An Arboretum PhotoJournal

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It's been a minute since I did a photo album here, especially for a field trip! But on Sunday we visited the Dawes Arboretum and spent the afternoon walking through some of the grounds, and I expect we'll be visiting there frequently since we have a family membership. You might wonder what there is to see at an arboretum (that's a botanical garden devoted especially to trees) in late February when there aren't leaves on the trees! There are signs of spring to see, and the reason we chose this particular day was so that we could go on the Maple Syrup Tour. You see, this is the time of year when the sap is running!

Most of the world's maple syrup is produced in Canada (about 70% of it!), and most of that comes from the province of Quebec. Vermont and New York are the top producers in the US, but several other northeastern states get in on the game as well. Ohio is one of them, but to be honest, there's not a whole lot produced here. The growing conditions for the particular type of maple tree are more suitable further north. No big surprise that the Sugar Maple is the most suitable for tapping, but other types such as Black and Red Maples can also be tapped. So can other trees, like birches!

The sap starts flowing in early spring, and the season lasts for about a month to six weeks. The conditions needed are nights that are below freezing temperature and days that get about ten degrees above freezing. Tap holes are put into the trees, with a spout and either a bucket or hoses to collect the sap. At this point the sap is mostly clear and watery. We were invited to taste the sap and it is very slightly sweet water, and I thought it tasted like some of the vitamin infused bottled waters you can buy. 

The collected sap is filtered and boiled down to make syrup and other products. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of syrup!

This cabin has been on the property for about a hundred years and has recently been the sugar shack, but recent windstorms blew a tree onto it, so it's currently closed to visitors.

The Maple Syrup Tour at Dawes is a very short guided walk, and once we had reached the sugar shack cabin (and had tasted the sap and some syrup), we could continue on our own. We decided to walk out to Dawes Lake at the southern end of the grounds, and to climb the observation tower beyond that. I didn't take a lot of photos, and can't identify all of the trees in my photos either. But as I said, we'll go back, so perhaps I can focus more on tree identification photos on another visit!

We didn't see many birds although the song sparrows were very vocal! This chubby robin didn't have much to say, but was good enough to hold still while I took a photo.

Looking down at all the stairs I just climbed . . .

. . . and taking a selfie to prove I was up there.

Can't make it out clearly, but the hedge spells out Dawes Arboretum.

Let me return to the maple trees again. I mentioned that it takes forty gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup. The average sap from one tree per season is between ten and twenty gallons. It seems like a lot of sap until you think about how much it must be boiled down before it's syrup. In addition, there's a relatively short season to collect the sap. A tree should be at least 10 inches in diameter before it's mature enough to be tapped, which means that it should be around 40 years old. Although the tap itself doesn't hurt the tree, it does leave a wound. If the same tree is tapped year after year, the new holes should be spaced to allow the tree to heal those wounds. 

God gave those trees the ability to grow over those wounds, and to produce enough sap to feed themselves and still allow humans to enjoy a plentiful harvest of maple sap! As long as we take good care of those trees, they can produce sap to share with us for many years.

It's a pretty good example of good stewardship. God gave mankind all the plants and trees as resources and food, and he also intended for mankind to tend the Garden of Eden and to be stewards of all of the earth's resources.

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

~Genesis 1:29~

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

~Genesis 2:15~

God instructed mankind to "rule over" or "have dominion over" all the birds and fish and animals too. Not to greedily use everything up or waste it, but to look after things wisely. I've heard it said that God blessed all the creation he made and instructed living things to multiply, then blessed humans and gave us the authority to make sure all the creatures receive the blessing and are following instructions. It's as if we are God's on-site managers. The Bible even uses the image of a gardener to show how God looks after his people, and how God wants us as his representatives to care for others and for the gifts he's given us. We tend the garden, we do the work of good stewards, and God make things grow.

So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God's service; you are God's field, God's building.

~I Corinthians 3:7-9~

Good stewardship is being careful to take care of God's stuff the way he wants us to. It's ALL his stuff! But isn't he generous to allow us to be blessed by all of his gifts to us?

