardships. Plot: Briefly explain the plot of your story: A 11-year-old named David is dealing with a childhood bully who goes by the name of Thunder. David is facing threats that continuously force him to change his personality to an extent. David has one friend in particular that he is always comfortable sharing personal thoughts with, and his name is John. David’s 6th grade teacher is Mrs. Lewis. A very caring and lovable lady. During David’s 6th grade year he also joins the school basketball team. Coach Prescott (basketball coach) loves David’s passion for the game. John (his best friend) unlike David is not afraid of Thunder and his gang. John believes it is somewhat his mission to put an end to all this non-sense. However, if there is one thing that makes David feel wanted and loved it would be playing basketball. Whether it’s just shooting hoops alone, or playing with friends and family David has always resorted to basketball when he is contemplating with something negative. David is fed up with they way he is treated and decides to confront the bully in the most dramatic way possible with the help of his friend John. Why did you decide to organize your plot in this way? I decided to organize my plot this way because I realized that a story would not be a story if it did not have conflict or theme. Another reason why I organized it this way would be that I knew that people can relate to overcoming something to reach success. Which meant that people would be interested in my story. Also a side note, my story will be written in 3 rd person. Theme: What is the theme of your story? The theme for my story would be that in order to reach success and be the person you desire to be; you will have to overcome the obstacles that life may throw at you. How does your story show this theme? My story shows this theme because the main character David will have to face and confront his childhood bully, Thunder. In this case the obstacle would be Thunder. David has never had the guts to do such a thing. David will have a hard time doing so, but in order to reach the destine path to success he must find a way to overcome the bully’s threats and actions. Developed Characters: Who are your characters?: The characters in my story are David, David’s Mother John, Mrs. Lewis, Coach Prescott, and Thunder How did you develop them? Explain using STEAL: Speech: David, the main character is smart and talks sophisticatedly with a bit humor occasionally. David has a hard time expressing his feelings to people besides John and his mother. Thoughts: David’s thoughts display the struggles and problems he is contemplating with daily. Effect on Others: David’s friendliness allows people like John and Mrs. Lewis to develop personal relationships. While David’s shy and reserved attitude, give the opportunity to people like Thunder to bully and mess around with him. David mentally and physically strong attitude impresses Coach Prescott. Actions: David’s does not react or confront the bully, when he threatens him with words or actions. He is very timid and shy when he is around his Crush; Alex. David has no problems expressing his feelings with John or his mother. Looks: David is a kid who is tall but underweight. David is decent looking but it is his personality that allow people like Thunder to take advantage of him. Conflict: What conflict occurs in your story?: The main conflict that occurs in my story would be a Person vs. Person conflict. The conflict that occurs in my story happens between David and Thunder. David is being bullied by Thunder, and David must find a way to escape this mess and misery. Why did you choose this conflict? I decided to use this conflict, because I feel like my audience (teenagers and adults) can somewhat relate to (indirectly or directly) what David is contemplating with. Which is the problem that is known as bullying. Narrative Voice: What point of view did you use? Why? The point of view that I will use will be third person. I decided to use this point of view because I thought it would be easier for the audience to make connections and inferences. Is your narrator omniscient or limited? Why? My narrator is going to be limited because he does not know the feelings/thoughts of all the character. My narrator will be omniscient regarding the thoughts and feelings of David. Is your narrator objective? Why or Why not? I would say that my narrator is objective because I am just stating what happens in the story rather than stating things that can be inferred from the story’s action and dialogue. Is your narrator reliable? Why or why not? I would say that my narrator is reliable because I am describing the scenario pretty accurately. Symbol: What symbol did you use in your story? The symbol that is used in my story would be the basketball. What does your symbol represent? The basketball in my story represents peace and the importance to focus on the positive things that life presents us with. Why did you choose this symbol? The reasoning behind the symbol is pretty simple. I chose this symbol because when people are going through rough times they want to bring some positivity into there life whilst getting rid of the negative aspects, and I believe that in this story the basketball will represent that statement.