POP QUIZ WEEK 4

Alright, are you ready to show off all that you have learned in our FINAL Pop Quiz? We know you’re all going to nail it and will surely show off your plotting prowess! Take this quiz to see what you learned during week three of Kidlit Summer School.

On Monday, Megan Miranda taught us to thrill our readers by…

1. Asking ourselves “What’s the worst that can happen?”
2. Adding even more tension.
3. Finding moments to surprise.
4. All of the above.

On Tuesday, Lori Degman asked questions regarding plot in rhyming stories…

1. Does the story have a strong beginning that introduces the setting, characters or problem in a way that makes the reader want to keep reading?
2. Does every line add to the story and move it forward?  
3. Does the pacing (the length and rhythm of each line) match the mood of the story?
4. All of the above.

On Wednesday, Julie Sternberg suggested using conversation-based techniques such as:

1. Eavesdrop on your main character as (s)he tells his/her best friend what’s happened.
2. Brainstorm your plot ideas with your writer friends, and keep brainstorming as you continue to write.
3. Whenever a particular moment, or the plot as a whole, isn’t working, open a new document and have a conversation with yourself about why that might be.
4. All of the above.

On Thursday, Christine Fletcher gave us tips for writing effective conflict

1. Bring your protagonist face-to-face with the need to grow and change.
2. Conflict has to directly impact the protagonist’s goals, fears, and/or flaws.
3. The reader needs to know why the conflict and its outcome matter so much to the protagonist—because then, and only then, will the reader care too.
4. All of the above.

On Friday, John Cusick showed us how to escape the murky middle of our stories by…

1. Dropping your hero and a few pals into a new setting.
2. Exploring what your characters are doing a week, a month, or a year from now.
3. Writing a scene in which all of your characters attend the same party.
4. All of the above.

On Saturday, Joyce Wan helped us learn to twist our endings through…

1. An ending that echoes something that happened in the beginning of the story
2. Role reversal in which a character is revealed to be someone else in the end.
3. Challenging the perception of the reader.
4. All of the above

How did you do? A++ right? 6 out of 6? If you’re not sure or think you missed something, that’s easy, simply go back and check out the posts from Week Four. This is an open blog test. You don’t even have to turn it in. Grade yourself and then pat yourself on the back!