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

~Luke 16:10~

If we show good stewardship with maple trees, we can enjoy maple syrup for years to come. When we show we can be trusted with simple responsibilities in God's kingdom, he will allow us to do great things in his kingdom, and what better blessing than to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

This post will be linked at Pictorial Tuesday, hosted by Peabea Scribbles.

Pictorial Tuesday

This post is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. Find all my posts for the 2023 challenge here: Write Something Somewhere

 Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to HS Coffee Break by email 

 ©2006-2023 HS Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/ 

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High School Writing Tip Sheets - Common Grammar and Punctuation Errors

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from HS Coffee Break helps fuel this blog. 

For the past few years I have been teaching high school writing in our homeschool tutorial co-op. Having seen several groups of students through the courses, I've noticed some issues and questions coming up regularly. I hope these Tip Sheets will be helpful to my students, their parents, and perhaps to other students and parent/teachers as well.

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I had always intended to write an article highlighting some of the most common grammar and punctuation errors that writers make, and somehow never got to it. Hopefully this post will cover those and provide a quick reference point. The English language has so many rules, and the rules have so many exceptions, that it can be hard to keep everything straight! And everyone makes mistakes! So don't be too hard on yourself if you have trouble remembering some of the rules, or if errors slip past you when you proofread. Learn the rules as best you can, and take particular note of the things you struggle with. (Probably the ones your teacher most often marks in your papers!)

Spelling and Homophones

Almost every computer program you might use for writing an essay or story will flag your spelling mistakes, usually with a squiggly red line underneath. So I'm not about to give you a spelling lesson here! I'll just remind you to watch for those squiggles when you proofread. What your program is unlikely to catch for you is a word spelled correctly but used incorrectly. Homophones (words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings) are the most common culprits. Here are some examples:

rain - rein - reign

then - than

wear - where - ware

meet - mete - meat

affect - effect

to - too - two

There are dozens more! Unfortunately, there's no quick trick to catch them in your writing, other than doing a bit of checking in a dictionary if you're not sure. If you have a parent, sibling, or friend that can do a final proofread for you, ask them to watch for these. Sometimes often-used phrases and idioms can fall prey (not pray!) to the "sounds like" error too. For example, some people would write (not right or rite!) "for all intensive purposes" but the correct phrase is "for all intents and purposes". 

Another homophone type error that I've seen a lot is writing "would of" or "could of". It's wrong. Most of us pronounce it that way, but those are the contractions for "would have" and "could have" and should be spelled with an apostrophe, like this: "would've" or "could've".  That transitions nicely to the next common problem I want to address . . . apostrophes.

Using Apostrophes Correctly

Apostrophes are used to take the place of missing letters in contractions, and are used along with the letter S to show possession. There are a couple of exceptions, but let me say it in the strongest possible terms: DO NOT USE AN APOSTROPHE S TO MAKE A PLURAL. Do not sign your Christmas card: "Love from the Smith's". Feel free to politely tell your mom about this rule if she's the one that sends those cards. Politely! 

Add the apostrophe S to talk about the house or the dog that belongs to the Smith family: the Smith's house and the Smith's dog. If the dog has a toy, it is the dog's toy. More than one toy? The dog's toys. If the possessive noun is a plural that ends in s, it is not necessary to add another s after the apostrophe, If there are several dogs that own those toys, they are the dogs' toys. 

Apostrophes take the place of missing letters in contractions. Some examples are:

cannot = can't

I will = I'll

did not = didn't

they are = they're

she is = she's

it is = it's (take note of this one!)

And many more. So when you are trying to decide if an apostrophe belongs in a word, ask yourself if it is a possessive, or if the apostrophe take the place of missing letters.

Pronouns

A pronoun is a stand-in for a noun. This is pretty basic. However, mistakes occur most commonly with possessive pronouns and with noun/pronoun agreement. 

Possessive pronouns, unlike possessive nouns, do NOT use an apostrophe:

mine/my/our/ours

your/yours

their/theirs

its

Notice the last one. The difference between "its" and "it's" trips up a lot of writers! In the contractions examples, I included "it's" which is a contraction of "it is". The apostrophe takes the place of the missing letters. If something belongs to it, there is no apostrophe, because "its" is a possessive pronoun. The same rule applies to the homophones "your" and "you're" The personal pronoun doesn't have an apostrophe, the contraction does. Finally, a simple rule to remember! 

