HISTORICAL FICTION FROM ARTIFACT

                                                © Pegi Deitz Shea

While doing “country profiles” in social studies, you come across artifacts of a culture: Ukrainian painted eggs, Guatemalan trouble dolls, engraved Chinese chopsticks, etc. Using artifacts to generate stories can help you get students’  “hands-on” a culture. This workshop I’ve been using for years for multicultural fiction writing can also be used for historical fiction writing. The artifacts (bought at Sturbridge) come from the American Revolutionary era, but you can pick any era and its artifacts. Depending on the number of artifacts available, students can write their own stories, or help write a group story. As always, model each step first for students, with an artifact in your hands. Feel free to use whatever writing process model you’re comfortable and successful with.

1. Organize groups, spreading capabilities. Designate a “scribe” for each group (usually someone whose penmanship is legible and listening capacity is reliable).

1. Display and briefly explain each artifact’s use. Allow groups or individual to choose an artifact.

3.    Groups brainstorm and record ideas about the artifact’s appearance, use or meaning. Encourage students to apply all their senses to “know” the artifact, and write down their descriptions, impressions, adjectives, etc. of the artifact.

1. Now, students think of a child character from the era who might use this artifact. Have them describe this character on scrap paper.

1. Have students describe setting using facts they have studied about the Revolution—battlefield? Colonial kitchen? Ship? Village green?

1. Students think of a problem this character might face with this artifact. (Loss or breakage of artifact, creation of artifact, inability to use artifact properly.) This conflict begins the story. Then have them think of how this problem could be solved by the character. This is the ending of the story.

1. Now they must plot the middle of the story--how the character gets from problem to solution.  Are there other characters who help or hinder? Use the “Rule of 3” and build 3 scenes with dialogue & action in 3 different mini-settings. Are there tools that can help? (Action!) Are there obstacles preventing the character from solving the problem easily? (Suspense!) Personal setbacks? (Emotions!)

8.    Write away, and then use my ABCs of Revision to rewrite.