Need some help or guidance on your entry? Submit a draft and any questions through our Google Classroom to get personal feedback from our editors.
Why and How to Tell Your Story:
Let’s start with WHY to tell your story, putting the possible prize money, recognition of your family, friends, and community, seeing and sharing it in the print and online version of the Rappahannock News aside.
Another important reason to tell your story is that, whether you know it or not, you have one, and other people want to hear it. Once you start thinking about the prompt — “Tell a story about yourself or a person you know that involves an act of generosity, honesty or kindness.” — memories and ideas will start to emerge in your thoughts and you’ll be on your way to wanting to tell a story that is important to you and will resonate with other people.
The HOW of telling an effective story involves several key steps:
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Choose your theme of generosity, honesty or kindness: In communicating your chosen theme, your story should communicate a story theme that: you care about personally; affects the way you “see” things, reflects events happening in your school or community; touches on issues young people face such as fitting in, bullying, or friendships; involves experiences associated with your favorite hobbies or sports; or a life lesson you’ve learned from a situation or someone else.​​
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Decide on Your Story's Purpose: Is your purpose to inform others, teach a lesson, entertain people, connect with people by sharing a meaningful experience, or a combination of the above?
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Choose Your Role as Storyteller and your story form: You may be a newspaper reporter, filmmaker, graphic artist, poet, podcaster, photojournalist, writer, teacher, coach, student mentor, observer/recorder of your own story, or someone else that is the central character. The form of your story will be influenced by the role you choose to adopt and your preferred way of communicating a story to others.
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Build Your Story with Key Elements: Every good story needs these parts:
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A character or characters: Who is the story about?
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A sequence of events: What happens first, next, and after that?
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A problem or conflict: What challenge or obstacle do the characters face?
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A resolution: How is the problem solved or what do the characters learn?
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Have Fun with It! Enjoy creating your story. It can be funny,thoughtful, sad, informative, surprising, or a combination of qualities. Whatever form you are telling your story in, let your creativity guide you. If you care about your story, others will too.​
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Good luck, and happy storytelling!
Tips for Effective Storytelling
Numerous forms of storytelling have evolved over time as a fundamental method of communication which serve many purposes, including informing, gathering, entertaining, educating, and passing on many types of lessons and messages.
Human civilization is represented by the stories that have been passed on. Once you start looking, stories are everywhere, starting with oral story-telling, hieroglyphs carved on the walls of Egyptian pharaohs' tombs, Biblical stories written on sheepskin scrolls, Shakespeare’s plays written more than 400 years ago, fairy tales, fables, fiction and nonfiction books, newspapers, graphic novels, comic strips, TV shows, movies, operas, podcasts, documentaries, musicals, video games, and so many more.
What makes the best of these stories lasting and appealing to many people?
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For the Storytelling Contest, we're focusing on stories that really happened. Your story should be about real people or events — something that actually happened.
There are certain qualities of effective stories that you can use to make your own story powerful in whatever form you choose. First, your story needs a strong foundation which are the feelings and memories brought out by the prompt:
Tell a story about yourself or a person you know that involves an act of generosity, honesty, or kindness.
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Once you have your story in mind with one of the attributes, you can start to shape it on paper, keeping in mind the Four Ps of Storytelling:
Plot — What is the basic storyline and action that takes place?
Purpose — What do you want the reader/viewer to feel about your story? It might be surprise, happiness, sadness, curiosity, or a combination of feelings that reflect your own thoughts about your true story.
Place — What is the setting of your story? Describing the details of the place where the action occurs helps to “place” the reader/viewer in your story and brings out a stronger reaction from them.
People — Who are the characters in your story- yourself or other people you know? Characters are the “mirror” you are holding up for the reader/viewer to “see” themselves
in your story. They can connect with the action and purpose of your story through the character(s) reactions.
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Good Storytelling is in the Details
No matter the form you choose to tell your story, descriptive details make it come alive.
These details will be expressed in different ways in written and visual forms, but they have the same purpose; to grab the attention of the reader/viewer, and allow the action to resonate with them. ​​
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WHAT ARE THE JUDGES LOOKING FOR IN YOUR STORY?
Here are a list of the qualities that the judges will be looking for in your story. They will be applying a number from 9-1 for each of these 7 elements for a total score.
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It will help you to review your personal story in light of this list and to polish your work by seeking feedback from friends, family, and others. If your story makes a lasting impression on them, chances are that it will also be a success with the judges.
Although these elements refer to written stories, with the exception of #6 Mechanics, they are also applicable to other graphic and audiovisual story forms.
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1. Adherence to Prompt and Contest Guidelines
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This is the basic requirement for your story. It must be a true story about you or someone you know that involves an act of generosity, honesty, or kindness. It must also conform to the guidelines (length, originality and submission rules) for each of the eligible forms of storytelling as set forth on the website.
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2. Character Development
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Whether you or others that you know are the central characters of your story, they should be well described, developed, and relatable. Engaging characters are at the heart of any memorable short story. Show their traits and emotions through dialogue and actions. This will make your personal story come alive for readers and viewers.
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3. Setting and Atmosphere
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Giving enough historical or geographic detail about the setting and mood of the story will also create a realism and familiarity that will engage the reader/viewer and mentally place them within your storyline. If your story is written, they should be able to visualize the setting you describe
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4. Clarity and Cohesion
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Clarity in your writing is key to the understanding and enjoyment of your story. Avoid confusing language and descriptions. Clear and concise prose will effectively convey your ideas. In addition, a well-structured story should have a clear beginning, middle, and end, with smooth transitions between scenes and events. Successful pacing will ensure that the story flows naturally and is engaging from start to finish.
5. Creativity/Originality
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The creativity and originality of your story will set it apart from other entries. Find your own voice to share a narrative that will surprise and delight readers/viewers. Consider experimenting with unconventional narrative structures or perspectives to add depth Don't be afraid to take risks and present your own strong feelings and thoughts.
6. Mechanics
This element relates to all the others and is fundamental to the success of your story. These are primarily errors in spelling, grammar, paragraphing, and punctuation that can be eliminated by careful “proofing”. Other potential mistakes to look out for are; using words incorrectly, typographical errors, using unoriginal descriptions, insufficient detail, sentences that are incomplete, or other writing specifics that will disrupt the enjoyment of the story.
7. Engagement
This element is subjective in that different judges may be more engaged with a story than others. Sharing your story with others will give you a solid sense of how engaging your story is. How delighted or moved others will be is directly proportional to the passion you feel developing all of the elements of your story.
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Some questions you might ask others reading your story are: From the beginning, does this story engage your emotions? Do you care about the characters and what happens to them? Are your mind and feelings stimulated by the experience of reading this story?
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If they answer yes to these questions, you know that you have succeeded in presenting a very good story.
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