Noun/pronoun agreement simply means that you use the correct pronoun to match its antecedent (the antecedent is the noun the pronoun refers to, and it should come before the pronoun). Plural nouns needs plural pronouns, singular nouns need single pronouns, male nouns need male pronouns, and female nouns need female pronouns. For objects and animals, use the pronoun "it" unless it's a pet that has a personal name.

people, girlfriends, insects, Max and Ruby (plural) = they/them/their/theirs

person, friend, puppy (singular) = he or she/him or her/his or hers/it/its

guy, boyfriend, George, Clifford the Big Red Dog (male) = he/him/his

woman, girlfriend, Maria, Princess the Cat (female) = she/her/hers

For informal writing, and in fiction, it's often okay to use plural pronouns like they/them/their for a single person, when the person's gender is unknown or irrelevant, or if it would be awkward to write neutrally. And after all, that's how we usually talk! So the following sentence would probably be fine in a story:

The detective had seen a shadowy figure step into the hallway, but now they were gone.

It's unknown whether the figure is a man or a woman and it might result in an awkward sentence to use a gender neutral singular pronoun. However, if the shadowy figure is clearly identified, then the matching pronoun should be used, like this:

The detective had seen Joe Boxer step into the hallway, but now he was gone.

And one more pronoun problem is using the personal pronouns "I" and "me" incorrectly. Most of the time, people get this wrong when there is another person involved. And most people can figure out the correct pronoun when they imagine the sentence without the added person. Here are a couple of examples:

Me and Bert went to Sesame Street.

Unless this is Cookie Monster speaking, this should be "Bert and I" because no one else would likely say "Me went to Sesame Street." 

Cookie Monster shared the cookies with Bert and I.

Surely "I" is more proper? Many people think so, but in this case "me" is correct because you wouldn't say the cookies were shared "with I". At least I hope you wouldn't, because it's incorrect.

It's less common, but sometimes writers misuse he/him and she/her the same way. It all comes down to whether the pronoun is the subject or the object, and that's an entire grammar lesson on its own!

Punctuation Problems! 

There are entire textbooks dedicated to correct punctuation and grammar and I can't summarize it all here, especially since this article is already quite long! Punctuation matters, just like spelling and correct capitalization matters. Sloppy, incorrect, or missing punctuation can change the meaning of your words and sentences, and make your essay or story very difficult to understand.

You're never "keeping it real" with your lack of punctuation and proofreading, you're keeping it unintelligible. ~Austin Kleon

Commas and quotation marks cause a lot of confusion for students! 

The correct use of quotation marks in dialogue is covered in my article: High School Writing Tip Sheets - Writing Dialogue. If you need to quote sources in non-fiction writing, you can find out how to do that in my article: High School Writing Tip Sheets - Citing Sources.

So let's briefly discuss commas. Many writers think the rule is that you put a comma wherever you would pause when speaking. This mistaken idea probably comes from the advice to pause briefly wherever there's a comma if you're reading aloud. In any case, it's much too simplistic a rule and just doesn't work. Where do you need a comma? Broadly speaking, use a comma to set apart an exclamation or term of address from the rest of sentence; to set apart words in a list; and to separate clauses in a complex sentence. That's a very simplistic list and there are rules (and exceptions, of course!) for each, but this is just a brief lesson, so here we go.

I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again. ~Oscar Wilde

An exclamation like "okay" or "well" at the beginning of a sentence should have a comma. Or an exclamation point. If you've watched Interjections from Grammar Rock, you'll know this one. Here's a couple of incorrectly punctuated sentences, followed by the correct versions:

"Hey tell your friend to watch where he's going."

"Well no I didn't notice that."

Corrected:

"Hey, tell your friend to watch where he's going."

"Well, no, I didn't notice that."

If a character is speaking to someone and uses their name or something other term that takes the place of a name, that is a term of address and should be set apart with a comma.

"Billy go get the car."

"You finished your homework right Billy?"

Corrected:

"Billy, go get the car."

"You finished your homework, right, Billy?"

Commas should separate the items in a list. This is what the Oxford comma debate is about. Personally, I'm Pro-Oxford comma, but many style guides do not require it any more. Find out what your teacher, professor, or governing style guide prefers. In any case, you're unlikely to ever be considered wrong to include the Oxford comma, but you could be considered wrong if you omit it. I'll let the memes make my point on this one!

