Begin the Why Section with a new paragraph. Then repeat the What/Why Statement. For example:
I had a problem with a tiny man of mirrors I found in a treasure chest I dug up, because he reflected people’s souls.
Add the sentence to your What/Why chart. It should now look like this:
WHAT STATEMENT
WHY STATEMENT
LH
VP
RH
because
Y
Main Character
Verb Phrase
a troublemaker
because
problem troublemaker caused
I
had a problem with
with a tiny man of mirrors I found in a buried treasure chest
because
he reflected people's souls.
Task 6.10.1 – Class
Make a grocery list of the actions that will occur when you deal with the problem the troublemaker caused.
Next, include the following in the grocery list. For a greater explanation, see Lesson 2.5.
Place
Have the why take place somewhere else – not where you met the troublemaker. For example, if you met the troublemaker downtown, then maybe have the Why Section take place at your house.
Time
Have the why take place in a short time.
People and Places
Have no more than four characters in your story, including you and the troublemaker, and keep the location limited to a very limited place.
An Example
For example, maybe the tiny man of mirrors followed you home. You hid him in a box under your bed, but then you went into your sister’s party that night. Some of her teenage friends made fun of you, so to show them up you brought out the tiny man. At first they were amazed. But then people looked closer at him and became afraid.
One girl broke down crying because she had been promised a boy she would go to the prom with him – and he wasn’t her boyfriend. A boy admitted he had stolen money from his employer. Another boy admitted he had lied to his mother, who was in the hospital at the time.
People realize the man of mirrors reflects the way we look on the inside, not just the outside.
The person jotting notes might have written this:
Box under the bed Party – tease you Girl and prom date Boy and money stolen Boy and lie to mother Reflects inside, not just outside
Task 6.10.2 – Small Group or Class
Now add sensory details, dialog, and named things to the actions. See Lesson 2.5 for further information.