To be clear, the original was photoshopped
to remove the commas that were there,
but it's an example of why the Oxford comma is important!

This one is just funny! Grammar nerd humor.

Hardest to explain is how to use commas to set apart clauses in a sentence. Again, very broadly, a dependent clause (one that is not a complete sentence on its own) is usually set apart from the rest of the sentence with a comma. You'll see lots of examples of that use in this article. The other side of this coin is writers using commas to join independent clauses together. We call it a comma splice, and it's just a run-on sentence, but with commas. It's not okay. 

And a final word about sentence fragments. In most non-fiction writing, you should always use complete sentences. In creative non-fiction (descriptive essays or memoir essays, for example) and fiction writing, sentence fragments can be just fine. 

Whew! That was long! I will refer you to one more previous article, and that is High School Writing Tip Sheets - Proofreading Properly. Your first drafts of writing can be very rough. It's as you refine your work and edit it for clarity that you can also watch for any errors like these and correct them. Check out the proofreading tips for ideas on how to maximize your chances of finding all the mistakes before submitting your paper for a grade!

Did that answer your grammar and punctuation questions? What other questions about high school writing do you have? Leave a comment and let me know! 

This post is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. Find all my posts for the 2023 challenge here: Write Something Somewhere

 Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to HS Coffee Break by email 

 ©2006-2023 HS Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

The Great Backyard Bird Count - Can You Name Each Tiny Bird?

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from HS Coffee Break helps fuel this blog. 

This weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count. If I was at my previous home, I'm quite sure I'd be eagerly participating, keeping track of the birds that visit the feeders. Here it's not quite as easy, because I'd probably have to go to a park or other space where I could actually see and hear the birds.

How to Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count

Merlin Bird ID is a free app that makes it much easier to identify the birds you see and hear.

Check out the Audubon Guide to North American Birds. There's also a free Audubon Bird Guide App.

Birds are so interesting - all the colors and varieties and different songs. Even learning how to tell one species of sparrow or finch from another can be a challenge, because the differences in their markings or songs can be tiny. In North America alone there are over 2000 species of birds, and at least 40 different species of sparrows! Take a look at this article, Learn How to ID These 5 Confusing Streaked Sparrows, to get an idea of the subtle differences between sparrows and then imagine trying to identify which sparrow is at a feeder from several yards away!

Yet Jesus says that not one sparrow can fall without God the Father knowing about it. Since the Bible tells us that God calls the stars by name, He probably calls each bird by name too, don't you think?

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

~Matthew 10:29-31~

See the rest of  this post, which is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge, at A Fresh Cup of Coffee.  Find all my posts for the 2023 challenge here: Write Something Somewhere

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 ©2006-2023 HS Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

A Groundhog Day Look at Light and Shadow

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Homeschool Coffee Break helps fuel this blog. 

Happy Groundhog Day! 

I don't think most people go around wishing each other a Happy Groundhog Day, and I've never seen a greeting card for this day. It's not a statutory holiday or a religious day, and other than checking whether Punxsutawney Phil (or your local rodent celebrity) is predicting an early or late spring, there's nothing special to do to celebrate. Right? Where did this strange little tradition of Groundhog Day come from anyway?

Although Groundhog Day has been shown on calendars for as far back as I can remember, and has been a part of folklore for centuries, it's probably fair to say general recognition of the date increased greatly thanks to the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray. The movie drew attention to Gobbler's Knob, Pennsylvania, and the Groundhog Day ceremony there, but that wasn't an invention of the filmmakers. Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney is a real place, and Punxsutawney Phil has been the weather forecaster there since 1887. That's when a local newspaper gave the nickname Punxsutawney Groundhog Club to a group who had made a tradition of hunting groundhogs on February 2nd each year. February 2nd is Candlemas (more about that in a moment), and the tradition of watching for groundhogs or other hibernating animals on this date goes back centuries in Europe. Germans who came to American in the 1800s brought this tradition with them, and since groundhogs were common, that's the animal that earned the distinction.

Did you miss Punxsutawney Phil's prediction this morning? You can see it here: GoErie - Groundhog Day 2023

What's special about February 2nd?

The beginning of February is about the halfway mark between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. In an agrarian culture, it's really helpful to know when to expect the weather to warm up enough to start planting, and having enough sunlight to clearly see a shadow is a reminder of brighter and warmer days to come. But a clear and cloudless sky during winter usually means it's cold because the clouds aren't insulating and holding the warmth near the earth. Thus the weather superstition. Some ancient cultures had a mid-season celebration around the beginning of February, and this was a time to start planting crops.

But why February 2nd, in particular? It is forty days after the date for Christmas, when Christians recognize the birth of Christ. According to the Mosaic Law, a woman was to offer a purification sacrifice forty days after giving birth, and the Gospel of Luke records that Mary and Joseph obeyed this law and brought the baby Jesus to the temple to be dedicated to the Lord. So February 2nd became recognized as the Feast of the Presentation. As Europe was becoming Christianized, it was a handy thing when pre-Christian religious festivals or cultural traditions (such as looking for animals coming out of hibernation as an indicator of the weather) could be replaced or marked by a Christian festival, and that's exactly what happened in this case. The Feast of the Presentation, or Candlemas, as it became known, was also the day to check whether the hedgehogs or badgers were coming out of their winter dens.

What is Candlemas?

The Feast of the Presentation is the feast day marking Mary's ritual purification and the dedication of Jesus at the temple. You can read about in the Bible, in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2. The feast day was recognized as far back as the fourth century. The name Candlemas (Candle Mass) came later on, from the ceremony of blessing the candles on this day. The candles to be used in the church were blessed, and the people were invited to bring their own candles to be blessed for use in prayer at home. A candlelight procession is part of this celebration.

In many Catholic and Christian communities today, Candlemas represents a day of "purification, renewal, and hope." And all those candles are a fitting reminder that Jesus is the light of the world and God's light given to all nations.

"For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelations to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel." ~Luke 2:30-32 

Moreover, it is a much-needed reminder during the remaining dark, long days of winter that, no matter how grave things may be, "the light sines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5).  ~Carolyn Pirtle¹

We celebrate Christmas and Christ's coming with so much joy and lots of candles and twinkling lights, but a bit over a month later, when all those decorations have been put away and it's still cold winter, it's probably a good time to be reminded of the light!

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." ~John 8:12

Candlemas Traditions

I found that one country, Liechtenstein, recognizes Candlemas as a national holiday! Traditionally, all the candles in the house should be lit, and, by the way, the nativity scenes from Christmas shouldn't be put away until Candlemas.

In Germany, where the Groundhog Day association originated, Candlemas was also associated with payment deadlines, the end of the "servant's year", and the beginning of the "farmer's year". 

In France and Belgium, it may be called "Le Chandeleur" and it's traditional to eat crepes. Apparently this goes back to an early pope that ordered pancakes be distributed to pilgrims, and the shape and color are supposed to remind people of the sun. 

(Now, if it were up to me, I'd have pancakes for dinner. But I didn't think my husband would be excited about that, so instead we will try this recipe for Savory Crepes tonight.) 

In Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries, it's celebrated as Candelaria. One custom is that the person who found the bean inside the Kings Cake on Epiphany is supposed to bring food to the feast on Candelaria. The family meal features tamales, so often the person who found the bean is responsible to make the tamales. 

Did you check your local groundhog forecast today? Whether we see signs of spring or a longer winter today, take heart in the knowledge that Jesus is still the Light of the World, and that to be in HIS shadow is to be kept safe.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

~Psalm 91:1~

This post will be linked at Encouraging Hearts and Home.

Sources for this article include: www.OfficeHolidays.com, History.com, McGrath Blog, GrowChristians.org

¹ Pirtle, Carolyn. "What is Candlemas and how to observe it"; McGrath Institute for Church Life. University of Notre Dame. Jan. 30, 2019

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 ©2006-2023 Homeschool Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

High School Writing Tip Sheets - Conflict and Tension in Fiction

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from HS Coffee Break helps fuel this blog. 

For the past few years I have been teaching high school writing in our homeschool tutorial co-op. Having seen several groups of students through the courses, I've noticed some issues and questions coming up regularly. I hope these Tip Sheets will be helpful to my students, their parents, and perhaps to other students and parent/teachers as well.

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This week's tips are regarding conflict in fiction writing. Every story needs at least one character, and it needs at least one conflict. If there's no conflict, there's no story, it's just a character sketch or a descriptive essay.

In order to have a story, there must be conflict. That sounds harsh, but conflict doesn't have to be an armed rebellion, gang warfare, or even a prolonged screaming match. Conflict simply means your character is facing some kind of difficulty or opposition on his way to reaching his goals. 

Storytelling is an act of cruelty. We are cruel to our characters because to be kind is to invite boredom. ~Chuck Wendig

The conflict serves a couple of purposes in the story. It highlights the good qualities in the lead character, and offers the character a chance to learn or grow. Seeing the obstacles the lead faces can make readers even more empathetic towards him or her. Those roadblocks that temporarily thwart the character also offer an opportunity for the character to reevaluate the goals. And of course, the conflict creates tension and suspense and moves the story along.

Conflicts can arise in several different ways. Obviously the lead may struggle with another character (an antagonist), but he may also come up against society or a culture, against nature, against technology, or against God or some type of higher power. In some stories, the major conflict is an internal one - the lead struggles within himself. And no matter what the conflict is, most characters experience some kind of internal struggle along the way as they make decisions or respond. The conflict should have an effect on the character or the reader may feel that the conflict isn't important.

Meaningful stories have lots and lots of conflict. If we avoid conflict, our stories won't be meaningful. ~Donald Miller

You can't tell a good story without conflict - the story can't be beautiful or meaningful. We're taught to run from conflict, and it's robbing us of some really good stories. ~Donald Miller

As you write, decide who your character is, what he wants, what he fears, and who he wants to be. And then design a conflict perfect for that character. Fear is a powerful motivator, and using something the character fears is a great way to introduce conflict and build tension. Other often-used ways to get the conflict going in the story include putting the character somewhere they don't want to be; bring a new character to town or send your lead out of town; or disrupt a routine. Anything that puts the lead off balance or in some kind of danger.

The conflict should arise early enough in the story that the reader will want to know the answer to the Major Dramatic Question. That's the question that the plot to the story is built around. It's the question that must be answered by the end of the story. Will Westley and Buttercup find true love? Will Dorothy get back to Kansas? Will John McClane save the hostages?

Storytelling explores the problem with people. Stories without conflict are bad stories that no one repeats. Conflict describes the reality of human life and interaction with others. The resolution of the conflict in which everyone lives happily ever after reflects the human yearning for hope. ~Harry Lee Poe

Tension builds in the story when the reader sees a sense of urgency or intensity. It's related to the conflict and can be low-key like in a sweet coming-of-age story or heart-pounding like in an action adventure story. Tension builds when there's a risk to the lead character, or a risk if he fails. So the risk to the hero in a spy thriller might be obvious, but there's also a risk in that coming-of-age story even though the action may be minimal. Perhaps it's a risk that the best friend will not forgive the mistake made by the lead and their relationship will never be the same. Tension also builds when there's a time limit of some kind, or there's jeopardy. Jeopardy is when the reader or audience sees or sense the danger to the lead even though the lead does not.

If you are working on writing a short story or a scene, make sure you have some conflict to drive the story. Decide what your story's Major Dramatic Question is, what your character wants and what he fears, and then throw suitable obstacles in the way.

Good stories are driven by conflict, tension, and high stakes. ~William Landay

Stories are based in conflict, and when the conflict is resolved the story ends. That's because for the most part happiness is amorphous, wordless, and largely uninteresting. ~Ann Patchett

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For more about creating characters in fiction, see: High School Writing Tip Sheets - Creating Characters in Fiction.

Some of this article is based on information in the wonderful textbook Writing Fiction [In High School] from Writing with Sharon Watson. This textbook is the one I've taught from in the co-op for several years, and I highly recommend it.

Read our full review at Writing Fiction - Bringing Stories to Life (A Homeschool Coffee Break Review)

A previous version of this article was published on Homeschool Coffee Break in January 2022.

Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to HS Coffee Break by email 

 ©2006-2023 HS Coffee Break. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://kympossibleblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.